Philipp Lahm refuses to rule out a future return to Bayern Munich
Former Bayern Munich captain Philipp Lahm is open to the idea of returning to the club in an administerial role in the future.
Legendary right-back Philipp Lahm called it quits from professional soccer at the end of last season. Since then, Lahm has been constantly linked with a role in the club’s administration. Bayern Munich reportedly offered him the role of sporting director last year, as the position was unoccupied since the departure Matthias Sammer.
Lahm rejected that opportunity, though, as he wanted a break from soccer at that time. The full-back currently works as an ambassador for the German national team. In an interview with SportBild, Lahm revealed the reasons for rejecting Bayern’s offer. He also, however, did not rule out a return to the club in the future.
"“[The club and I] had different views on the activity, areas of responsibility and the structuring of responsibilities [for a sporting director].“Sure. I am 34 years old. I hope I have a lot more to do in my life. I currently have interesting tasks, but as I said: I’m only 34, I can imagine [a return], of course. “"
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Bayern Munich were linked with a few other candidates for the sporting director role after Lahm refused the offer. The German champions eventually hired Hasan Salihamidzic last July. Salihamidzic is a former Bayern player and has always been associated with the club as an ambassador since his retirement.
Lahm came through the ranks of Bayern and spent his entire playing career at the club. He won numerous titles at Bayern, including the historic treble in 2013. The German international established himself as one of the best right-backs in the last decade. He also won a World Cup with the national team in 2014.
The former Bayern captain was considered one of the most intelligent players in the world by Pep Guardiola. He seemingly has the qualities to be a good coach, but Lahm is currently not interested in pursuing that option. His former teammates speak fondly about him. Thomas Muller believes that he has all the qualities to be successful in a managerial role at Bayern.
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Bayern Munich generally find a way to accommodate former players at the club. After a poor tenure under Carlo Ancelotti, the club have now hired Niko Kovac as their manager. The Croatian has also previously played at Bayern and has earned plaudits for his work at Eintracht Frankfurt. After yesterday’s emphatic DFB Pokal final victory over Bayern Munich, surely Kovac has done enough to convince the Bayern faithful of his talent.