Germany captain Philipp Lahm has retired from international football, just days after leading Germany to its fourth World Cup title.
The 30-year-old captained his nation as they overcame Argentina 1-0 in the final, making seven appearances to help them to their first major trophy since Euro 1996.
The news that Germany captain Philipp Lahm had decided to retire from international football was first published by the mass-circulation newspaper Sport Bild on Friday, reports DW.
"I told Jogi Low about my decision to retire from international football on Monday," Lahm told Sport Bild.
"I had been thinking about it over the course of last season. I am delighted that things all came together with this World Cup win,” he said.
Lahm, who has captained Germany since permanently replacing Michael Ballack in 2011, made his official Germany debut in the 2-1 win over Croatia in February 2004 and had since developed into one of Germany's undisputed star players. The right-back has made 113 appearances for the freshly crowned world champions and sits fourth in the all-time rankings behind Lothar Matthaus (150 caps), Miroslav Klose (137) and Lukas Podolski (116). Lahm featured at the European Championships of 2004, 2008 and 2012, as well as at the 2006, 2010 and 2014 World Cups.
