Bayern stalwart Lahm confirms intention to retire at season's end

At just 33 years old, longtime Bayern Munich captain Philipp Lahm has decided to retire from football.

Lahm confirmed plans to hang up his boots at the end of the season, after a report from Bild's Christian Falk, Tobias Altschaffl, and Heiko Ostendorp indicated the former Germany international would call it quits a year short of the end of his contract with the Bavarian giant.

Lahm also said he will not replace Matthias Sammer as Bayern's director of football, according to DW Sports.

"I've told the Bayern officials that I'm retiring from playing at the end of the season," he told reporters, according to ESPN FC's Mark Lovell. "I see my style of leadership in the way that I give my best every day, in training, and in every game. I think I'm capable of doing that until the end of the season but no longer than that."

The Munich native has on more than one occasion hinted at retiring early, emphasising the need to go with a younger generation.

"If someone comes along who plays better in my position, or I realise that I can no longer keep up, then I would certainly have to deal with the fact that perhaps I should finish sooner," he told Bild in January.

Regardless, it has been a remarkable career.

Last Saturday, he became only the eighth player in club history to reach 500 appearances, the latest achievement in a distinguished 14-year career that began when he debuted as a teenager.

He won virtually every honour available with his childhood team, claiming seven Bundesliga crowns, six DFB-Pokal titles, the 2013 Champions League, the 2013 UEFA Super Cup, and the Club World Cup.

An eighth league triumph could be on the way, with Bayern four points clear at the top of the table.

Having already retired from international duty with Germany - which he captained to victory at the 2014 World Cup - Lahm has now cleared the way for the next wave of budding Bayern stars.