Lahm, Alonso Bid Farewell To The Game
Bayern Munich duo Philipp Lahm and Xabi Alonso will retire from professional football after playing their last games for the Bavarians on Saturday.
Bayern will host Freiburg this weekend as the Bundesliga champions lift the trophy for the fifth successive season.
Between them, Lahm, 33, and Alonso, 35, won every major trophy and were key figures in two of the 21st century’s most incredible matches.
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The duo have won virtually every major trophy in football, including the FIFA World Cup and the UEFA Champions League.
Alonso was in Spain’s side that lifted the World Cup trophy in 2010, beating the Netherlands 1-0 at the Soccer City Stadium in South Africa.
He has 114 caps for La Roja.
Lahm captained Germany to the 2014 World Cup triumph in Brazil, where they also defeated Argentina 1-0 in the final at the Maracana Stadium.
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Alonso won the Champions League titles with Liverpool, on an unforgettable night in Istanbul, then in 2014 with Real Madrid in Lisbon before moving to Germany to join Bayern Munich.
“I’ve spent my life trying to squeeze everything into four weeks in summer,” he told The Times.
“Now I don’t have to play anything. I have weekends for the first time in 18 years. My wife is thrilled.”
Lahm spent his entire career at Bayern Munich, after joining the German giants as an 11-year-old.
Lahm will lift the Bundesliga trophy for the fifth time as captain and the eighth in his career — equalling the record for most title wins held by Bayern legends Oliver Kahn, Mehmet Scholl and Bastian Schweinsteiger.
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This will be his 21st title with Bayern, having also won the German Cup six times, and Saturday’s match will be his 517th appearance for Bayern.
