German captain Philipp Lahm decides to retire on high

German defender, Philipp Lahm, has pulled down the curtain on his international football career following his side’s World Cup final win over Argentina.

“I am happy and grateful that the end of my career with the national team coincides with winning the World Cup in Brazil,” he explained in an open letter posted on the German football association’s website.

At 30-years-old, Lahm’s news has come as a surprise, but then again, captaining your side to a World Cup win is an unbelievable way to end your international career.

Lahm has also battled with injuries in the past, so perhaps he is making this decision in order to prolong his playing career with Bayern Munich.

He has played with the German giants since he was 11 and just before the World Cup, he renewed his contract with them until 2018.

The German FA President, Wolfgang Niersbach released a statement saying, “Philipp called me this morning and personally informed me of this step. I very quickly realised that it was pointless trying to persuade him to reconsider his decision.

“He was not just a superb player for 10 years in the national team, but also a complete role model. I thanked him for everything that he’s done for the DFB.”