The magic dwarf: The story behind Philipp Lahm’s Ballon d’Or Nomination

Philip Lahm (L)

Pep Guardiola has referred to Philipp Lahm as ‘perhaps the most intelligent player I have ever trained in my career,’ and considering the Spaniard has worked alongside the likes of Xavi, Iniesta and Lionel Messi, this is terrific compliment.

Having played as a full-back for the majority of his career, this season the German captain has made the transition from defence to midfield, as Guardiola looks to utilise his ability in a more advanced position.

Major honours this year

Lahm captained Bayern Munich to success in every competition this year, including the Bundesliga, DFB Pokal and the Champions League. The German played a key role throughout Bayern’s 2012-13 season, as he has done for so many years.

Who is Philip Lahm?

Lahm, 29, joined Bayern Munich at the age of just eleven. Since making his first-team debut in November 2002, he has gone on to make just under 250 appearances for club, whilst he has represented Germany over 100 times.

He became Munich’s captain at the end of the 2010-11 season following the departure of former skipper, Mark Bommel. He assumed the same role for the national team during the 2010 World Cup in South Africa, becoming the youngest player to captain a German side in a World Cup tournament.

Key Stats

Having recently been moved to a defensive midfield role by coach Pep Guardiola, Lahm has excelled for Bayern. The 29-year-old has registered a pass accuracy of 91% so far this season, having created 15 chances for his club teammates.

Last term, from left-back, he made an incredible 11 assists as he accumulated a performance score of 1719 points. This fantastic statistics come alongside a tackle success rate of 78%. It’s clear to see Lahm is already a complete full-back, and this season he’s doing a great job in the Bayern midfield.

Does he deserve the nomination?

Yes, Lahm has been one of the world’s most consistent players for so many years now and what’s more, he has captained one of the most successful teams of all-time, winning everything possible last season.

Does he have a chance of winning?

No. It’s hard to see anyone but Lionel Messi, Cristiano Ronaldo or Frank Ribery winning the award this season. Whilst Lahm has been fantastic in all manners of his football, it seems almost impossible to consider him overcoming these three attacking talents.