Germany's World Cup Winning Captain Philipp Lahm Retires from International Football

Germany's 2014 World Cup winning captain Philipp Lahm has announced his retirement from international football.

Lahm has represented his country 113 times after making his debut in 2004 in a 2-1 win over Croatia and his last match was the title winning match over Argentina in the World Cup finals.

The Bayern Munich player believes it is the right time for him to call it a day and cherishes every moment spent with the national team.

"It is the right time for me. I have totally enjoyed my time with the national team," Lahm said, as quoted by the BBC.

The German defender's retirement was confirmed by the German FA. President of the association Wolfgang Niersbach said that he knew it was pointless to try and persuade the defender to carry on once he had heard his decision and recognised his contribution during his long career with the national team.

"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," Niersbach said.

"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."

Even Bayern chairman, Karl-Heinz Rummenigge, acknowledged his decision to retire, and feels it will be a tough task to replace a player like Lahm.

"There is hardly a better farewell than to be a world champion at the peak of your career," Rummenigge said.

"But for the national team, it will not be easy to replace Lahm as a player, captain and a man."

Lahm will now have all the time to fully concentrate on furthering his club career after signing a new contract with the Bundesliga champions, which will keep him at the Allianz Arena till 2018.