Awards seem to keep on coming for Philipp Lahm even after the end of his playing career. On Saturday evening, the long-time FC Bayern captain was honoured with the Bavarian Sport Award in Munich, and now there’s yet another accolade for the 33-year-old. Two months after retiring, Lahm has been named Germany’s Footballer of the Year 2017 for the first time.
Organised by the magazine kicker, the award is determined by votes from members of the Association of German Sports Journalists, who named Lahm the clear winner with 242 votes ahead of Toni Kroos (Real Madrid/192) and Borussia Dortmund’s Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang (120). In total, 885 journalists took part in the vote in the 58th edition of Footballer of the Year.
“It’s a real honour and I’m truly pleased with it. I think the journalists in the vote have watched me for my entire career,” said Lahm, who finished second and third in the 2004 and 2006 votes, respectively. Lahm succeeds his long-time Bayern and Germany teammate Jerome Boateng as the recipient of the award.
A Champions League title, eight Bundesliga titles and six DFB Cup wins with FC Bayern were deemed enough for 242 journalists to bestow the award on the World Cup winning captain for his career’s work. The fact that Lahm had so far failed to win the award despite years of top-class performances can be put down to his position as a full-back.
“History shows that it is incredibly tough for a defender to be named Footballer of the Year because over the course of a year there is normally always a forward who steals the headlines up front,” the newly crowned winner stated.
Germany’s Footballers of the Year at FC Bayern since 1960:
2017 Philipp Lahm
2016 Jérôme Boateng
2014 Manuel Neuer
2013 Bastian Schweinsteiger
2010 Arjen Robben
2008 Franck Ribéry
2005 Michael Ballack
2003 Michael Ballack
2001 Oliver Kahn
2000 Oliver Kahn
1999 Lothar Matthäus
1981 Paul Breitner
1980 Karl-Heinz Rummenigge
1978 Sepp Maier
1977 Sepp Maier
1976 Franz Beckenbauer
1975 Sepp Maier
1974 Franz Beckenbauer
1969 Gerd Müller
1968 Franz Beckenbauer
1967 Gerd Müller
1966 Franz Beckenbauer
