This week one of the most loyal and respected footballers bid farewell to the beautiful game. Bayern and German footballer Philipp Lahm stepped onto the pitch for one last time for Bayern Munich.
Since his final goodbye, the whole world has been showering congratulatory messages and praises towards the German. But ex-German captain Michael Ballack has some totally different opinions about his teammate.
We're not crying, you're crying. 😨
Thank you for everything, @philipplahm. #DankePhilipp pic.twitter.com/r3RfcMgy69
— FC Bayern English (@FCBayernEN) May 20, 2017
According to Ballack, he got to see the “other face” of Lahm when he refused to hand back the captaincy to Ballack back in 2010.
Today we say goodbye to a #legend, Philipp #Lahm😪 pic.twitter.com/4jSpR435fl
— FootyRoom (@footyroom) May 20, 2017
So this is what had happened. In 2010, the then German captain Michael Ballack got injured and was to be sidelined for a fair amount of time. So he handed over the captain’s armband to Philipp Lahm. Ballack himself had publicly backed Lahm for the interim role of captain.
Now Ballack has come out and said that Lahm had no intentions of handing back the captaincy to him. As a result of this incident, it eventually became difficult for Ballack to get back into the German side, according to him.
https://twitter.com/elvisghits/status/429327628273610752
Speaking to Sport 1, Ballack said, “I got to know Lahm’s other face.”
“I didn’t know that a player who takes on the role of captain doesn’t have to give it back afterwards. That was a frontal attack. I never made the step back to the national team after the incident.”
I had no chance to do anything against it. The way it took place was absolutely not okay.”
Now people have come out in support of Philipp Lahm stating that Ballack was already in the wee years of his career when Lahm took over the captain’s role for Germany.
But it is also to be noted that Ballack also showered praises on Lahm during his interview with Sport 1.
