Newly promoted captain Philipp Lahm said he believes this young Germany team is the best he has ever played in, as they prepare to face Australia in their 2010 World Cup opener.

“This team is hungry, you can see it in every training session where the intensity and the enthusiasm are really high,” Lahm told journalists at the Germans’ training base near Johannesburg. “As far as I’m concerned, this German team is the best I’ve played in.”…

Coach Joachim Loew announced via a televised press conference on Friday that Philipp Lahm will replace the injured Michael Ballack as captain in South Africa, but goalkeeping legend Oliver Kahn isn’t convinced Lahm is the right man for the job.

“You have a huge responsibility as captain of the national team and the player who wears the armband must always lead the way,” Kahn was quoted as saying by Munich based newspaper TZ.

“Lahm still has to prove whether he has the leadership qualities for the whole tournament. Philipp is a great footballer, but I don’t know whether he is mature enough for this.…

Bayern defender Philipp Lahm will lead Germany in the football World Cup in South Africa in the wake of captain Michael Ballack’s injury, media reported Thursday.

Bild also reported that Manuel Neuer would be the starting goalkeeper for the team when it kicks off its campaign for a fourth title next month.

The paper reported that coach Jogi Löw told Lahm yesterday that the 26-year-old defender would lead the team and that officials would announce the decision before Germany’s friendly against Hungary on Saturday.

Quizzed at Munich airport yesterday, Lahm did not discuss the role of captain but said his job in the team was “to move forward and to reinforce the belief and the confidence that we will have a very successful World Cup.”…

With Germany bidding for their fourth World Cup title in South Africa, defenderPhilipp Lahm admits there is an air of expectation on Joachim Löw’s side to prove themselves.

After victories in Switzerland in 1954, on home soil in 1974 and in Italy in 1990, pressures are high – despite the loss to injury of captain Michael Ballack - that another World Cup trophy awaits in Johannesburg on July 11.

Lahm says consistent success has bred a culture of expectation in Germany with the current squad eager to add to the legacy.…

Lahm is widely recognised as one of world football’s best full-backs and he is a vital member of the German team, whether operating on the left or right side of defense. Having shone at the 2006 World Cup, as well as Euro 2004 and Euro 2008, his extensive experience and attacking impetus are important for the team and Lahm clearly relishes the biggest of stages, making eye-catching contributions at every major finals of his career.

Lahm made a particularly eye-catching contribution at his last World Cup when he scored the opening goal of the tournament with a looping shot against Costa Rica and was the only German player to play all 690 minutes of their campaign. He was nominated for the FIFA World Player of the Year award six months later. He was also included in the Mastercard All Star Team in 2006 and the UEFA Team of the Tournament in 2008.…

Bayern Munich general manager Uli Hoeness has warned midfielder Bastian Schweinsteiger he will need to improve his performances next season.

The Germany international failed to make an impression on Hoeness this campaign and has been told more is expected of him in the future.

“You have got to ask him quite clearly if he always just wants to be any old member of this squad,” Hoeness told Sport Bild magazine.

“Is what he showed here last year how he imagined things to be with us at Bayern?”

Hoeness also said Philipp Lahm cannot expect to leave the club just because of his “nice guy” image.

The Germany full-back was strongly linked with Barcelona last summer and the Champions League winners are believed to be showing an interest again, but Hoeness is not listening to the rumours.

He said: “There is not one player who can leave us just because he is a nice guy. Are we a charity or something?”…

Left-back Philipp Lahm believes he is ready for the Bayern Munich captaincy.

New Bayern boss Jurgen Klinsmann is looking for a successor to Oliver Kahn, who retired at the end of last season, and the 24-year-old is reportedly the front-runner.

Lahm told the Bild newspaper: ‘If I am offered the captain’s armband, I would accept it.

‘I feel ready for this task. The most important thing is that you are accepted by the team and also the board. And I feel it.

‘Players already come to me to talk to me about football or other things in the club. I have the feeling that my opinion counts in the team.’

Should Lahm be named captain, it would cap a remarkable turnaround in fortunes for the player who was criticised by club president Franz Beckenbauer for his performances last season and linked with a move away from the Allianz Arena.…

Philip Lahm entered the 2006 World Cup a relative unknown, but burst onto the international scene with a spectacular opening goal, scored against Costa Rica in the 6th minute. The only German player to play all 690 minutes of the 2006 World Cup, his outstanding performance also earned him a nomination for the FIFA World Player of the Year 2006.

Known for his unique role as a right-footed left back, the versatile Lahm has been efficiently deployed on both sides. An effective support, he delivers pinpoint passes into the penalty box for his strikers; however, he is also quick to slip through holes in opposing defense, functioning as an opportunistic striker.

Standing at 170cm (approximately 5’7″), he is dwarfed by most of his teammates, yet the agile and quick-thinking Lahm clearly manages to hold his own, both internationally and league-wise. He was chosen as the left back for the UEFA Team of the Year 2006, and included in the Mastercard All Star Team.

Hailed by critics as one of the best left backs currently playing today, Lahm’s renowned pace, dribbling and crossing abilities are sure to make him a pillar of the German soccer team in the upcoming Euro.

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