BERLIN // Germany midfielder Bastian Schweinsteiger is the No 1 candidate to become the new captain of the World Cup winners after the surprise international retirement of Philipp Lahm.
Schweinsteiger became a symbol of Germany's charge to a fourth trophy, battling on through the final victory over Argentina despite taking an elbow in the face that left blood pouring from a cut.
“Will miss you on the team, my friend! Had a great time! Thank you Philipp,” Schweinsteiger said on Twitter to his teammate after Lahm’s announcement.
Lahm is quitting international football at the age of 30, having played 113 times for his country.
Age is not on Schweinsteiger’s side. He will be 30 on August 1, has played 108 matches and has struggled with injuries during the past two years.
But he was already officially Lahm’s deputy, and his leadership qualities have been widely praised.
“You don’t need to think for very long,” said Lothar Matthaus, Germany’s captain when they won the 1990 World Cup, who appeared a record 150 times for his country.
“I am going on the principle that Bastian Schweinsteiger will take over the captain’s arm band. He is already vice-captain,” Matthaus told Sky Sport television.
Germany coach Joachim Loew has not said when he will name a new captain and is under no pressure as European Championship qualifying starts in September.
If he is looking for a younger candidate, defender Mats Hummels, 25, and striker Thomas Muller, 24, have also become pillars of the world-beating side.
“It will not be easy to replace Philipp Lahm as a player, as a person and as captain,” said Karl-Heinz Rummenigge, the chief executive at Bayern Munich.
Rudi Voller, Germany’s coach when Lahm made his international debut in 2004, said the Bayern defender could have kept going until the next World Cup in Russia in 2018.
Loew has concentrated on joining tributes to Lahm, who only told him of his decision at breakfast on the day after Sunday’s World Cup final.
“He is a world-class player. He proved it again in recent weeks in Brazil,” Loew said in a statement released by the German Football Federation (DFB).
“Philipp is a model professional who sacrifices everything for [team] success,” said Loew, who made Lahm his captain just before the 2010 World Cup finals, where Germany finished third.
“He was always a central and very important figure to talk to, with whom we were able to discuss our ideas. He can be proud of his career. He is a fantastic player with a big heart, lots of passion and character.”
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