For world champion captain and FC Bayern legend Philipp Lahm, Germany is not one of the top favorites at the World Cup in Qatar, but the semi-finals must be the goal.
“We’re definitely not among the top three or four nations at the moment – simply because of the past two finals. The goal must be to get into the last four,” said the 39-year-old to the editorial network Germany.
Above all, Lahm relies on team spirit. “I think it’s important that an identity takes place again. But that often only happens during a tournament,” said the long-time Munich resident: “The last appearances at major tournaments were disappointing – it’s all the more important to write a new story, that Win back trust. The discussion about ‘The Team’ also came about because what was on the label was no longer there.”
As tournament director of the EM 2024, he cannot learn anything from the World Cup, said Lahm. “For example, I don’t need to talk about sustainability when I’m building eight stadiums in a city in a country that doesn’t have any football or fan culture. Plus the still problematic human rights situation. What we have to do with a view to 2024 have nothing to do with any of this,” he said.