Gdansk: A mainstay for Germany at the last four major tournaments, captaining the team to third place at the 2010 FIFA World Cup, Philipp Lahm is an attack-minded full-back who, though right-footed, is equally comfortable playing on the left. He is also the skipper of FC Bayern Munich, with whom he has won three domestic doubles. He made his international debut after just half a season of Bundesliga football with Stuttgart, where he spent the 2003-04 campaign on loan from home-town club Bayern. Lahm scored the spectacular first goal of the 2006 FIFA World Cup — against Costa Rica on his home ground — and was the only Germany player to appear for the maximum 690 minutes. He won a second domestic double with Bayern in 2007/08 albeit, like the first one in 2005-06, it was truncated by injury; used predominantly at right-back under Louis van Gaal in 2009-10. One of Germany's few successes at UEFA Euro 2004, Lahm started all three matches in Portugal and was included in the Team of the Tournament at UEFA Euro 2008, where he scored a late winner in the semi-finals against Turkey. He helped Bayern to the 2010 UEFA Champions League final, which they lost 2-0 to FC Inter Milan in Madrid, but did celebrate another domestic double. Lahm played a major role in Germany's success at the 2010 World Cup, where they were knocked out by eventual winners Spain in the semi-finals. He was included in the tournament's All-Star Team. He was on the losing side for the second time in a UEFA Champions League final when Bayern were defeated on penalties by Chelsea FC in the 2012 showpiece, the match coming a week after his team lost 5-2 to Borussia Dortmund in the German Cup decider. — Agencies