The German World Cup winner has plans outside of the world of football when he hangs up his boots and wants to enter the world of business and entrepreneurialism
Phillip Lahm has long been considered a player capable of adapting to new challenges. Traditionally a full-back, the Bayern Munich captain made himself comfortable in the centre of midfield when Pep Guardiola came in as head coach.
But now the former Germany international is getting ready to adapt to life after football, and having previously indicated that his current Bayern contract, ending in 2018, could be his last, the defender has already begun to make tracks in the business world.
The 32-year-old is involved with a Berlin-based start-up company called Fanmiles, which uses a points system to reward fans for their dedication to an individual or team, assessed by the amount of posts on social networks, tickets bought and matches attended.
But Lahm is not just a mere investor in the project, he has also revealed that he is learning the management side of the company, getting involved with marketing and meeting CEOs.
"Right now, I am not in an office. Until 2018 my focus is football and my tasks at Bayern," he told Bild. "But I do deal with recent topics like Fanmiles on a weekly basis.
"I talk to the CEOs, meet our distributors and look into topics like marketing. By doing so, I understand all those connections in busisness. That's a lot of fun.
"My stakes in business are not only investments. I don't want to buy me into something and be quiet but I want to learn new things as an entrepreneur.
"My footballing career is coming to an end someday. I am looking forward to the life after football, when my days and weeks are no longer ruled by fixtures list and training schedules. "But I know that I will be in my mid-30s by then and I need new tasks and new challenges, when the competition on the pitch is over. I can certainly see myself doing some business and pushing further those things that I already deal with."
- Goal