That was one part of a long interview, that the media wants to exaggerate. Ballack went on to say that Lahm was a great teammate and professional on the pitch, etc.
http://www.bundesliga.com/en/news/B...bayern-munich-captain-philipp-lahm-444560.jsp DFL pays tribute to the retiring Philipp Lahm DFL President Dr. Reinhard Rauball and CEO Christian Seifert have heaped praise on retiring Bayern Munich captain Philipp Lahm. DFL President Dr. Reinhard Rauball: "Philipp Lahm leaves the Bundesliga undoubtedly as one of the outstanding players in German football history. He is a great sporting figure, and his success - from the triumph at the 2014 World Cup in Brazil to the record of eight German championships and the "Treble" of 2013 - speaks for itself. In addition, Philipp Lahm as a fair sportsman who was always a model, especially for his many young fans, who seek to emulate him." DFL CEO Christian Seifert: "Philipp Lahm has written football history. On his unique career I can only tip my hat and congratulate him on what he has achieved in a one and a half decades of his professional career. With exceptional constancy, he was a top performer at Bayern Munich and in the national team. In addition, Philipp Lahm proved his great quality as a leader, far beyond his role on the pitch and as a captain. He was an outstanding ambassador to the Bundesliga."
Farewell Philipp Lahm, the man who won it all and left as a champion https://www.theguardian.com/football/englische-woche/2017/may/18/philipp-lahm-germany-bayern-munich-world-cup-bundeliga
Wenn Legenden über Legenden sprechen...Große Worte von @gianluigibuffon an @philipplahm! 👏 #DankePhilipp pic.twitter.com/hZhRA3TqyR— FC Bayern München (@FCBayern) May 20, 2017
Lahm was extraordinary. His immense consistency, professional approach, and complete skillset combined wkth exceptional game intelligence are really standout. He's a once in a generation, maybe even once in a lifetiime, player. Danke Phillipp.
.@philipplahm is officially Germany's Footballer of the Year 2017 ➡️ https://t.co/BYM7QMOdkLCongratulations, Philipp! 🎉🎊🎉 #DankePhilipp pic.twitter.com/IcQMVtIAcp— FC Bayern Munich (@FCBayernEN) July 23, 2017
Philipp Lahm to be named Honorary Captain by the DFB. This title was previously only held by Fritz Walter (1958), Uwe Seeler (1972), Franz Beckenbauer (1982), Lothar Matthäus (2001) and Jürgen Klinsmann (2016). http://www.kicker.de/news/fussball/...p-lahm-soll-dfb-ehrenspielfuehrer-werden.html