MUNICH, Germany — Twenty years ago this summer, Philipp Lahm stood on the edge of a football revolution. The 21-year-old captain, fresh from Bayern Munich’s youth ranks, led Germany to its third World Cup title with a performance so assured it rewrote the nation’s sporting identity. The tournament became known as the Sommermärchen—the Summer Fairy Tale—a moment when football transcended sport and became a unifying force in a country still grappling with reunification.

Now, as Germany prepares for the 2026 World Cup—co-hosted with Canada and Mexico—Lahm, 39, reflects on how that 2006 triumph reshaped German football, the pressures of leadership, and why the next generation must carry the torch forward. His words, delivered in a recent interview with Stern, carry the weight of someone who lived history and now watches it unfold anew.

Why 2006 Still Defines German Football

For Lahm, the 2006 World Cup wasn’t just a victory—it was a responsibility. “I felt obliged to make sure this fairy tale didn’t end,” he said. “We had to prove that this wasn’t just a one-off moment, but the beginning of something bigger.” That “something bigger” was the DNA shift in German football: from a defensive, tactical nation to one built on high-pressing, possession-based play that would dominate the next decade.

The tournament’s turning point came in the semifinals against Italy, where Lahm’s