‘There was nothing better than’… Philipp Lahm reveals why he turned down Barcelona in 2008 | OneFootball

In their illustrious history as one of the top clubs in Europe, FC Barcelona have seen some of the most easily recognizable faces in the world of football playing for their team.

However, there have been other instances when such players were close to signing for the Blaugrana club, but ultimately could not do so for various reasons.

One such player was the legendary Bayern Munich fullback Philipp Lahm, who revealed the story of how he could have joined Barcelona back in 2008, as he recently appeared in an interview in Germany.

As SPORT has reported, the former German international received an offer from the Catalan club, but wanted to succeed at the club of his life, i.e., Bayern Munich:

“In 2008, I received an offer from FC Barcelona. They were very persistent with their proposal. That was a form of recognition, but for me, there was nothing better than achieving the greatest success with the club where I grew up and later became captain.”

As history witnessed, the team assembled by Joan Laporta and Txiki Begiristain in 2008 was one of the best that European football has ever seen. One can only imagine how better it would have been if a fullback as good as Philipp Lahm had also been a part of it.

However, the German legend went on to write a different story at Bayern Munich, something that he always wanted to do, as is clear from his comments in this recent interview. In total, he made 517 appearances with the Bavarian club’s first team, scoring 16 goals and providing 70 assists.

His career in Germany was also filled with titles, as he won 8 Bundesliga titles, 6 German Super Cups, 3 German Super Cups, 1 German League Cup, 1 UEFA Super Cup, and 1 FIFA Club World Cup.

However, the pinnacle of his career was winning the UEFA Champions League title in the 2012-13 season, and winning the 2014 World Cup with the German national team.