Lahm makes 500th competitive appearance for FCB

A milestone game for the captain! Philipp Lahm made his 500th competitive appearance as an FC Bayern player against Schalke 04 on Saturday, coming on as a 77th-minute substitute to a standing ovation from the fans in the sold-out Allianz Arena.

A fitting tribute for one of the great players in the history of FCB. Lahm’s 500 appearances put him eighth in the champions’ all-time list – level with Bastian Schweinsteiger. The two mates made their professional debut for Bayern together in the same game – a 3-3 draw against Lens in the UEFA Champions League on 13^th November 2002.

5,197 days later and Lahm has become a legend for the team in red and white, a team that he has captained since January 2011. With seven Bundesliga titles to his name so far, he is just one behind record-holders Oliver Kahn, Schweinsteiger and Mehmet Scholl (eight titles each). In addition to that the Munich-born full-back has won the German Cup six times and another winners medal would again draw him level with Schweinsteiger.

Lahm’s most successful year was probably 2013 when he achieved the treble of the league title, German Cup and Champions League. That was followed by triumphs in the UEFA Super Cup and FIFA Club World Cup. But it’s not just his titles that are impressive. The defensive stalwart has been in the starting line-up in 477 of his 500 appearances and finished on the winning side in 333 of them.

Lahm's appearances for FC Bayern