Lahm on top of the world

Philipp Lahm had the eyes of the world on him when he crashed in the opening goal of the FIFA World Cup last summer and the Germany international is still riding the crest of a wave. Lahm, 23, was voted into the uefa.com users' Team of the Year, and having helped FC Bayern München though to the quarter-finals of the UEFA Champions League, the left-back is hoping to have more to celebrate before the end of the season.

uefa.com: What does it mean to be so appreciated by the fans?

Philipp Lahm: It's a big honour to be picked in the uefa.com Team of the Year. Thank you to the fans who voted for me. To be honest in 2005 I would never have expected to be in a team with players such as Ronaldinho, [Fabio] Cannavaro and [Gianluigi] Buffon. This is great.

uefa.com: Does it feel extra special to be in such exalted company at such a young age?

Lahm: Certainly, especially when you consider in my case I had a broken foot, a torn cruciate ligament and then an elbow injury just before the World Cup. That's why it is so nice to finish off 2006 by being nominated for such a team.

uefa.com: How did you balance national and international duties?

Lahm: With FC Bayern we were crowned German champions early, we also won the cup - my first titles. That was beautiful, but of course you will always focus on the World Cup in your own country. You can only have this once in your life anyway and I was able to play in it. There was a lot of pressure, but it was great fun too.

uefa.com: Was it hard to return to earth after the World Cup?

Lahm: No it wasn't difficult. I don't think we were ever that far off the ground. The family is what is most important and that keeps you grounded. It's just difficult to resume your everyday life. You always have heavy legs, you're not free in your head, you only get short holidays and a short time to prepare for the season. I think you could really see that in the players.

uefa.com: You knocked out Real Madrid CF and are now up against AC Milan in the quarter-finals of the UEFA Champions League. Does the fact Milan are having a difficult season make Bayern favourites?

Lahm: No, I don't think so. AC Milan are aiming to win the Champions League, while we are going from game to game. You could see in the tie against Real that it was an advantage for us to play our first game away from home. Last year many of the teams that won their Round of 16 tie played away first as well. We're in better form than before, which gives us some optimism for the Milan tie.

uefa.com: Where does that new self-confidence come from?

Lahm: Quite easy, from recent results. We didn't have a good first half of the season and we didn't start the second half well. Now we're getting into our stride, as you could see from the games against Hertha BSC Berlin and Madrid. I think the last 30 minutes in Madrid were a turning point for us.

uefa.com: Will it be easier for you to win the UEFA Champions League than defend your Bundesliga title, given how far you are behind leaders FC Schalke 04?

Lahm: Both are possible, but difficult. We'll do everything to win both titles, but we also know how hard it will be to win just one of them.

uefa.com: What are Milan's greatest strengths?

uefa.com: Like every Italian team they're very compact in defence and wait for their opponents to make mistakes. It's always difficult to score against Italian teams, and they have quality players who can score at any time.

uefa.com: Would it be an advantage for you if Paolo Maldini fails to recover from injury in time to play?

Lahm: I think it would be. He's a sort of role model for me, having played at the top of the game for more than a decade, so it's good news for us.

uefa.com: The competition is wide open after FC Barcelona and Olympique Lyonnais were knocked out. Who do you think can win it?

Lahm: There are the English teams and AC Milan, who have always gone far in recent years. There are also a couple of outsiders who should not to underestimated.

uefa.com: Bayern München for instance?

Lahm: Of course. We're in the quarter-finals and already looking to the semi-finals so there is everything to play for.

uefa.com: What does it mean to have Ottmar Hitzfeld back as coach?

uefa.com: He has a lot of experience and knows everything about this club after coaching here for six years. He is a great coach.