Lahm stated in an interview that he would not relinquish the captaincy when Ballack returned, causing some controversy, so team manager Oliver Bierhoff clarified the situation saying "Philipp Lahm is the World Cup captain and Michael Ballack is still the captain".
Lahm ütles hilisemas intervjuus, et ta ei loobuks kapteni kohast kui Ballack tagasi oleks, tekitades vaidluse, nii et meeskonna peatreener Oliver Bierhoff selgitas olukorda, öeldes: "Philipp Lahm on MM-il kapten ja Michael Ballack on ikka kapten."