In his column for Goal, Philipp Lahm takes a trip down memory lane following Bayern’s fourth Bundesliga title in a row — and he wants football to remember its roots.

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When I was a child playing at FT Gern, my father also played for the first team. One match I will always remember was a promotion playoff for the A-team, which FT Gern won 5-4 on penalties.The joy was overwhelming for the 7-year-old "me." I celebrated with the players by eating a bratwurst and listening to the out-of-tune victory chants, although unlike the adults I toasted our success with an apple spritzer.After FC Bayern’s 26th Bundesliga title this weekend — our fourth in a row — I could see that 25 years later, football at the top level still shares something with the grass roots. The celebratory karaoke was also off key, although you’ll never get 75,000 people at a German ninth-division ground.In addition to the people at the Allianz Arena on Saturday and the Marienplatz on Sunday, millions of fans were celebrating all over the world, watching on TV, computers, notebooks and smartphones. When Bayern won its first title in 1932, no one could have imagined sharing our joy beyond the stadium walls, let alone as far away as Brazil, Africa or China.The magic words are digitization and globalization. But world-class football faces a huge challenge to somehow not lose its identity while expanding its reach beyond borders. Is there really a need to increase, extend and optimize everything?Of course, my sporting goal is to win a fifth-consecutive Bundesliga title. This steady pursuit of success in training and games is the basis of competitive sports.But without being able or willing to judge individual cases, it seems to me that excesses like the Panama Papers are a good example of global sports protagonists overextending their privilege. Sometimes they don’t realize when enough is enough.Every professional reached his position through talent and personal investment, but we owe something to the fans and spectators whose money and respect we earn with our performances. We must be role models from their own ranks, not manufactured heroes who couldn’t care less for the roots.Ultimately a promotion playoff in the ninth division and a Bundesliga title decider have more in common than differences. Those moments of celebration and unity are the same. This connection cannot be lost.