Lothar Matthäus

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Lore & Background

Matthäus was the first outfield player, and second overall after Antonio Carbajal, to appear at five FIFA World Cups (1982, 1986, 1990, 1994 and 1998); he remains one of only seven male players to have done so. He also won UEFA Euro 1980, and played in the 1984, 1988 and 2000 UEFA European Championships. In 1999, aged 38, Matthäus was again voted German Footballer of the Year, having previously won the award in 1990. Matthäus is the most capped German player of all time, retiring with a total of 150 appearances (83 for West Germany) in 20 years, and 23 goals. He is a member of the FIFA 100 list of the greatest living football players chosen by Pelé.

In Their Own Story

On May 26, 1987, at the Praterstadion in Vienna, Lothar Matthäus watched as Bayern Munich's European Cup dream unraveled. His team had dominated for eighty-nine minutes, leading 1–0 against FC Porto, but two late goals turned triumph into despair. The pain of that defeat lingered for over a decade. It resurfaced dramatically on May 26, 1999, at the Camp Nou in Barcelona. Leading Manchester United 1–0 with ten minutes remaining, Matthäus was substituted in the 80th minute, confident the trophy was secure. Instead, United scored twice in stoppage time to win 2–1. As players lined up for medals, Matthäus refused to keep his silverware, tossing it aside in a moment of raw frustration. This heartbreak defined his Bayern legacy: a leader who came within two minutes of glory on two separate occasions, only to be denied by late collapses.

Reader's Guide

Matthäus started his professional career in 1979 with Borussia Mönchengladbach, then played for Bayern Munich from 1984 to 1988, winning the Bundesliga twice and the DFB-Pokal. They also reached the European Cup final in 1987, leading 1–0 for most of the game until two late goals gave FC Porto the win. He signed with Inter Milan in 1988, winning the Scudetto in 1988–89, the Italian Supercup that year, and the UEFA Cup in 1991. Returning to Bayern Munich in 1992, he won four Bundesliga titles, two DFB-Pokals, another UEFA Cup and reached a second European Cup final in 1999. The only major club football honour which eluded Matthäus, for competitions in which he played, was the UEFA Champions League. He moved to the MetroStars in 2000 and retired from professional football afterwards. He came out of retirement in 2018, at age 57, to play 50 minutes for 1. FC Herzogenaurach.

Did You Know?

• Matthäus was the first outfield player to appear at five FIFA World Cups.
• He was named FIFA World Player of the Year in 1991, one of only two Germans to receive the award (the other being Matthias Sammer in 1996).
• Diego Maradona called Matthäus 'the best rival I've ever had.'
• Matthäus played a one-off friendly for his youth club 1. FC Herzogenaurach at age 57 in 2018, but it was not a competitive match.