Lothar Matthäus

The most capped German player and a World Cup-winning captain.

Lothar Herbert Matthäus (born 21 March 1961) is a German former professional football player and manager. He captained West Germany to victory in the 1990 FIFA World Cup and was awarded the Ballon d'Or. In 1991, he was named the first FIFA World Player of the Year, and remains the only German to have received the award. He was also included in the Ballon d'Or Dream Team in 2020.

Quick Facts

Full name: Lothar Herbert Matthäus
Born: 21 March 1961
Birthplace: Erlangen, West Germany
Height: 1.74 m / 5 ft 9 in
Position: Midfielder, sweeper
Total caps: 618
Total goals: 181

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. He 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. Diego Maradona said of Matthäus, 'He is the best rival I've ever had. I guess that's enough to define him.'

Reader's Guide

A versatile and complete player, Matthäus is regarded as one of the greatest midfielders of all time, and was renowned for his perceptive passing, positional sense and well-timed tackling, as well as his powerful shooting. During his career, he usually played as a box-to-box midfielder, although late in his career he played as a sweeper. He 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.

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. 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.