Lothar Matthäus

Lothar Herbert Matthäus is a German former professional footballer and manager. He led West Germany as captain to win the 1990 FIFA World Cup, earned the Ballon d'Or that same year, and in 1991 became the first recipient of the FIFA World Player of the Year award—a distinction still unique among German players. In 2020, he was named to the Ballon d'Or Dream Team.

Matthäus was the first outfield player and the second footballer overall, after Antonio Carbajal, to compete in five FIFA World Cups (1982, 1986, 1990, 1994, and 1998). He remains one of only seven male players to achieve this, alongside Carbajal, Rafael Márquez, Lionel Messi, Cristiano Ronaldo, Andrés Guardado, and Luka Modrić. He also won UEFA Euro 1980 and participated in the 1984, 1988, and 2000 European Championships. In 1999, at age 38, he was voted German Footballer of the Year for the second time, having first won in 1990.

With 150 international appearances (83 for West Germany) over 20 years and 23 goals, Matthäus is Germany's most capped player. Pelé included him in the FIFA 100 list of the greatest living footballers. Diego Maradona called him "the best rival I've ever had." Known for his perceptive passing, positional sense, well-timed tackling, and powerful shooting, Matthäus is regarded as one of the greatest midfielders of all time. He played as a box-to-box midfielder for most of his career, later shifting to sweeper.

Born on 21 March 1961 in Erlangen, Bavaria, to Heinz and Katharina Matthäus, he began in the youth system of 1. FC Herzogenaurach. His father, a canteen manager, had fled Silesia in 1944; his mother worked for Puma.

Matthäus started his professional career in 1979 with Borussia Mönchengladbach, staying until 1984. He then played for Bayern Munich from 1984 to 1988, winning two Bundesliga titles and the DFB-Pokal. Bayern reached the 1987 European Cup final but lost 2–1 to Porto after leading 1–0 for most of the match. In 1988, he and teammate Andreas Brehme joined Inter Milan, winning the Serie A title and Italian Supercup in their first season. Matthäus later won the UEFA Cup with Inter in 1991, scoring a penalty in the first leg of the final against Roma, and was named FIFA World Player of the Year that year.

Returning to Bayern Munich in 1992, he won four more Bundesliga titles, two DFB-Pokals, another UEFA Cup, and reached the 1999 Champions League final. Bayern led 1–0 until two late Manchester United goals denied him a winners' medal; he had been substituted in the 80th minute. He removed his runners-up medal immediately—a repeat of the 1987 final loss to Porto. After his retirement, Bayern won the Champions League in 2000–01. His last Bayern match was a 4–1 Champions League win over Real Madrid in March 2000.

During the 1999–2000 season, Matthäus moved to the MetroStars in Major League Soccer. He played from March to October 2000, making 16 appearances without scoring, and is considered a major European-to-MLS bust. He retired afterward, but came out of retirement in 2018 at age 57 to play 50 minutes for 1. FC Herzogenaurach’s final league game, fulfilling his dream of ending his career at the club where he started.

Matthäus made his international debut at UEFA Euro 1980, playing once in a 3–2 win over the Netherlands. He appeared in two games at the 1982 World Cup, including the "Disgrace of Gijón" match against Austria, as West Germany reached the final but lost 3–1 to Italy. He was a regular at the 1986 World Cup in Mexico.