Full Name
Lothar Herbert Matthäus
Position
Defensive Midfielder/Sweeper
Born
21 March 1961
Country
Germany
Clubs
Borussia Monchengladbach (Germany)
Bayern Munich (Germany)
Inter Milan (Italy)
Bayern Munich (Germany)
MetroStars (USA)
Professional Career
1979-2000
International Caps/Goals
150 caps/23 goals
Honours
6 German Bundesliga title, 3 German Cup (Bayern Munich)
1 Serie A Scudetto (Inter Milan)
1 UEFA Cup (Bayern Munich)
1 UEFA Cup (Inter Milan)
1980 UEFA European Championship (Germany)
1990 FIFA World Cup (Germany)
1990 Ballon d’Or
1991 FIFA World Player of the Year
Love him or hate him, Lothar Matthäus was one of the best German players in the eighties and nineties. He was a fine playmaker in his early days, possessing excellent vision on the field, great passing ability and a thunderous shot. As Matthäus aged and lost some of his pace, he stepped back and became a sweeper where he performed equally well for both his club and country.
Matthäus represented Germany a total of 150 times, becoming the all-time German player with the most international caps. He was also one of the two outfield players – the other was Mexico’s Rafael Marquez – who had played in the most World Cups. Matthäus played in the 1982, 1986, 1990, 1994 and 1998 World Cups, and had won the 1990 one.
Diego Maradona once openly declared in his book that Matthäus was the best rival he ever had.
Best 100 Footballers in the World 