Matthäus, Lothar (1961– )

German footballer. A midfield player who in the latter part of his career converted to a more defensive sweeper role. He was one of the most outstanding talents in world football during the 1980s and 1990s. He made his international debut in 1980 as a substitute in the West German team that won the European Championship. In 1990 he captained Germany to victory in the World Cup, and was voted both German and European footballer of the year. A decade later, in February 2000, he became the most capped player in the history of the game when he made his 144th international appearance.

Career highlights

International appearances (1980–2000)

World Cup

European Championships

German League Championship

German Cup

Italian League Championship

UEFA Cup

Awards

European Footballer of the Year

FIFA World Footballer of the Year

German Footballer of the Year

Born in Erlangen, he turned professional with Borussia Mönchengladbach in 1978. He joined Bayern Munich in 1984, and won three successive league championship winner's medals before moving to Italian side Internazionale in 1988. He won the Italian league championship in 1989 and the UEFA Cup in 1991, before returning to Bayern Munich in 1992. He captained Bayern to victory in the UEFA Cup in 1996, and the German league championship in 1997, and 1999, when they also reached the European Cup final. As well as the international honours he gained in 1980 and 1990, he was a runner-up with Germany in the 1982 and 1986 World Cups, and the 1988 European Championships. After finishing his playing career with US team the New York/New Jersey MetroStars, Matthäus had stints as head coach of Rapid Vienna and Partizan Belgrade. He then took charge of the Hungarian national team but they failed to qualify for the 2006 World Cup. In January 2006 he became coach of Atlético Paranaense of Brazil.