Lothar Matthäus

Lothar Matthäus (born March 21, 1961, Erlangen, West Germany) is a former German football (soccer) player who was the first outfield player to compete in five World Cups: 1982, 1986, 1990 (when he captained the West German side to the title), 1994, and 1998. He was also a member of the 1980 European Championship team. Playing in both the midfield and defense, Matthäus was respected for his intuitive style of leadership on the field, intelligent playmaking, and powerful shooting ability.

Lothar Matthäus played on the youth teams of FC Herzogenaurach near his hometown of Erlangen before making his professional debut for Borussia Mönchengladbach in 1979. In 1984 he moved to rival club Bayern Munich for the first of two tours (1984–88, 1992–2000) with the legendary team of the German Bundesliga. With Bayern, he won five German league championships (1985, 1987, 1994, 1997, and 1999) as well as the UEFA (Union of European Football Associations) Cup in 1996 and the West German and German cups in 1986 and 1998.

Matthäus played for Inter Milan from 1988 to 1992, capturing the Italian league title in 1989 and the UEFA Cup (now UEFA Europa League) in 1991. He won the Ballon d’Or and was named European Footballer of the Year in 1990. He was also named World Footballer of the Year in 1990 and 1991. He closed out his club career with the New York–New Jersey MetroStars (now New York Red Bulls) in the United States in the summer of 2000.

Matthäus played his first international match at the European Championship in 1980, just a year after embarking on his professional club career. He was appointed captain of the West German side in 1987, after playing in two World Cups. He led the team to victory in his third World Cup, scoring four goals in West Germany’s campaign through the 1990 edition of the tournament. He also captained the reunified German side in the 1994 World Cup, after which he relinquished the position to Jürgen Klinsmann.

The year 1994 was widely expected to be Matthäus’s final international appearance and he was not included in the national team for subsequent tournaments, such as the European Championship in 1996, which Germany won. However, he was called up for the 1998 World Cup, becoming the second footballer after Mexican goalkeeper Antonio Carbajal and the first outfield player to appear in five World Cups. In 2000, the year he retired from club football, he also retired from international play, having made 150 appearances.

Matthäus subsequently embarked on a coaching career. However, he had limited success, and his tenures with a series of clubs were brief.