The imposing Lothar Matthäus!
This week is the turn of a midfielder and I think one of the best references in this position is this great player, an example of perseverance and professionalism, a defensive midfielder who remained in the elite of soccer for more than 20 years and always showed his best side as a player, that is the German Lothar Matthäus!
Der imposante Lothar Matthäus!
The imposing Lothar Matthäus!
His beginnings / Borussia Mönchengladbach. (1979/1984)
Lothar Herbert Matthäus was born in Erlangen, Bavaria on March 21, 1961, his first experiences as a footballer were spent in a small club in his hometown, FC Herzogenaurach, when he was just a child, there he began to stand out as a defensive midfielder although in the beginning he played more forward, when he turned 18 he was signed by Borussia Monchengladbach, a famous German team that at that time was not going through its best moment, Matthäus had a very good level but the club in general was not up to his level, Matthäus had a very good level but the club in general was not at his level, for that reason he failed to win any title with this club in which he played from 1979 to 1984, year in which Bayern Munich noticed him and where the era of glory of Lothar would begin. In total he played 200 games for Borussia, in which he scored 51 goals, a high figure considering that he played further back in midfield.
Bayern Munich (1984/1988)
Matthäus arrived at Bayern with a certain hierarchy in his name, he was already a regular in the German national team and the synergy between the player and the club was immediate, the year he arrived he won his first league title, in Bayern he began to evolve as a midfielder becoming a player who could move anywhere in midfield, he defended, had strength, quality and goal, he was a perfect player for any team, he won titles with Bayern in all the seasons he was with the club, in 1987 they reached the final of the European Cup (Champions League) which they lost against FC Porto, for the following year Inter arrived, and as I said before, Lothar was a perfect player for any team, so Inter went all out to sign him, in this first stage in Bayern he played 150 games and scored 69 goals.
FC Internazionale (1988/1992)
Total idol in the Italian club, Lothar arrived at Inter to lead a very ambitious project, again as soon as he arrived, he won the Serie A and the Italian Super Cup with Inter, in 1990 he was awarded the Ballon d'Or for his great season especially with the national team, In 1991 he won the UEFA Cup (Europa League) in the final of which he scored a penalty against AS Roma. After playing 153 games in which he scored 53 goals the German player returned to Bayern Munich after having become a legend at the Italian club where he is still fondly remembered today.
Bayern Munich (1992/2000)
This second stint at Bayern seemed to mark the end of his career, but that did not cause Lothar's level to drop, quite the contrary. He returned as an established player who could defend a ball in the middle of the field and take it to the opponent's goal and score, in the 8 years he was at the club he won 4 Bundesligas, 2 DFB-Pokals, another UEFA Cup (Europa League) and in 99 he reached with Bayern a new Champions League final that he was literally 2 minutes away from winning, moment in which Ole Gunnar Solskjær took away his illusion with a last minute goal in a heart-stopping game, in 2000, at the age of 39, after having played 256 games and scoring 31 goals, he decided to take one last step in U.S. soccer before retiring
MetroStars New York (2000)
This last stage in his career was quite gray, a back injury deprived him of showing his best side as a player and he did not know how to adapt to North American soccer and after playing 23 games and not scoring a single goal, he decided to hang up his boots at the end of that season, although he was champion of his conference with the MetroStars that year.
Germany National Team (1980/2000)
Lothar debuted with Germany on June 14, 1980, played no more and no less than 5 World Cups, coming out champion in Italy 90 and 2 times sub champion in 86 and 82, he was also champion (although he played little) of the Euro 80 and in total he played 4 times this tournament with the national team. To this day he holds the record for most games played in World Cups with 25, the year he won the World Cup with Germany he was awarded the Golden Ball after having an incredible performance, 7 games and 4 goals, although with controversy because the final of that tournament was decided with a dubious penalty in favor of Germany that years later Mathaus himself would accuse of being wrongly charged, in total he was international with the club in 150 occasions and scored a total of 23 goals.
In total, he left an extensive career of 932 games and 227 goals and a spectacular list of individual and collective titles, crowned, of course, by the World Cup.
Another legend!!! I remember playing with him in FIFA 96. Before Ballack, I liked Klinsmann, but this bloke was my hero. I just wish I was older enough at the time to appreciate him.
Thanks for the excellent write up. Your pieces are a pleasure to read and I always reminisce
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