- Born
- Height5′ 8½″ (1.74 m)
- Lothar Herbert Matthäus is a German football pundit and former player and manager. After captaining West Germany to victory in the 1990 FIFA World Cup where he lifted the World Cup trophy, he was awarded the Ballon d'Or. In 1991, he was named the first FIFA World Player of the Year, and remains the only German to have received the award. He was also included in the Ballon d'Or Dream Team in 2020.- IMDb Mini Biography By: Bonitao
- Lothar joined the first football club, FC Herzogenaurach, in 1970 at the age of 9 as an outfield player. Lothar's talent quickly became clear to those in charge, so he always played in the next higher class compared to his other peers. After finishing school, Matthäus trained as an interior decorator in his father's business. From 1978 he played for the amateurs of FC Herzogenaurach. Matthäus' performances and team spirit were so convincing that he was signed for the A youth national team from 1979 and took part in nine international matches.
In this trial by fire, Matthäus qualified for the Bundesliga, where he was signed as a regular player by Borussia Mönchengladbach in 1979. After just one season at Borussia, Matthäus was called up to the German national team at the age of 19. He made his first international appearances in 1980 at the European Championships in Italy and in an international match against Holland. Matthäus became a star player within the DFB selection in South America when he successfully proved himself in duels against players like Diego Maradona. After these successes, Matthäus was appointed as a regular player to FC Bayern Munich in 1984 for a transfer fee of 2 million DM, where he led Bayern to the German championship in 1985, 1986, 1987, 1994, 1997 and 1999.
In 1988, Matthäus moved to the Italian first division club Inter Milan for 7 million DM. The investment paid off because just a year later, in 1989, the team became Italian champions. The footballer was now considered world-class and the most sought-after player in international football. In 1990, the German national team, with Matthäus as captain, won the World Cup in Rome. In 1990 he was named World and European Athlete of the Year. In 1991 and 1992, Matthäus was also named World Footballer of the Year. In 1991, Inter Milan won the UEFA Cup with the participation of the German player. In 1994, Matthäus married Lolita Morena for the second time, with whom he has a son, Loris (born 1992). The daughters Alisa and Viola emerged from her first marriage in 1986 and 1988.
The professional footballer returned to FC in 1992. Bayern Munich returned, whom he led to the German championship again. Despite injury breaks due to a strained Achilles tendon, Matthäus was also instrumental in Bayern winning the 1996 UEFA Cup. Due to his injury, national coach Berti Vogts then retired Matthäus. This led to violent arguments between the players and the coach, in which the new captain Jürgen Klinsmann and other players were also involved. After a discussion, the dispute was resolved in 1996. During his second contract with FC Bayer he scored 28 goals in 170 games. In March 2000, Matthäus ended his official career at FC. Bayern Munich.
After his second marriage to Lolita broke up, he moved to New York with his new partner Maren Müller-Wohlfahrt, where, accompanied by great media interest, he signed up with the Metro Stars NY. After a few months (March-December 2000) Matthäus returned to Germany to officially end his active football career at the age of 39 after a farewell game in Munich. On June 20, 2001, Matthäus was awarded the Bavarian Order of Merit for his commitment to sport and his services to the state of Bavaria. In September 2001, the ex-footballer joined the Austrian first division club Rapid Vienna as the new sports director. As a result (2002/03) he also took on a position as a coach at the Serbian football club "Partizan Belgrade".
In July 2003, Matthäus hit the headlines as coach of "Partizan Belgrade" when a meeting between the Serbian football club and the Croatian "Dinamo Zagreb" in Krien, Switzerland, led to a mass brawl in the stadium and the game being abandoned prematurely. After Matthäus led "Partizan Belgrade" to the Serbian championship title, he was hired as the new Hungarian national coach on December 14, 2003. The new goal was to qualify the Hungarian selection for the 2006 World Cup in Germany. In 2006 he moved to Atlético Paranaense and in 2006/07 to FC Red Bull Salzburg.
This was followed in 2008 by a two-year contract with the Israeli first division club Maccabi Netanja, which was terminated prematurely at the end of the 2009 season. Matthäus took over as coach of the Bulgarian national team in September 2010, but was fired after missing the European Championship qualification in September 2011.- IMDb Mini Biography By: Christian_Wolfgang_Barth - Lothar Matthäus is a German football manager and former player. A versatile and complete player, Matthäus is regarded as one of the greatest midfielders of all time, and was renowned for his perceptive passing, positional sense, well-timed tackling, as well as powerful shooting. After captaining West Germany National Football Team to victory in the 1990 FIFA World Cup Italy (1990) where he lifted the World Cup trophy, he was named European Footballer of the Year. In 1991, he was named the first ever FIFA World Player of the Year, and remains the only German to have received the award.
Matthäus held the record of having played in five FIFA World Cups (1982, 1986, 1990, 1994, 1998), more than any other outfield player in men's football, until the 2018 World Cup, in which Mexico's Rafa Márquez equaled his record in a 1-0 victory over Germany, and holds the record for the most World Cup matches played by a single player (25 games). He was the captain of the West German team that won the 1990 World Cup in Italy and also was captain of the German squad in the 1994 FIFA World Cup USA (1994). He also won UEFA Euro 1980, and played in the 1984, 1988, and 2000 UEFA European Football Championships. In 1999, aged 38, he was again voted German Footballer of the Year, having previously won the award in 1990.
Matthäus is the most capped German player of all time, retiring with a total of 150 appearances (83 for West Germany) in 20 years, and 23 goals.- IMDb Mini Biography By: Tango Papa
- SpousesLiliana Nova(January 1, 2009 - February 2, 2011) (divorced)Marianna Kostic(November 27, 2003 - 2008) (divorced)Lolita Morena(1994 - 1999) (divorced, 1 child)Silvia Matthäus(1981 - 1992) (divorced, 2 children)
- Captained West Germany to their FIFA World Cup win in 1990.
- Was named World Soccer Player of the Year in 1990 and FIFA World Player of the Year in 1991.
- He was a dead-ball specialist.
- Most capped German player of all time, retiring with a total of 150 appearances (83 for West Germany).
- Chosen by "People" magazine as one of the 50 most beautiful people in the world (1993).
- [in English] I look not back, I look in front.
- [in English] Have little problems with the language, my English is not very good, my German is better. And I hope in the next mounds (months) I can learn English for understand all questions. And I hope we have a little bit lucky and can win next year the American soccer championships.
- [on the 1990 World Cup semi-final penalty shootout] We had confidence we'd score. We had our heads up; the English players' heads were down.
Contribute to this page
Suggest an edit or add missing content