<b>LOTHAR MATTHÄUS </b><br/>
<br/>
<br/>
<b>Born:</b> 21 March 1961 in Erlangen/Germany.<br/>
<br/>
<b>Nickname</b>: Loddar, Torminator.<br/>
<br/>
<b> osition:</b> Midfield, libero.<br/>
<br/>
<b>Caps: </b><br/>
(West) Germany 150 (1980-2000) / 23 goals<br/>
<br/>
<b>Domestic League Games:</b><br/>
(West) Germany 464 (1979-1988 & 1992-2000) / 121 goals<br/>
Italy 115 (1988-1992) / 40 goals<br/>
<br/>
<b>Domestic Cup Games:</b><br/>
German Cup 57 (1979-1988 & 1992-2000) / 18 goals<br/>
Coppa Italia 17 (1988-1992) / 7 goals<br/>
<br/>
<b>European Cup Games:</b><br/>
98 (1979-2000) / 17 goals<br/>
<br/>
<b>International Club Cup Games:</b><br/>
European Champions Cup 48 (1985-2000) / 6 goals<br/>
European Cup Winners’ Cup 5 (1984-1985) / 1 goal<br/>
UEFA Cup 45 (1979-1996) / 10 goals<br/>
<br/>
<b>European Footballer of the Year:</b>
<br/>
1988 (6th), 1989 (4th), 1990 (winner), 1991 (2nd)<br/>
<br/>
<b>German Footballer of the Year:</b><br/>
1990, 1999<br/>
<br/>
<b>Clubs</b><br/>
FC Herzogenaurach (1970-1979)<br/>
Borussia Mönchengladbach (1979-1984)<br/>
Bayern Munich (1984-1988) <br/>
Internazionale Milano (1988-1992)<br/>
Bayern Munich (1992-2000)<br/>
New York Metro Stars (2000-2001)<br/>
<br/>
<b>Trophies won</b> (compact version):<br/>
1 World Cup <br/>
1 European Championship<br/>
7 German Championships (with Bayern)<br/>
1 Italian Championship (with Inter)<br/>
2 UEFA Cups (with Inter and Bayern)<br/>
3 German Cups (with Bayern)<br/>
3 German League Cups (with Bayern)<br/>
2 German Supercups (with Bayern)<br/>
1 Italian Supercup (with Inter)<br/>
1 time European Footballer of the Year<br/>
2 times German Footballer of the Year<br/>
<br/>
<b>Trophies & Tournaments</b> (detailed version):<br/>
<i>World Cup:</i> 1990<br/>
<i>World Cup runner-up:</i> 1982*, 1986<br/>
<i>European Championship:</i> 1980<br/>
<i>European Champions Cup:</i> never<br/>
<i>European Champions Cup runner-up:</i> 1987, 1999<br/>
<i>European Cup Winners Cup:</i> never<br/>
<i>UEFA-Cup:</i> 1991, 1996<br/>
<i>UEFA-Cup runner-up:</i> 1980 <br/>
<i>German Champion:</i> 1985, 1986, 1987, 1994, 1997, 1999, 2000<br/>
<i>German runner-up:</i> 1988, 1993, 1996, 1998<br/>
<i>German Cup winner:</i> 1986, 1998, 2000*<br/>
<i>German Cup runner-up:</i> 1984, 1985, 1999<br/>
<i>Italian Champion:</i> 1989<br/>
<i>Italian runner-up:</i> 1991<br/>
<i>Italian Cup winner:</i> never<br/>
<i>Italian Cup runner-up:</i> never<br/>
<i>Italian Supercup:</i> 1989*<br/>
<i>Best League Goal Scorer:</i> never<br/>
<br/>
<b>World Cup Participation:</b>
<br/>
1982, 1986, 1990, 1994, 1998<br/>
<br/>
<b>European Championship Participation:</b><br/>
1980, 1984, 1988, 2000<br/>
<br/>
* did not play in final<br/>
<br/>
Lothar Matthaus stands as one of the most decorated players of the
modern era. His international career stretched a phenomenal 20 years
and was littered with honours, accolades and success.<br/>
<br/>
Matthaus began his career at the German club of Borussia
Monchengladbach and quickly made his mark in a fine side. In his first
season at the club they reached the final of the UEFA Cup losing to
fellow Germans Eintract Frankfurt 3-3 on aggregate. Matthaus himself
scored in the 3-2 victory in the first leg but it was not enough.<br/>
He made his international debut in the 1980 European Championships as a
sub in the 3-2 win over bitter rivals Holland, Germany went on to lift
the trophy becoming the first team to win the competition twice.<br/>
<br/>
At the 1982 World Cup Matthaus was still just 21 and not a key player.
Although W Germany reached the final Matthaus himself only made two
appearances, both as a sub, in the group stages against Chile and
Austria.<br/>
<br/>
Matthaus final season at Monchengladbach saw the club finish 3rd in the
league and heartbreakingly lose the final of the German cup to Bayern
Munich. However at the 1984 European Championships Matthaus was a much
more important figure for the W Germans than before, although it was
not too be one of their most glorious tournaments (the first time they
had not made the final of the European Championships since 1968. He
came on as a sub in the 0-0 draw with Portugal and started in the
victory over Romania and the defeat at the hands of Spain.<br/>
<br/>
After the championships Matthaus moved to Bundesliga giants Bayern
Muninch and won the German title there. It was something of a
breakthrough season there as Matthaus was a driving force behind their
victory, scoring 16 times in 33 games. Again though the season was
tinged with disappointment as Bayern lost the final 2-1 to Bayer
Uerdingen.<br/>
<br/>
The next season Bayern made up for the disappointment winning the
domestic double, and although Matthaus was ruled out for part of the
season with injury, he still made a major contribution to their
success. <br/>
<br/>
The 1986 World Cup saw W Germany back to form and Matthaus at the heart
of the side. The Germans were drawn in a tough group alongside Uruguay,
Denmark and Scotland. The opening game saw Uruguay take an early lead
which they held until Klaus Allofs scored a late equaliser. In the game
with the Scots, the Germans again went behind to an early goal but they
responded well and won the game with Voller and Allofs on target again.
The final game pitted the Germans against a Denmark side that had
already beaten Scotland and thrashed Uruguay and were ably led by
Michael Laudrup and Elkjær-Larsen. The Germans lost 2-0 but still
progressed to face a Morocco side that had topped its group ahead of
England. It was a very tight game which Matthaus finally settled with
an 89th minute goal to see off the Africans. In the quarter finals the
Germans played host nation Mexico and a dour game forced penalties with
the Germans victorious and Matthaus scored the 3rd penalty to reach the
semis. There they faced a French team weary from their own epic
encounter with Brazil, but desperate for revenge for their defeat at
the same stage 4 years earlier and for Schumacher’s infamous “tackle”
on Battiston. The Germans took an early lead through Brehme, and in the
dying moments Rudi Voller added a second. The final pitted the Germans
against an Argentina side led by the great Diego Maradona, who had been
in dazzling form to carry his team to their second final in 8 years. In
that final manager Franz Beckenbauer decided to use Matthaus as a
man-marker for Maradona, just as he had been used in the 1966 final to
follow Bobby Charlton. The result was that the attacking threat posed
by Matthaus was largely negated and he struggled to get into a game for
which the Germans desperately needed him at his best. Argentina won the
game 3-2, having led 2-0 before a spirited German fightback. Sadly for
Matthaus and Beckenbauer the mistakes of 1966 had been repeated. <br/>
<br/>
In 1988 the Germans lined up for the European Championships with home
advantage and a huge opportunity for fresh success. They were drawn in
a tough group alongside Italy, Spain and Denmark, and after drawing
their opener against the Italians, saw off the Spanish and the Danes
(both 2-0) to top the group and set up a semi-final clash with the
Dutch. Matthaus later said that it had been like an away game for the
Germans despite it being played in Hamburg, such was the intensity of
the Dutch support. Matthaus put the W Germans ahead with a penalty in
the 55th minute, but Koeman hit back with a penalty of his own. With
the game balanced on a knife-edge the ball was played into Marco Van
Basten and he somehow managed to hook the ball into the net from the
edge of the 18 yard box. The Germans were somehow eliminated and it was
all the more bitter that the Dutch had inflicted it upon them. <br/>
<br/>
<br/>
After the European Championships of 1988 Matthaus moved to Italian
giants Internazionale of Milan in a spell which would result in great
success for both parties. <br/>
Of particular importance was the 1988/9 season in which Mattheus was at
his imperious best as Inter marched to Lo Scudetto. Despite being sent
off twice during the season, a sign of his temper as much as his will
to win, Matthaus netted 9 times, a superb record for a midfielder, as
Inter saw of the challenge of Maradona’s Napoli as well as that of
fierce city rivals Milan to win the league by eleven points. The
following season Matthaus was in even better form, but Inter were
unable to hold off a strong challenge from Napoli and eventually
finished 3rd.<br/>
<br/>
The 1990 World Cup was perhaps Matthaus\' finest hour as he captained W
Germany to their 3rd title and was named the player of the tournament.<br/>
<br/>
W Germany started the competition with a flourish thrashing dark horses
Yugoslavia (in which Matthaus scored one of the goals of the
tournament) 4-1 and minnows UAE 5-1. The final game against Colombia
was something of an irrelevance as the Germans had already qualified,
but they were caught late on by a Freddy Rincon goal which saw them
take a draw. <br/>
In the second round the Germans faced the Dutch in a repeat of the 1988
European Championship semi-final. The Dutch bossed the early stages but
the Germans rallied and took a two goal lead courtesy of Klinnsman and
Brehme. The Dutch were able to pull one back late on through a Koeman
penalty but the Germans had won a game marred by the antics of Rijkaard
and Voller which saw both players sent off.<br/>
<br/>
The quarter finals pitted the West Germans against Czechoslovakia their
conquerors in the 1976 European final and again the match was settled
by a penalty. This time though it was the Germans who emerged
victorious in one of the most dull games of the competition. Jurgen
Klinsmann won a rather dubious penalty which was hammered home by the
captain Matthaus, although the Germans were fortunate not to concede a
penalty themselves late on when Lubo Moravcik was brought down in the
box (the Czech was remarkably sent off for his protestations).<br/>
<br/>
The semifinal against England was a classic as most encounters between
the two great nations have been. It was W Germany who drew first blood
as an Andreas Brehme freekick reared up of the oncoming Paul Parker and
looped high over Peter Shilton in the England goal. England were soon
back on terms though as Gary Lineker scored his tenth World Cup goal to
send the match into extra-time. The added spell could not separate the
two teams, despite both hitting the woodwork, and the match went to
penalties. Matthaus took the first and made no mistake, neither did the
rest of his team mates and the Germans progressed to yet another final.<br/>
<br/>
It was of course a repeat of the 1986 final as the Germans faced
Argentina. Sadly it was a game of few chances and little invention
spoiled by the cynicism of both teams. The Argentinians were missing
Cannigia, the one player who had made a real impact in the competition,
and seemed content to sit and wait for penalties or a moment of
inspiration by their talisman Maradona. Indeed the closest the
Argentine came to breaking the deadlock was a pass back by (Augenthaler
or Buchwald) which sent Ilgner sprawling. The game was marred early in
the second half by a crude foul by the substitute Pedro Monzon on
Klinsmann who did his opponent no favours with his theatrics, and
Monzon became the first man ever to be sent off in a world cup final.
After that the final descended into chaos, although Germany were able
to win a hotly debated penalty after a \"dive\" by Rudi Voller following
a challenge by Nestor Sensini. Andreas Brehme cooly buried the spotkick
to give the German a decisive lead with 5 minutes to play. After the
penalty Dezotti was sent off for attempting to strangle Jurgen Kohler.
It was a fitting end to one of the most bitter, cynical and petulant
World Cups seen.<br/>
<br/>
In the 1990/1 season Matthaus won his first piece of European
silverware, the UEFA Cup with Inter. Inter started the campaign slowly
needing extra-time to see of Rapid Vienna in the opening round. The
second round pitted them against England’s Aston Villa and it took a
massive effort in the second leg in Milan to successfully overturn a
2-0 deficit but they managed it and went through 3-2 on aggregate.
Matthaus scored in both legs as Inter brushed aside Partizan Belgrade
to set up a quarter final encounter with their compatriots Atalanta.
After drawing the first leg 0-0 Matthaus scored a vital goal in the
second that saw Inter progress 2-0. The semifinal saw Inter play
Portuguese side Sporting Lisbon in a tie very similar to that of the
last round. After drawing the first leg 0-0 Matthaus scored an early
goal which set Inter on their way to a first European final for 19
years. Inter were drawn to play fellow Italians Roma in the final and
won the first leg 2-0 (Matthaus scoring again) before clinging on in
the second leg to win the trophy. <br/>
<br/>
In 1992 Matthaus returned to FC Bayern after an overwhelmingly successful spell in Italy.<br/>
<br/>
The 1994 World Cup saw Matthaus move position to sweeper in a role
reminiscent of his great predecessor Franz Beckenbauer. It was not a
good move for him. Matthaus did not look anywhere near his best and the
German team were all the worse for it. They shockingly crashed out to
the tournament’s surprise package, Bulgaria, in the quarter finals.<br/>
<br/>
In the 1995/6 season Matthaus and Bayern had an excellent season in
Europe, picking up the UEFA Cup, the second of Matthaus’ career. The
season saw Bayern drawn up against such European heavyweights as
Benfica, Nottingham Forest and Barcelona before facing Girondins
Bordeaux in the final. It was an easy victory for Bayern eventually
winning 5-1 on aggregate.<br/>
<br/>
The 1998/9 season was one of mixed emotions for Matthaus and Bayern.
They won the league comfortably by 15 points from their nearest
challengers Bayer Leverkusen. However, the Champions League and Cup
campaigns both provided a roller coaster of emotions. Bayern initially
faced FK Obilic in a premilinary round which they breezed though 4-0
and 1-1, Matthaus scoring in the second leg. In the group stage they
faced an extremely tough task being drawn in with Manchester United,
Barcelona and Brondby. Bayern recovered from an early slip away at
Brondby to top the group after beating Barca twice and drawing twice
with Manchester United.<br/>
In the quarter finals they were drawn against Kaiserslautern their
fellow Germans and humbled them 6-0 on aggregate. The semi final was a
classic encounter against Dynamo Kiev arguably the team of the
tournament so far and the team that had eliminated the defending
champions Real Madrid. The first leg saw the two teams draw 3-3 before
Bayern eventually overcame them 1-0 in the second leg. Many observers
felt Bayern fortunate to make it to the final. However, if their had
been any luck in them getting so far it was to evaporate in the final,
against Manchester United.<br/>
Bayern went ahead early on through a Mario Basler freekick which seemed
to completely deceive Peter Schmeical despite not really deviating.
Bayern hit the bar and the post through Jancker and Scholl before
Matthaus was substituted with just 10 minutes to go. Matthaus up till
now had every piece of silverware worth winning with one glaring
exception, the Champions League. Sadly it was to still elude him at the
end as United broke the byern hearts with 2 goals in stoppage time
through Teddy Sheringham and Ole Gunnar Solskjaer. To compound his
misery Bayern lost the German Cup final the next month on a penalty
shootout with Matthaus himself missing a crucial penalty.<br/>
<br/>
The next season was to be his last in Germany and he moved to the New
York Metrostars where he finished his playing career. He went on to
manage Rapid Vienna and Partizan Belgrade and is currently the manager
of the Hungarian national team.<br/> |
