Lothar Matthäus facts for kids
Matthäus in 2019
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| Personal information | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Date of birth | 21 March 1961 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Place of birth | Erlangen, West Germany | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Height | 1.74 m | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Playing position | Midfielder, sweeper | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Youth career | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 1971–1979 | 1. FC Herzogenaurach | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Senior career* | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Years | Team | Apps† | (Gls)† | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 1978–1979 | 1. FC Herzogenaurach | 22 | (20) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 1979–1984 | Borussia Mönchengladbach | 162 | (36) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 1984–1988 | Bayern Munich | 113 | (57) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 1988–1992 | Inter Milan | 115 | (40) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 1992–2000 | Bayern Munich | 189 | (28) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 2000 | MetroStars | 16 | (0) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 2018 | 1. FC Herzogenaurach | 1 | (0) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Total | 618 | (181) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| National team | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 1979 | West Germany U18 | 9 | (3) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 1979–1983 | West Germany U21 | 15 | (2) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 1979–1981 | West Germany B | 4 | (1) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 1980–2000 | West Germany/Germany | 150 | (23) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Teams managed | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 2001–2002 | Rapid Wien | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 2002–2003 | Partizan | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 2003–2006 | Hungary | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 2006 | Atlético Paranaense | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 2006–2007 | Red Bull Salzburg (assistant) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 2008–2009 | Maccabi Netanya | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 2010–2011 | Bulgaria | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Honours
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Lothar Herbert Matthäus (born March 21, 1961) is a famous German football expert and former player and coach. He led West Germany to win the 1990 FIFA World Cup as captain. In 1991, he was named the first ever FIFA World Player of the Year. He is still the only German player to have won this award.
Matthäus was the first player (who wasn't a goalkeeper) to play in five different FIFA World Cup tournaments. These were in 1982, 1986, 1990, 1994, and 1998. He also won the UEFA Euro 1980 championship. In 1999, at 38 years old, he was again named German Footballer of the Year. He had also won this award in 1990.
He is the German player with the most international games played, with 150 appearances. He scored 23 goals for his country over 20 years. Matthäus is also on the FIFA 100 list of the greatest living football players, chosen by Pelé. Many people think he is one of the best midfielders ever. He was known for his great passing, smart positioning, and powerful shots.
Contents
Lothar Matthäus: Early Life
Lothar Herbert Matthäus was born on March 21, 1961, in Erlangen, West Germany. His father worked as a canteen manager, and his mother worked for the sports brand Puma. He started playing football in the youth team of 1. FC Herzogenaurach. This club was in a small town near Nuremberg.
Club Career Highlights
Matthäus began his professional career in 1979 with Borussia Mönchengladbach in the Bundesliga. He played there until 1984. Then, he joined Bayern Munich from 1984 to 1988. With Bayern, he won the Bundesliga twice and the DFB-Pokal (German Cup). They also reached the European Cup final in 1987.
In 1988, Matthäus moved to Inter Milan in Italy. In his first season, he helped them win the Scudetto (Italian league title) in 1988–89. He also won the Italian Supercup. Matthäus continued to succeed with Inter, winning the UEFA Cup in 1991. He was also named FIFA World Player of the Year while at Inter.
He returned to Bayern Munich in 1992. During his second time there, he won four more Bundesliga titles. He also won two more DFB-Pokals and another UEFA Cup. He reached a second European Cup final in 1999. The Champions League was the only major club trophy he didn't win. In the 1999 final, Bayern was leading 1–0 against Manchester United. Matthäus was substituted in the 80th minute. Manchester United then scored two goals in the last two minutes to win the game.
In 2000, Matthäus moved from Bayern to the MetroStars team in the United States. He played in the US from March to October 2000. After that, he retired from professional football. In 2018, at age 57, Matthäus played one last game for 1. FC Herzogenaurach. This was the club where his career first started.
International Football Career
Early International Games
Matthäus first joined the West German team in 1980. They won the UEFA Euro 1980 in Italy. He played in two games at the 1982 FIFA World Cup in Spain. West Germany reached the final but lost to Italy 3–1.
He was a regular player for the national team at the 1986 FIFA World Cup in Mexico. He scored the winning goal against Morocco. In the final, he was assigned to mark Argentina's Diego Maradona. Argentina won the final 3–2.
At UEFA Euro 1988 in West Germany, Matthäus was the team captain. He scored a penalty goal in the semi-final against the Netherlands. However, the Netherlands came back to win the game.
1990s World Cup Success
Matthäus's success in Italy helped the national team win the 1990 FIFA World Cup in Italy. West Germany was one of the best teams in the tournament. Matthäus led his team from midfield and scored four goals. He scored the only goal in the quarter-final against Czechoslovakia. West Germany reached their third final in a row, again against Maradona's Argentina. This time, Matthäus and his team won 1–0 in Rome. As captain, Matthäus lifted the World Cup trophy.
Matthäus missed UEFA Euro 1992 due to an injury. At the 1994 FIFA World Cup in the United States, he was the captain and played as a sweeper. He scored a penalty in Germany's quarter-final match against Bulgaria. However, Bulgaria scored two late goals and won 2–1. This was his record-tying 21st World Cup match.
Surprisingly, he was called up for the 1998 FIFA World Cup in France. He became the second player to play in five different World Cup tournaments. He played in all of Germany's matches until Croatia beat them 3–0 in the quarter-finals. This brought his total World Cup matches to a record 25.
Final International Years
Matthäus played his last three international games at UEFA Euro 2000. His 150th game was against Portugal. Germany was knocked out in the first round of the tournament.
Coaching Career
After his playing career, Matthäus became a football coach. He has coached several teams in different countries.
He started coaching at SK Rapid Wien in Austria from 2001 to 2002. Then, he coached FK Partizan in Serbia from 2002 to 2003. He led Partizan to win the league title in 2003. He also helped them reach the Champions League group stage in 2003.
Matthäus became the manager of the Hungary national football team in December 2003. His goal was to help Hungary qualify for the 2006 FIFA World Cup. They did not qualify, but he was allowed to finish his contract.
He then coached Atlético Paranaense in Brazil for a short time in 2006. Later that year, he became a coach for Red Bull Salzburg in Austria. He helped them win the Austrian league title.
From 2008 to 2009, Matthäus coached Maccabi Netanya in Israel. His team finished fourth in the league. In 2010, he became the new coach of the Bulgarian national team. He coached them for about a year.
Columnist and TV Pundit
Between his coaching jobs, Matthäus also wrote a column for the German sports magazine Sport Bild.
He has also worked as a TV expert for many football tournaments. He was a pundit for the FIFA World Cups in 2002, 2006, and 2010. He also worked for the UEFA European Championships in 2004, 2008, and 2016. Since 2012, he has been an expert for the German TV channel Sky Deutschland.
Style of Play
Matthäus is known as one of the greatest and most complete midfielders of all time. He was excellent at positioning, had great technical skills, and lots of energy. He was also known for his accurate passing, strong tackling, and powerful long-range shots with both feet.
He usually played as a box-to-box midfielder. This means he helped both in defense and attack. Later in his career, he played as a sweeper. In this role, he had more freedom to move forward and influence the game.
Matthäus was also very good at free kicks and penalty kicks. He was praised for his strong desire to win, his determination, and his leadership on the field. These qualities made him a very important player for his teams.
Personal Life
Lothar Matthäus has four children. He has been married several times. He has two daughters, Alisa (born 1986) and Viola (born 1988), from his first marriage. He also has a son, Loris (born 1992), from a later marriage. In 2014, he married Anastasia Klimko, and they have a son together.
Media Appearances
Matthäus is featured in EA Sports' FIFA video game series. He was on the cover of the German edition of FIFA 2001. He also appears as an Ultimate Team Icon in newer FIFA games.
He had a guest role in the TV series Alarm für Cobra 11 – Die Autobahnpolizei in 2012. In June 2012, a documentary about him called "Lothar – immer am Ball" was shown on German TV.
Career Statistics
Club
| Club | Season | League | National cup | League cup | Continental | Total | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Division | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | ||
| Borussia Mönchengladbach | 1979–80 | Bundesliga | 28 | 4 | 2 | 0 | – | 11 | 2 | 41 | 6 | |
| 1980–81 | Bundesliga | 33 | 10 | 5 | 2 | — | — | 38 | 12 | |||
| 1981–82 | Bundesliga | 33 | 3 | 5 | 4 | — | 4 | 1 | 42 | 8 | ||
| 1982–83 | Bundesliga | 34 | 8 | 5 | 2 | — | — | 39 | 10 | |||
| 1983–84 | Bundesliga | 34 | 11 | 6 | 4 | — | — | 40 | 15 | |||
| Total | 162 | 36 | 23 | 12 | — | 15 | 3 | 200 | 51 | |||
| Bayern Munich | 1984–85 | Bundesliga | 33 | 16 | 6 | 0 | — | 5 | 1 | 44 | 17 | |
| 1985–86 | Bundesliga | 23 | 10 | 5 | 2 | — | 3 | 0 | 31 | 12 | ||
| 1986–87 | Bundesliga | 31 | 14 | 3 | 1 | — | 7 | 4 | 41 | 19 | ||
| 1987–88 | Bundesliga | 26 | 17 | 4 | 3 | — | 4 | 1 | 34 | 21 | ||
| Total | 113 | 57 | 18 | 6 | — | 19 | 6 | 150 | 69 | |||
| Inter Milan | 1988–89 | Serie A | 32 | 9 | 7 | 3 | — | 5 | 0 | 44 | 12 | |
| 1989–90 | Serie A | 25 | 11 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 29 | 13 | |
| 1990–91 | Serie A | 31 | 16 | 3 | 1 | — | 12 | 6 | 46 | 23 | ||
| 1991–92 | Serie A | 27 | 4 | 5 | 1 | — | 2 | 0 | 34 | 5 | ||
| Total | 115 | 40 | 17 | 7 | 0 | 0 | 21 | 6 | 153 | 53 | ||
| Bayern Munich | 1992–93 | Bundesliga | 28 | 8 | 0 | 0 | — | — | 28 | 8 | ||
| 1993–94 | Bundesliga | 33 | 8 | 3 | 1 | — | 4 | 1 | 40 | 10 | ||
| 1994–95 | Bundesliga | 16 | 5 | 2 | 0 | — | 6 | 0 | 24 | 5 | ||
| 1995–96 | Bundesliga | 19 | 1 | 0 | 0 | — | 7 | 0 | 26 | 1 | ||
| 1996–97 | Bundesliga | 28 | 1 | 3 | 0 | — | 2 | 0 | 33 | 1 | ||
| 1997–98 | Bundesliga | 25 | 3 | 3 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 5 | 0 | 35 | 3 | |
| 1998–99 | Bundesliga | 25 | 1 | 5 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 12 | 1 | 44 | 2 | |
| 1999–2000 | Bundesliga | 15 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 9 | 0 | 26 | 1 | |
| Total | 189 | 28 | 18 | 1 | 4 | 0 | 45 | 2 | 256 | 31 | ||
| MetroStars | 2000 | Major League Soccer | 16 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 5 | 0 | — | 23 | 0 | |
| Career total | 595 | 161 | 78 | 26 | 9 | 0 | 100 | 17 | 782 | 204 | ||
International
| National team | Year | Apps | Goals |
|---|---|---|---|
| Germany | 1980 | 1 | 0 |
| 1981 | 1 | 0 | |
| 1982 | 10 | 0 | |
| 1983 | 7 | 0 | |
| 1984 | 10 | 0 | |
| 1985 | 7 | 1 | |
| 1986 | 15 | 2 | |
| 1987 | 6 | 1 | |
| 1988 | 10 | 4 | |
| 1989 | 3 | 1 | |
| 1990 | 15 | 7 | |
| 1991 | 7 | 3 | |
| 1992 | 4 | 0 | |
| 1993 | 11 | 0 | |
| 1994 | 15 | 3 | |
| 1995 | 0 | 0 | |
| 1996 | 0 | 0 | |
| 1997 | 0 | 0 | |
| 1998 | 8 | 0 | |
| 1999 | 13 | 1 | |
| 2000 | 7 | 0 | |
| Total | 150 | 23 | |
- Scores and results list West Germany's and Germany's goal tally first, score column indicates score after each Matthäus goal
| No. | Date | Venue | Opponent | Score | Result | Competition |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 30 April 1985 | Stadion Evžena Rošického, Prague, Czech Republic |  Czechoslovakia |
3–0 | 5–1 | 1986 FIFA World Cup qualification |
| 2 | 5 February 1986 | Stadio Partenio-Adriano Lombardi, Avellino, Italy |  Italy |
2–1 | 2–1 | Friendly |
| 3 | 17 June 1986 | Estadio Universitario, Monterrey, Mexico |  Morocco |
1–0 | 1–0 | 1986 FIFA World Cup |
| 4 | 25 March 1987 | Ramat Gan Stadium, Ramat Gan, Israel |  Israel |
2–0 | 2–0 | Friendly |
| 5 | 2 April 1988 | Olympiastadion, West Berlin, West Germany |  Argentina |
1–0 | 1–0 | Four Nations Tournament (1988) |
| 6 | 4 June 1988 | Weserstadion, Bremen, West Germany |  Yugoslavia |
1–1 | 1–1 | Friendly |
| 7 | 21 June 1988 | Volksparkstadion, Hamburg, West Germany |  Netherlands |
1–0 | 1–2 | UEFA Euro 1988 |
| 8 | 31 August 1988 | Helsinki Olympic Stadium, Helsinki, Finland |  Finland |
3–0 | 4–0 | 1990 FIFA World Cup qualification |
| 9 | 4 October 1989 | Westfalenstadion, Dortmund, West Germany | Finland |
6–1 | 6–1 | 1990 FIFA World Cup qualification |
| 10 | 25 April 1990 | Neckarstadion, Stuttgart, West Germany |  Uruguay |
1–1 | 3–3 | Friendly |
| 11 | 10 June 1990 | San Siro, Milan, Italy | Yugoslavia |
1–0 | 4–1 | 1990 FIFA World Cup |
| 12 | 3–1 | |||||
| 13 | 15 June 1990 | San Siro, Milan, Italy |  United Arab Emirates |
3–1 | 5–1 | 1990 FIFA World Cup |
| 14 | 1 July 1990 | San Siro, Milan, Italy | Czechoslovakia |
1–0 | 1–0 | 1990 FIFA World Cup |
| 15 | 29 August 1990 | Estádio da Luz (1954), Lisbon, Portugal |  Portugal |
1–0 | 1–1 | Friendly |
| 16 | 19 December 1990 | Neckarstadion, Stuttgart, Germany |  Switzerland |
4–0 | 4–0 | Friendly |
| 17 | 27 March 1991 | Waldstadion (Frankfurt), Frankfurt, Germany |  Soviet Union |
2–0 | 2–1 | Friendly |
| 18 | 1 May 1991 | Niedersachsenstadion, Hanover, Germany |  Belgium |
1–0 | 1–0 | UEFA Euro 1992 qualifying |
| 19 | 18 December 1991 | Ulrich Haberland Stadion, Leverkusen, Germany |  Luxembourg |
1–0 | 4–0 | UEFA Euro 1992 qualifying |
| 20 | 10 July 1994 | Giants Stadium, East Rutherford, United States |  Bulgaria |
1–0 | 1–2 | 1994 FIFA World Cup |
| 21 | 14 December 1994 | Stadionul Republican, Chişinău, Moldova |  Moldova |
3–0 | 3–0 | UEFA Euro 1996 qualifying |
| 22 | 18 December 1994 | Fritz-Walter-Stadion, Kaiserslautern, Germany |  Albania |
2–0 | 2–1 | UEFA Euro 1996 qualifying |
| 23 | 28 July 1999 | Estadio Jalisco, Guadalajara, Mexico |  New Zealand |
2–0 | 2–0 | 1999 FIFA Confederations Cup |
Managerial Statistics
| Team | From | To | Record | Ref. | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| M | W | D | L | Win % | ||||
| Rapid Wien | 6 September 2001 | 14 May 2002 | 32 | 9 | 9 | 14 | 28.13 | |
| Partizan | 22 December 2002 | 14 December 2003 | 44 | 29 | 6 | 9 | 65.91 | |
| Hungary | 14 December 2003 | 11 January 2006 | 28 | 11 | 3 | 14 | 39.29 | |
| Atlético Paranaense | 11 January 2006 | 20 March 2006 | 8 | 6 | 2 | 0 | 75.00 | |
| Maccabi Netanya | 13 June 2008 | 29 April 2009 | 32 | 14 | 12 | 6 | 43.75 | |
| Bulgaria | 23 September 2010 | 19 September 2011 | 10 | 3 | 3 | 4 | 30.00 | |
| Total | 154 | 72 | 35 | 47 | 46.75 | |||
Honours and Awards
Player Achievements
Bayern Munich
- Bundesliga: 1984–85, 1985–86, 1986–87, 1993–94, 1996–97, 1998–99
- DFB-Pokal: 1985–86, 1997–98
- DFB-Ligapokal: 1997, 1998, 1999
- DFB-Supercup: 1987
- UEFA Cup: 1995–96
- UEFA Champions League runner up: 1986–87, 1998–99
Inter Milan
MetroStars
Germany
- FIFA World Cup: 1990
- UEFA European Championship: 1980
- U.S. Cup: 1993
Individual Awards
- Ballon d'Or: 1990
- IFFHS World's Best Player: 1990
- World Soccer Awards Player of the Year: 1990
- FIFA World Player of the Year: 1991
- FIFA World Cup Silver Ball: 1990
- FIFA World Cup All-Star Team: 1990
- UEFA European Championship Team of the Tournament: 1988
- Onze d'Or: 1990
- Footballer of the Year (Germany): 1990, 1999
- Goal of the Year (Germany): 1990, 1992
- MLS All-Star: 2000
- FIFA 100 (list of greatest living players)
- Golden Foot legends award: 2012
- Inter Milan Hall of Fame: 2018
- Ballon d'Or Dream Team: 2020
Manager Achievements
Partizan
- Serbian SuperLiga: 2002–03
Images for kids
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Matthäus scoring a penalty at the 1994 World Cup against Bulgaria.
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Matthäus in Vienna in 2002.
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Matthäus (right) during a friendly match against Serbia in November 2010.
See also
In Spanish: Lothar Matthäus para niños
- List of men's footballers with 100 or more international caps
- FIFA World Cup awards
