Historical profile
Career overview
Lothar Herbert Matthäus (German pronunciation: [ˈloːtaʁ maˈtɛːʊs] ; born 21 March 1961) is a German football former professional player and manager. He captained West Germany to victory in the 1990 FIFA World Cup and 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. Matthäus was the first outfield player, and second overall after Antonio Carbajal, to appear at five FIFA World Cups (1982, 1986, 1990, 1994 and 1998); he remains one of only seven male players to have done so, along with Antonio Carbajal, Rafael Márquez, Lionel Messi, Cristiano Ronaldo, Andrés Guardado, and Luka Modrić. He also won UEFA Euro 1980, and played in the 1984, 1988 and 2000 UEFA European Championships. In 1999, aged 38, Matthäus was again voted German Footbal