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DEUTSCHLAND
Matthäus’ biggest achievement was probably captaining West Germany to the 1990 World Cup. Victories over the Netherlands and England resulted in a fiercely contested debate against Argentina, which finished with a 1-0 victory courtesy of an Andreas Brehme penalty in the 85th minute - nothing like leaving it late! Players such as Rudi Völler and Jürgen Klinsmann were instrumental to the teams route to the final, with Voller racking up an impressive 4 goals in the competition. Even more impressive however, was Matthäus’ tally of 4 goals as a midfielder. Such stats give you a glimpse as to what type of player Lothar was, hard in the tackle, committed in tracking back, and a potent goal threat to top it off. Such traits made Matthäus’ one of the stand-out players of the competition, and contributed to his 1990 Ballon D’Or win.
Matthäus was regarded as a fierce midfielder and gained the nickname ‘Der Panzer’, which translates to ‘the tank’ due to his performances. This photo illustrates his passionate, determined and assertive nature when on the field. Despite his hardnatured persona on the pitch, Matthäus was never sent off in a professional game and only received eight yellow cards.
EUROFOOT
Not all of his cup finals ended positively however. In 1999 Manchester United famously scored 2 extra time goals courtesy of Teddy Sheringham and Ole Gunnar Solskjær to lift the Champions League to complete their domestic treble. Bayern went on to win the trophy two years later, after Matthäus had left. ▼
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