A football icon: Lothar Matthäus turns 60
21 March 2021 – The European Champion, World Cup winner, seven-time German Champion of the Bundesliga, superstar and role model Lothar Matthäus turns 60 today. Below, find the statements of peers and colleagues on the legendary midfielder of the eighties and nineties, current Sky pundit and Bundesliga ambassador.
Franz Beckenbauer: “True friend whatever the circumstances”
It is by no means a given that a manager and player will stay in close contact after their time working together. Happily, however, that has been the case for Lothar Matthäus and I for over two decades now. We already had a special relationship when we worked together on the pitch, in training, and during matches. Whether at FC Bayern München or the German national team, I saw Lothar as my surrogate on the pitch.
He was predestined for this leadership role. A great footballer, full of understanding for the game and a danger in front of goal, he was also a born fighter with a burning ambition to always be successful. Lothar was somebody who could sweep his teammates along with him. A genuine role model! The highpoint of countless successes was when we won the 1990 World Cup together in Italy. I have forgiven Lothar for surpassing me as Germany’s most-capped player when he played his 104th international match in 1993. He earned it.
I have been and still am disappointed that Lothar has never had the opportunity to work as a coach in the Bundesliga. He definitely has what it takes, with his extensive knowledge of football and wealth of experience from his long career.
However, I consider myself lucky to have a true friend in Lothar, and to know that I can rely on him completely whatever the circumstances – then and now. Thank you, Lothar! I’m looking forward to wishing a happy 60th birthday to a Bayern legend!
Andreas Brehme: “Extraordinary ambition”
We met when I first played for Germany’s national U21 team at the end of 1980. We were both playing in defence and lost 0-1 to France. The coach, Berti Vogts, substituted Lothar shortly before half-time, and me in the second half. It probably wasn’t our best day. Fortunately, however, we went on to have some great times together over the years. And we did practically everything together: winning the Bundesliga title in Munich with FC Bayern München, a championship in Italy with Inter Milan, and a UEFA Cup there – and of course the 1990 World Cup in Rome.
During this lengthy period of time, we quickly developed a friendship that has lasted to this day. And I hope it will continue for a long time after Lothar turns 60, making us the same age again, because Lothar has always been a great guy who you can rely on. He has not only impressed me as a world-class footballer, but also with his extraordinary ambition. Especially when he fought back from the serious injuries that he sadly suffered and put in more top performances. I take my hat off to him for that!
Jupp Heynckes: “Matured into a great sports personality”
I have a clear memory of the Sunday in the spring of 1979 when I was Udo Lattek’s assistant for Borussia Mönchengladbach and got to marvel at Lothar Matthäus playing for 1. FC Herzogenaurach twice in one day. He played for the youth team in the morning and in the top amateur league in the afternoon. Lothar scored twice in the morning, twice in the afternoon. I called Borussia Mönchengladbach manager Helmut Grashoff right away: We have to sign this gem of a player! Lothar had signed the contract by Monday.
Udo Lattek was also very taken with Lothar. And Berti Vogts said: Mark my words, Jupp, that boy’s got it. I was totally convinced myself. Lothar combined so many criteria in a way that I’ve never seen in my career before or since: unbridled ambition, physical strength, pace, unstoppable on solo runs. Momentum, dynamism, physicality. He swept the whole team along with him. All of this is what set him apart until the end of his fantastic career. For me, Lothar is one of the greatest players to come out of German football. And as a person he is honest, reliable, positive, warm-hearted. Someone who cares about and looks after the people he likes.
Like before, Lothar continues to work on himself. This is made clear by his work for Sky: very conscientious, very well prepared, striking the right tone with his analysis, even if uncomfortable truths have to be spoken. It is to his personal credit that he now enjoys the respect of the football world.
Dear Lothar, I hope that you continue your fantastic growth in the best of health long after your upcoming milestone birthday. You have already matured into a great sports personality.
Ottmar Hitzfeld: “Radar in his head”
I had the pleasure of coaching him in the final phase of his outstanding career at FC Bayern München until he moved to the US in 2000. Although he was already at an advanced age, I had no doubt at all that Lothar Matthäus could strengthen any team. During this successful period, in which we won two Bundesliga Championships, I used him as a libero in front of the defence, similar to a modern defensive midfielder – a role that he had sometimes taken at Inter Milan. From this position, Lothar was able to drive our game as if he had a radar in his head, i.e. with extraordinarily intelligent play. He quickly recognised situations during play, for example sensing moments of danger. And he usually knew the right response. He also had a great attitude, a winning mentality, a desire to win every match. These were among the reasons that I made Lothar my captain – another role that he performed outstandingly. My hopes that he would later manage a Bundesliga team, perhaps FC Bayern, were sadly in vain. But Lothar is also doing a very good job at Sky!
Well beyond our current difficult times, I wish you, dear Lothar, only the best: health, happiness, contentment, and your continued palpable enthusiasm for football and the Bundesliga.
Christian Seifert: “Still a global figurehead for the Bundesliga”
The DFL gave Lothar Matthäus its honorary Ehrenpreisträger award in 2019, primarily in recognition of his achievements on the pitch as one of the best Bundesliga players of all time and highly successful international star, his most notable win being the 1990 World Cup. However, the Executive Committee of the DFL also decided to bestow this deserved honour on him because Lothar Matthäus, many years after the end of his unique playing career, is still a global figurehead for the Bundesliga. On trips together, I experienced first-hand the effect he has on football fans around the world.
This is one of the reasons why Lothar Matthäus has risen even further in my esteem recently. In the “Bundesliga Legends Network” established in 2017, he is a true captain. The professionalism, excellent preparation and reliability with which he performs this role are also remarkable – even when he sometimes has to start work as a pundit for the live broadcast of a Bundesliga match on another continent at five in the morning local time – as are his openness towards fans and the media all over the world and his interest in new things that help him progress in his remarkable development.
Rudi Völler: “A world-class career”
Of the five players of a “Golden Generation” born in 1960 and 1961 and who won the World Cup in 1990, Lothar is the youngest. Following Pierre Littbarski, Andi Brehme, Guido Buchwald and myself, now he too is turning 60. We were all part of the national U21 team, some of us in the 1982 European Championship final that we lost to England. Eight years later, we were the backbone of a team (which included other top players, of course) that won the World Cup. We all performed excellently. But Lothar really stood out, especially in our opening game. Against a strong Yugoslavian team, Lothar probably played the best match of his whole career of great matches. He scored twice, and his solo effort that took the score to 3-1 will never be forgotten.
I will also never forget that, in our penultimate training session before the final, we practised the exact situation that led to the crucial penalty against Argentina: Lothar comes from midfield, plays the ball into the penalty area for me on the inside right or inside left. It worked – and after several penalty-worthy scenes for which the referee did not blow his whistle, he finally played along. Our initiative during training was rewarded!
Lothar had a world-class career as a player. His achievements and awards speak for themselves. In our time playing together, he was a wonderful friend, and we have a great relationship to this day – and hopefully long after 21 March, when Lothar will catch up with me again in terms of age.