There is a spot in the pantheon of football greats for Lothar Herbert Matthäus.
The Die Mannschaft record appearance holder is a German World Cup lifting captain, a Ballon D’or winner and two-time Bundesliga Player of the Year, and was once described by Argentina football icon Maradona as his fiercest opponent.
Matthäus’ career spanned four decades, and the ex-Inter Milan man essentially won it all playing at centre back as well as in defensive, central and attacking midfield roles.
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The Bayern legend and FIFA Icon was nicknamed Der Panzer (the Panther), a nod to both the big cat but also the much-feared German tank. Hours of debates have flared between craft-beer loving tacticos, arguing whether the seven-time Bundesliga winner was a libero, or a mezzala, or some other footy term that even Dutch genius Johan Cruyff would only half understand.
Despite his success for club and country however, Matthäus is a fairly unpopular figure in Germany. A combination of vicious spats and shocking relationship revelations have bittered what was a once sweet relationship between the Germans and their former skipper. Here at the Daily Star we have no time for bad blood however, and so let’s celebrate the crazy life of one of Germany’s biggest football mavericks.
(Image: Getty Images)
Wind-up merchant
Anyone who plays five or eleven-a-side knows what its like to come up against a proper wind up merchant.
The type of you-know-what who will give you a quick stamp on the back of the leg when the refs not looking, or whisper in your ear about your mother’s sexual exploits. The art of the football antagonism is by no means a simple skill. One must, assassin-like , move in the shadows outside of the referee’s line of sight, and yet provoke reactions clear enough for all to see.
Lothar Matthäus was one of football’s great wind-ups. it came effortlessly to the German, who despite only receiving three reds in his ludicrously long career, was responsible for many an opponent being given their marching orders. One such victim was Bolivia’s Marco Etcheverry, who was sent off after just a few minutes into the South American side’s match against the Germans at the 1994 World Cup in the USA.
Etcheverry and Matthäus engaged in what can only be described as argy-bargy, with both flailing arms in each other’s direction as they chased a loose-ball. Whereas Etcheverry stoically handled Matthäus’ agro, the Bayern Munich man did the opposite, flinging himself to the floor in apparently agony.
Etcheverry was sent for an early bath, and Bolivia ended up losing the game 1-0.
(Image: Getty Images)
The Bolivian wasn’t the only person driven to lash out at Matthäus. During a 1987 European Cup semifinal between Real Madrid and Bayern Munich, the needling German spent much of the match leaving stud-marks on almost every part of Los Blancos winger Juanito.
For a while the tricky Spaniard ignored Matthäus, however after the German dived following a fair challenge from Madrid fullback Chendo, the red mist descended on Juanito, with the winger stamping on Matthäus’ face in a horrific display of violence.
While Juanito did apologise, he also sent Der Panzer a bull-fighter’s rapier and cape as a gift, perhaps as a symbol of the German having baited the Spaniard into violence. To be fair to Matthäus, he wasn’t always such a menace.
The German was famously the first person to console a teary Paul Gascoigne following England’s exit at Italia ’90.
(Image: Getty Images)
Unlucky in love
It’s fair to say Lothar Matthäus has had a tricky time in the romance department.
A bit like Henry VIII, Der Panzer has had five failed marriages, two more than he had senior clubs. Unlike the obese English king however, Loveless Lothar is yet to find a lucky sixth (He also hasn’t beheaded anyone, or break away from the Catholic church).
The most high-profile of these relationships was Matthäus’ fourth marriage, which ended after German tabloids published photos which appeared to show then 22-year-old Liliana Chudinova being unfaithful.
Heartbroken, the legendary midfielder removed his wedding ring on live TV, and declared he would no longer be paying for his wife’s planned breast reduction.
Incredibly, while Matthäus’ collapsing relationship was splashed on every front page in Germany, he was half-way through the application process to become manager of the Cameroon national team. To add insult to injury, upon appearing of Matthäus’ alleged cuckoldry, the First Lady of the West African country publicly called for the German to not be considered for the role.
“My Cameroonian job is unfortunately lost because the wife of the President, who insisted on having me, heard my story”, Matthaus said during a lengthy interview with German newspaper Welt am Sonntag.
When asked about what he wanted in a relationship, the hopeless (in more ways than one) romantic also told German interviewer “I’m actually a very simple person. A very normal man.”
“I’m a cuddler, I like harmony,” added Der Panzer .”Candles, do a little cooking, watch a nice film.”
Sounds like a lovely night, Matthäus, so feel free to give me a call anytime!
Touchline troubles
While Matthäus is one of the all-time great players, his on-field ability hasn’t yet translated into managerial success.
In the decade or so following his retirement, the Ballon D’or winner was hired and fired seven times, struggling in Serbia, Austria, as well as in a couple of international roles.
The German has always seemed to leave clubs with a cloud of scandal around him. He tried to sue Serbian outfit Partizan following his dismissal, and criticised the Hungarian FA for “not contributing, but exploiting Hungarian football” after he parted way with the national team.
(Image: Getty Images)
Perhaps his most unceremonious departure was from the management position at Brazilian side Atlético Paranaense. After seven matches, the former Bayern player decided to call it a day, sneaking back to Europe without informing the South American club.
Outraged, Paranaense posted Matthäus’ unpaid phone bill on their club website, revealing to the world an outstanding bill of around £5000.
Given his managerial shortcomings, it’s perhaps no surprise that in 2018, aged 57, Matthäus decided to come out of retirement, with the World Cup winner playing one match for his local side FC Herzogenaurach, where the maverick midfielder had started his career 40 years previous.