Lothar Matthaus
— Appearances: 1982, 1986, 1990, 1994, 1998 Matches: 25; Goals: 6
The West German team that entered the 1990 World Cup was much changed from
the one that reached the final four years previously, and Lothar Matthaus was emblematic of that. He was a natural as a defensive midfielder who played behind the forwards and wings. Immovable and tenacious, Matthaus was the far outpost of the West German defence, breaking up the opposing team’s manoeuvres as they started, fighting for loose balls, conquering the vital centre of the field.
Matthaus was often assigned to mark a particularly dangerous adversary. In the 1986 World Cup, he shadowed both Maradona and France’s Michel Platini. A tireless runner with astonishing acceleration, Matthaus also left his post to support the West German attack. But the offence did not depend on him then. In 1990, it did.
Led by the Inter Milan trio of captain Matthaus, Jurgen Klinsmann and Andreas Brehme, West Germany began its campaign with a 4-1 win over a strong Yugoslavian side, a match that Matthaus said laid the foundation for his team’s winning campaign. With two goals in that game, Matthaus became the first man in World Cup history to score a goal with each foot from outside the box in the same match.
First, he opened the scoring in the 28th minute with a left-footed strike into the bottom corner from 24 yards out. Then, in the 64th minute, he shot the ball home from 30 yards after side-stepping Davor Jozic, having carried the ball from inside his own half.
In the title clash, West Germany got revenge on Argentina for its defeat in 1986, but the match itself is considered the most cynical of all World Cup finals, with Andreas Brehme converting a penalty for the only goal of the game.
Matthaus went on to play two more World Cups, but Germany exited both at the quarterfinal stage.
One of only three men to have played in five World Cups, and having appeared in a record 25 World Cup matches, the 1990 win marked the pinnacle of Matthaus’ career.