Lothar Matthäus, a football coach and former footballer, enjoys in Dubrovnik these days, especially in the Proto restaurant, where the sports legend had a great time. ‘We were so pleased to host the legendary Lothar Matthaus’, Proto crew wrote us.
Football fans know the name of this legendary formal player who, after captaining West Germany to victory in the 1990 FIFA World Cup, was named European Footballer of the Year. In 1991, he was named the first ever FIFA World Player of the Year, and remains the only German to have received the award until today.
Matthäus held the record of having played in five FIFA World Cups (1982, 1986, 1990, 1994, 1998), more than any other outfield player in men’s football, until the 2018 World Cup. He holds the record for the most World Cup matches played by a single player (25 games).
He was the captain of the West German team that won the 1990 World Cup in Italy and also was captain of the German squad in the 1994 World Cup in the United States. He also won UEFA Euro 1980, and played in the 1984, 1988, and 2000 UEFA European Football Championships. In 1999, aged 38, he was again voted German Footballer of the Year, having previously won the award in 1990.
Matthäus is the most capped German player of all time, retiring with a total of 150 appearances (83 for West Germany) in 20 years, and 23 goals. Matthäus is a member of the FIFA 100 list of the greatest living football players chosen by Pelé.
A versatile and complete player, Matthäus was renowned for his perceptive passing, positional sense, well-timed tackling, as well as powerful shooting. During his career, he usually played as a box-to-box midfielder, although late in his career he played as a sweeper.
