Lothar Matthäus was one of the finest midfielders football has seen, a German of remarkable stamina, drive and longevity. Powerful and precise, he could dictate a match from deep or surge forward to score, and he anchored sides at Bayern Munich and Internazionale.
He captained West Germany to World Cup victory in 1990 and was crowned the world’s finest player that year, capping a career of extraordinary consistency. His endurance was such that he played on at the top level into his late thirties.
A born leader and relentless competitor, he appeared at a record number of World Cups and remains a towering figure of German football.