Lothar Herbert Matthäus was born on 21 March 1961 in Erlangen, West Germany.
Matthäus started his professional career in 1979 with Borussia Mönchengladbach in the Bundesliga. He played for the club until 1984, he he moved to Bayern Munich.
During his first spell at Bayern (1984-88), Lothar helped the club win the Bundesliga twice and the DFB-Pokal.
Matthäus signed with Serie A club Inter Milan in 1988, winning the Scudetto and the Italian Supercup in his first full season.
In 1991, Lothar helped Inter win the UEFA Cup, scoring a penalty in the first leg to help secure the victory. Between 1988-1992 Lothar scored 40 goals in 115 appearances for the club.
During this time, he was awarded the prestigious Ballon d'Or in 1990 and was named the first FIFA World Player of the Year in 1991.
Lothar returned to Bayern Munich in 1992, where he won a further four Bundesliga titles, two DFB-Pokals, another UEFA Cup and reached a second European Cup final in 1999.
Lothar made 150 appearance and scored 23 goals for Germany (West Germany) between 1980–2000. Matthäus is still the most capped German player of all time.
He famously captained his country to World Cup victory in 1990, beating Argentina in the final.