Sports Nicknames - Der Panzer, Der Terminator

Lothar Matthaus was one of the most complete and most dominant footballers of the 1980s and 1990s.



Lothar Matthaus was a ruthless machine on the soccer pitch. He was not flashy, but instead calculated and efficient, with plenty of speed, spirit and stamina. He was a natural leader and could play in any position with world-class quality.

Matthaus spent five years at Borussia Monchengladbach in the early 1980s before earning a big transfer to Bayern Munich in 1984. He played in the central midfield role and led Bayern to multiple titles. With Germany he won the World Cup in 1990 under management of Franz Beckenbauer and was famous for guarding Diego Armando Maradona in the tournament final, marking him out of the match. Matthaus was awarded the Ballon d'Or that year and won the FIFA World Player of the Year prize the following year for his accomplishments with Inter Milan, who he led to the UEFA Cup glory.

Because of the machine-like proficiency Lothar was nicknamed "Der Panzer", which was the name of the well-known German tank. He was also known as "Der Terminator".

Lothar Matthaus is one of only four players to have played in five World Cup finals, with the other three being the Italian Gianluigi Buffon and Mexican nationals Antonio Carbajal and Rafael Marquez.

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