Original article from France Football, published in 2020.

While "Matthäus" rhymed with "Amadeus," Lothar’s performances weren't exactly like Mozart’s. He was called the Panzer for his tank-like presence and his indestructibility—the only outfield player in history to have played in five World Cups. Watching him battle on the pitch, it’s easy to see why Diego Maradona labeled him the "greatest opponent I ever played against." The Bavarian could do it all: from heavy tackles to bursts of speed and clinical ball-striking—the essential DNA of a German footballer. But Lothar's strike remains more than just a model; it is, even today, a true gold standard.

224 career goals

Everything about Matthäus—his game and his personality—was summarized in his shots. His class, energy, technique, mastery, precision, determination, rage, incandescence, and ego. Even more than a Rainer Bonhof, he was a goldsmith of the long-range strike. His masterpiece might be the top-corner volley (another of his specialties) sent screaming from twenty-five meters after a Mehmet Scholl corner during a Bayer Leverkusen-Bayern Munich match (2-4) on November 21, 1992.

After watching a good portion of his 224 goals (not bad for a defensive midfielder!), one remains stunned by both the discipline and the sheer weight of his cannon shots. His goal against Yugoslavia (4-1) at San Siro during the 1990 World Cup—coming at the end of a fifty-meter run—still haunts Faruk Hadzibegic. It was a goal that led a German journalist to say: "From that moment on, we no longer doubted anything in that World Cup."

A specialist in free kicks and penalties

By his own admission, however, free kicks were his favorite. One afternoon in 1981, while playing for Borussia Mönchengladbach against Werder Bremen, a commentator used the word "thunder" to describe the power of the "Panzer's" set-piece strike. The shot was so violent that both of the German midfielder’s feet left the ground at the moment of impact.

A few years ago, Matthäus confessed that his favorite goal remained a free kick: the one scored seven minutes from the end of a crucial match against Maradona’s Napoli on May 28, 1989. That goal not only gave Inter the win (2-1) but also secured the league title at the final whistle.

Yet, many believe his most accomplished performance in this area was the UEFA Cup quarter-final second leg against Atalanta Bergamo on March 20, 1991 (2-0). That night, wearing the Inter Milan colors, Matthäus delivered an indirect free kick onto Aldo Serena's head (1-0) before firing another indirect free kick (passed by Beppe Baresi)—a thirty-meter missile under the bar (2-0) that prompted the Italian commentator to shout a now-legendary "violentissimo!"

A true set-piece specialist, the German midfielder converted no fewer than 66 penalties (out of 73 attempts). However, the Nationalmannschaft captain will also remain famous for "bottling it" in the 1990 World Cup final against Maradona’s Argentina. Claiming a boot issue, he left it to Andreas Brehme, his Inter teammate, to take the penalty that would give West Germany the victory (1-0). Perhaps eleven meters was simply too close...