GOAT Index

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Lothar Matthäus: the case for the GOAT

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    Lothar Matthäus: the case for the GOAT

    Midfielder · Germany · Born 21 March 1961, Erlangen, Germany · Career 1979–2000

    Dynamic, versatile midfielder who later excelled as a sweeper. Played for Borussia Mönchengladbach, Bayern Munich, Inter and the MetroStars, and captained West Germany.

    Career highlights

    Why Lothar Matthäus could be the GOAT

    Matthäus combined power, stamina and skill as the complete midfielder, captaining West Germany to the 1990 World Cup. His longevity at the top level, across five World Cups and two positions, is almost unmatched.

    What fans say

    Lothar Matthäus is #20 of 30 in the fan ranking, with a 0–1 head-to-head record from 82 Men's football votes. See the full Men's football GOAT ranking

    Lothar Matthäus head to head

    How the ranking works. Every head-to-head vote is a result, like a game. The standings use a Bradley–Terry model, the same idea behind chess ratings: beating a highly rated legend counts for more than beating a long shot. Ratings are shown on a chess-style scale centred on 1500.

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