Not the tallest, but blessed with a fantastic range of passing and shooting, Matthaus was a workmanlike midfielder in the early German sides of the 80s. 
However, as he developed, Matthaus took on a starring role in the national team, creating and scoring plenty of goals. His strikes against Yugoslavia were two of the best goals in the Italia 90 tournament – and his leadership in the midfield helped produce some of the best football ever seen by a German side in a World Cup as they went goal crazy in the early rounds.
Matthaus jointly holds the record for playing in the most World Cup finals tournaments (1982, 1986, 1990, 1994, 1998) and stands alone as the player who has played in the most World Cup finals matches, with 25 appearances on football’s biggest stage.
At club level, he served Bayern Munich and Inter Milan with distinction, winning league and European titles along the way. But the one accolade that eluded him was the European Cup, when his Bayern Munich side were denied by a last-gasp comeback from Manchester United in the 1999 Champions League final.
In a glittering career, it proved to be the only trophy he didn’t win.