“I never gave up!” – exclusive interview with 60-year-old Lothar Matthäus

– Did the sixty years fly quickly?
– A lot of people say that time flies, but I don't think so – told our portal Lothar Matthäus, former Hungarian national team head coach from 2003 to 2006, who celebrates his 60th birthday on Sunday. – I enjoy life, every moment of it. Time and days pass, but I wouldn't say they fly.

– Is the 60th is a special birthday?
– Some like to exaggerate their decennial anniversary, but in my case it's like my 58th or 59th birthday was, not to mention that I don't feel myself this old. I turn sixty on Sunday, but by dawn on Monday, nothing will change in my life.

– With a little exaggeration, nothing has changed in recent decades: how do you maintain yourself to be so fantastically fit?
– There's no magic in it unless it's that I keep myself fresh both physically and mentally. If one does not pay attention to oneself, if one does not devote enough time to his body, his mental freshness, he will sooner or later become stiff. I feel much younger than my age, maybe also because I train my body regularly, I go running and cycling. Sometimes I jog or cycle on Margaret Island or at Normafa. If this could be called a secret, my advice would be to pay attention to ourselves!

– Where do you celebrate on Sunday?
– In Germany.

– With the family?
–Three gatherings were arranged for me over the weekend. On Saturday, Franz Beckenbauer and Uli Hoeness, among others from Bayern München's management welcomed me. We sat in one of the special rooms of the Allianz Arena. There was no big fuss due to the restrictions in force. If the restrictions are eased within a few weeks and the virus situation allows, a larger gathering will also be organized.

– What about the other two gatherings?
– On Saturday night they did an interview with me, and on Sunday my children first greet me during family lunch, then some friends will in the afternoon. It'll be great to see my children together – I have two sons and two daughters. They may surprise me with a cake, but the most important thing for me is to be together and have a great chat with them.

– Do you remember your 50th birthday?
– Of course!

– You gave dinner to 150 people at the Lenbach restaurant in Munich. That was a big party.
– We can put it this way. There were other times. We really could hold a big party. It was an unforgettable evening because whoever mattered was there, lots and lots of footballers, club leaders and stars. There was also live music and a DJ.

– Is it true that when journalists asked who your most famous footballer guest was, you replied that it was Lothar Matthäus?
– It is true. Fortunatley, everyone understood the joke. The second most famous ex footballer was Hristo Stoichkov. We are good friends. Among others, he also greeted me on the phone.

– You grew up in a village near Erlangen. What was your childhood like?
– Like a fairy tale. Really. I loved it. Family has always been important to me; my parents provided security. Then, I soon became addicted to football. I played football in the backyard all day. I had a little goal net that I was able to aim at for hours. My family still lives there today, and if I can, I visit them.

– If someone told you that little Lothar would become a winner of Ballon d'Or and a world champion, would you have believed it?
– Not at all! I would've laughed. I had dreams, of course, and my imagination often wandered, but I never thought I could become the world's best. As a kid, I wanted to join the local team, then as a teenager the German national team. Finally, at the age of 18 I dreamed of a world-class career. And I did it!

– What can you thank it for?
– My vocation. I wasn't the most talented member of my generation, but that I wanted success the most is for sure. I never gave up. I stayed out to work even after trainings. I was already aware that I wanted to be the best in everything. I also took the stairs at the right time and somehow I always switched at the best moment. I transferred from Mönchengladbach to Bayern München, then to Inter. I could've transferred there sooner, but I always waited until I felt ready for another challenge.

– Did you earn a lot of money?
– I could've earned a lot more... Many people think the money is the most important to me, but it's untrue. At the age of nineteen, I could've signed with a club that offered ten times as much money. Still, I kept my career and my improvement in mind. In fact, my happiness. I always switched clubs so that in addition to my contract, I also looked at what it would be like to live there, what my everyday life would be like. In a nutshell, I also looked at whether I would be happy. In retrospect, I think I made good decisions.

– If not money, what the most important in your life?
– Health and family. Money is simply a tool.

– You've achieved everything a footballer can dream of except for a Champions League win. Do you miss the Champions League trophy?
– One cannot win everything – it's given only to very few people. I played at the highest level for twenty-two years, during which time I won a lot of trophies. Clearly, my career would've been complete with the Champions League win, but I'm still proud of what I got from my fate. I don't think I miss anything in my career.”

– You were a regular participant at Oktoberfest. Which is the best beer?
– I like Bavarian beers, but it's not my favorite. For me, Paulaner is the favorite if it's cold and tapped with the right amount of foam. It's simply unbeatable.

– Who's your favorite among the footballers?
– Robert Lewandowski was the best last year. He's a brilliant player, and with a little exaggeration, he has already scored every weekend. He brought everything out of himself; I really like his game. In many matches he was the difference between two teams.

– What if I asked you about the last ten years?
– Lionel Messi.

– Not Cristiano Ronaldo?
– Messi is better from my point of view, and is more diverse. His playing style is closer to me. Also, he's the football genius.

– What about the youngest Matthäus? Does Milan, your 7-year-old like football?
– Loves it! He has many friends in the team he trains with in Budapest two or three times a week. He has his trainings on the Buda side, and I often pull by the railing and watch him from a distance. He respects his coach, listens to him, accepts what he tells him, what he asks of him. Of course, at home he also asks me what I think about this or that. Football is an eternal theme for us.

Translated by Vanda Orosz