“There wasn’t much confidence in us going into that World Cup,” said Lothar Matthaus. “We’d lost a lot of big players after 1986. They kept saying that if we couldn’t win games in our country, we had no chance overseas.” West Germany, fresh from losing lost two consecutive FIFA World Cup™ finals, were indeed in a state of disarray going into Italia ’90. They had been eliminated by Sweden in West Berlin from the Four Nations Tournament semi-finals in 1988. They had lost to the Netherlands in Hamburg in the last four of the UEFA EURO later that year. Between World Cup campaigns, they had been hammered 4-1 by Austria and failed to beat the likes of Hungary, Republic of Ireland and Wales, while they had finished behind the Dutch in qualifying for the global finals.

Italy and the Netherlands were the trophy favourites. La Nazionale had home advantage, an outstanding squad featuring Franco Baresi, Paolo Maldini, Giuseppe Giannini, Roberto Baggio and Gianluca Vialli, and goalkeeper Walter Zenga in impregnable form. The Oranje had conquered their first major crown at UEFA EURO 1988 and boasted the likes Ronald Koeman, Frank Rijkaard, Ruud Gullit and Marco van Basten. Then there was Argentina, Brazil and emerging England. Talk about Franz Beckenbauer’s team even centred on whether they would make it out of Group D, especially given that their first outing was against a side striking fear into adversaries. Only a superb Matthaus equaliser had prevented West Germany losing to a second-string Yugoslavia in Bremen two years earlier. Now Ivica Osim’s squad comprised Robert Jarni, Robert Prosinecki, Safet Susic, Dragan Stojkovic, Dejan Savicevic, Alen Boksic, Darko Pancev and Davor Suker – many of whom helped Yugoslavia overcome West Germany in the FIFA World Youth Championship Chile 1987™ final. Matthaus took 33 games to register his first international goal, and had man-marked Diego Maradona in the 1986 decider, but had since bloomed into a more adventurous midfielder. He scored, from midfield, 17 in 26 appearances in the 1987-88 Bundesliga season, and 11 in 25 in Serie A in 1989-90. Giovanni Trapattoni, the Bavarian’s coach at Inter, was one of the few who believed West Germany had a big shot. “Any team with Matthaus has a chance,” he stressed. “[Diego] Maradona is a genius, but if I have to win a game and can pick any footballer in the world, I’d pick Matthaus.”

Inside their office, the San Siro, ‘Der Panzer’ vindicated ‘Trap’ just before the half-hour in their Italia 90' opener. Stefan Reuter played a high, hanging pass into Matthaus, whose back was to goal. The latter controlled it impeccably, spun Davor Jozic instantly and, from outside the box, arrowed the ball into the bottom corner with his left foot. If that was brilliant, his second was breathtaking. Matthaus collected possession inside his own half and, with military purpose, drove at Yugoslavia, slaloming past Jozic and, from 25 yards, powering a right-footed drive into the bottom corner.

It made him the first player to score goals in open play from outside of the box with both feet in a World Cup game – an astonishing feat that has never been repeated. West Germany’s campaign had begun decorated by ambidexterity, and it would also end decorated by ambidexterity. When they were awarded a penalty, five minutes from time in the final, Matthaus, playing in borrowed boots after his had split, didn’t feel comfortable taking it. Andreas Brehme, who had scored a penalty with his left foot at Mexico 1986, dispatched one with his right to sink Argentina. Beckenbauer cited the victory over Yugoslavia as “fundamental” to Die Mannschaft lifting the trophy. “His performance was almost perfect that day,” said ‘Der Kaiser’.

“Yugoslavia were a really tough team,” recalled Matthaus. “They went on to reach the quarter-finals and only lost to Argentina on penalties. We were under a lot of pressure going into that game. Winning was crucial, but the way we won gave us a lot of confidence. “I played 150 games for Germany, that was my 75th, and I think it was my best performance. When I look back, it’s something I’m proud of.”