He played for Inter for four seasons, scoring around 50 goals. It was a lot considering that he wasn’t a forward but to label him as a midfielder would also be reductive. He was a complete player thanks to his technical ability, strength and vision which allowed him to cover any role. With the Nerazzurri, he also won a Supercoppa Italiana in 1989 and the 1991 UEFA Cup. His time at Inter was interrupted by a serious knee ligament injury in 1992. He decided to return home with Bayern Munich where he won many more trophies. But, the record-breaking Scudetto with Inter will always have a special value to one of the greatest players in football history. It wasn’t by chance that during the celebrations he said: “One Scudetto here in Milan, it’s worth all three won at Bayern”.
On that afternoon in May 1989, the strongest player was Lothar Matthäus, not Maradona. To understand the German’s status in the world game, it was enough to listen to Diego’s comments. “He’s the best opponent I’ve ever had in my career, I think that this is enough to define him.” The two faced off many times with legendary World Cup final encounters in 1986 and 1990, Argentina winning the first and Germany the second. In that year, Lotharone also won the Ballon d’Or.
He should never have even taken that free kick. His compatriot Brehme was supposed to take it but the Napoli players crept forward early from the wall so it had to be retaken. Lothar Matthäus then stepped up to unleash a violent right-foot effort that beat the goalkeeper Giuliani. San Siro exploded with joy as the goal secured the 1989 Scudetto in that record-breaking year.
