Clock turns full circle as matthaeus makes history

His side were leading the Dutch 3-0 when he came on for Bernard Dietz in the 73rd minute.

The teenager who was to mature into the greatest German player since Franz Beckenbauer did not impress on that particular day and was responsible for conceding a penalty. Still, Germany won the match 3-2 and went on to win the tournament.

Although the Germans and the Dutch are not exactly the best of friends in the football world, Matthaeus8217; childhood hero was a Dutchman who played against West Germany in the 1974 World Cup final.

8220;Johann Cruyff was the best player of the 1974 World Cup,8221; Matthaeus, who was 13 then, recalls.

8220;He was so elegant, so inspired in midfield and so dangerous in front of goal.8221;

Matthaeus has played against the Netherlands seven times 8212; and only been on the losing side once, at the 1988 European Championships in Hamburg.

Everything started well as he opened the scoring from the penalty spot. But the Dutch won a famous semi-final victory by 2-1.

After the match, Ronald Koeman did little for the German-Dutch relationship when he rubbed his bottom with Olaf Thon8217;s shirt.

Whistles and boos

Matthaeus was there too when Frank Rijkaard spat at Rudi Voeller in another memorable incident at the 1990 World Cup.

But that was not enough to spoil his exciting Italian adventure. Wearing the captain8217;s armband, he led his men to a 2-1 win before savouring the finest 90 minutes of his prolific career with a 1-0 victory over Argentina in the Rome final.

8220;I would have rather celebrated my record in Germany, or even in Italy or Croatia, where the fans like me,8221; Matthaeus said ahead of today8217;s match.

8220;In the Netherlands, they don8217;t like the Germans, and they don8217;t like me. But it will be fun, even if I8217;m whistled and booed by 30,000 people. That8217;s always good for motivation.8221;

Playing in a hostile atmosphere will be nothing new to Matthaeus, who is often perceived as somewhat arrogant and is few fans8217; favourite, even in Germany.

8220;He behaves as if he were born a star and could allow himself everything,8221; authoritative news weekly Der Spiegel once wrote, explaining why the man, despite his remarkable achievements, never was a German idol.

Fritz Walter, Uwe Seeler and Beckenbauer played less matches for Germany but they won more hearts.

Even at club level, Matthaeus has plenty of experiences with Dutch players. In his Inter Milan days, he was naturally taught to hate AC Milan, then at their peak courtesy of their formidable Dutch trio of Marco Van Basten, Rijkaard and Ruud Gullit.

8220;Those three were just about the best football had to offer then,8221; said Matthaeus, modest enough not to add himself to that list.

He would be forgiven if he did. In the late 1980s and early 1990s, Matthaeus had few rivals. Then a playmaker, he had everything 8212; the skills, the speed, the vision, the timing, not to mention that typically German aptitude for fighting until the final whistle, whatever the circumstances.

From playmaker to libero

Feeling homesick, he left Italy in 1992 and returned to the only German club tailored to his measurements 8212; Bayern Munich.

Slower than in his prime but still a superb player, he soon took up a new role as a libero and Bayern kindly allowed him to keep the number 10 shirt.

Marshalling a defence with authority was a straight-forward task for a player of his calibre but he did have a problem 8212; the re-unified Germany had a better man for the slot in Borussia Dortmund8217;s Matthias Sammer, who had formerly played for East Germany.

Berti Vogts, then the head coach, knew that and he was also building his team around a man Matthaeus could never get on with, that other German star of the past decade, Juergen Klinsmann.

So Matthaeus had to sit on the sidelines for the best part of four seasons out of international soccer. He was not part of the side that, inspired by Sammer and Klinsmann, won the 1996 European Championship in England.

The veteran of so many glorious battles was bitter and made sure everybody knew about it. But he concentratred on helping Bayern rule German soccer. It became so obvious that he remained a world class player that Vogts, missing the injured Sammer, took him to the 1998 World Cup finals.

Delighted to prove his worth, Matthaeus was one of few players in a disappointing German squad to leave France with some credit and Vogts8217; successor, Erich Ribbeck, soon recalled him.

Ribbeck made it clear that he was counting on Matthaeus for this year8217;s Euro 2000.

It is easy to guess how Matthaeus8217; dream scenario would read: Another final against the Netherlands, another German victory.

He could then retire with his head held high, and full of stories about the Dutch.