Puma King Lothar Matthaus

It’s alright if you don’t know who Lothar Matthaus is; to be honest, I didn’t either. However, he may be the most criminally underrated player of all-time. Why? Well, Matthaus appeared in five different World Cups, captaining Germany to a 1990 victory. The dude wore the German crest on his shirt for two full decades, from 1980 to 2000. During this time Matthaus also featured prominently for Bayern Munich and Inter Milan, winning league and European titles along the way. With a resume like that, how can you not be considered one of the legends of the game?

A prototypical box-to-box midfielder, Matthaus took space in the midfield like a cheetah tearing through the Sahara desert. His through balls sliced through defenses with a little flick of his foot, an effortless work of art. His diminutive stature made his rocket-booted shot a surprise whenever he unleashed it. Most of all, Matthaus led his national team with aplomb, especially in 1990’s World Cup in Italy, where his steady presence navigated the Germans to the title by beating Diego Maradona’s Argentina in a bloodbath of a final.

Lothar Matthaus Puma King signature

Puma’s new King Lothar Matthaus 1990 boots have been designed to commemorate the 25th anniversary of this accomplishment. These Kings feature his signature on the heel, as well as the classic foldover tongue and unique criss-cross stitching on the vamp. On the underside of the tongue is a small inscription that lists his exploits at Inter:

Whilst at Inter Milan:

1 – World Best Player
1 – European Cup winner
1 – Italian League winner

Puma King LM inscription Lothar Matthaus Puma King tongue

The King’s soft, premium leather speaks for itself, and here that’s no different. I wonder if Matthaus would wear a leather boot if he played today — something tells me he would. Although this is mainly a black and white boot, gold tints call out the King logo and Matthaus’ John Hancock. Another neat touch is the black and blue stripes on the inside.

Outsole of LM Puma King

Leather Puma King LM

This is actually not the first Matthaus shout-out Puma have released for the King. A month ago, they unveiled a limited edition white version with only 25 pairs manufactured. This time, Puma have been more kind by offering up 1,990 pairs as a tribute to Matthaus’ legendary 1990 performance.

Check out the Lothar Matthaus Puma King at SoccerPro

 

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