50 years ago, viewers of the ARD Sportschau primetime sports magazine voted for a "Goal of the Year" for the first time. Overhead kicks, scissor kicks, volleys, shots from the corner flag or the halfway line and many other goalscoring works of art have been recognised since then, with Bayern picking up the most awards (seven). Members' magazine "51" reminisces with our previous winners - in the hope that the award will finally come back to a Munich player after 22 long years... Part 3 with Lothar Matthäus.
Goal of the Year 1992: Lothar Matthäus vs. Leverkusen
“I’ve had the great honour of being awarded the ‘Goal of the Year’ twice in my career. My goal to make it 3-1 in the 4-1 opening win against Yugoslavia on our way to the 1990 World Cup title was crowned, and then two years later my volley to put us 2-1 up against Leverkusen. Both are special goals to this day. That opening win at the World Cup in Italy lifted us, and the goal for FC Bayern was a huge relief for me personally.
“I returned to Munich from Inter Milan that summer and had worked hard after my cruciate ligament tear to be back on the pitch after just five months. During that period, things still weren’t quite functioning as naturally as they normally did, which lead to me receiving criticism. And then came 21st November in Leverkusen: I took a corner from the left on the volley, 20 metres from goal, and the ball flew into the top corner. We won 4-2 in the end.”
Matthäus: A real redemption
“It was my first competitive goal in one and a half years – and a real redemption. Wonderful to watch, and on top of that it had a very special personal meaning. I always look back very fondly on that goal, and clearly lots of fans do too. Even today it’s still one of the goals I’m most often asked about.”
In the second part of the series, Jean-Pierre Papin spoke about his 1995 ‘Goal of the Year’:
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