Last Updated:
Lothar Matthaus urges India to involve legends and ex-players in coach training to boost talent, citing Cape Verde’s World Cup success and stressing unity for Germany’s revival.
Lothar Matthaus, brand ambassador of the Bengal Super League
India needs legendary and former football players to train their coaches to produce good football players, says German football legend Lothar Matthaus.
Matthaus highlighted that India, the world’s most populous country, should not miss out on the football World Cup when smaller nations like Cape Verde qualify for the event.
“You get good footballers only when they learn from the best coaches. India needs good coaches to produce better footballers,” said Matthaus, a member of Germany’s 1990 World Cup-winning team, to the media on Sunday.
“A good teacher makes a good student. And when you have a bad teacher, or a bad professor, you don’t get good students. To start, you bring the legends, ex-players and reputed coaches to India to teach your coaches. Then these coaches can help the new generation of players. You have to start this at the school level.”
Matthaus gave the example of Cape Verde, which will participate in the next World Cup despite having only half a million people.
“For example Cape Verde, which has a population of just half a million people, is going to the World Cup. You have the highest population in the world and you don’t go to the World Cup? This cannot be,” Matthaus said.
“You have to find a system which will involve the football federation, the Government, the clubs and the academies to work for a common goal like you have in cricket, hockey or chess where you have produced world champions,” said Matthaus, the brand ambassador of the Bengal Super League.
How Can Germny Win Again?
Matthaus acknowledged that Germany has lacked passion and camaraderie recently, evident from their group stage eliminations in the last two World Cups.
“This is not what we expect from the national team,” he said, adding, “lack of passion and camaraderie,” as the reasons behind their ordinary show.
“We need the passion that was our plus factor in the 80s. We used to play with passion and love. We were playing together and this is what I am missing now in the German team.”
“But this is a job for the coach. And when the coach can bring this team together like maybe the way we used to be 10, 15 or 30 years ago, Germany can again be the team to be in the circle of the favourites,” he added.
(With inputs from Agencies)
Ritayan Basu, Senior Sub-Editor, Sports at News18.com. Has been covering domestic and and international football for nearly a decade. Has played and covered badminton. Ocassionally writes cricket content, havin…Read More
Ritayan Basu, Senior Sub-Editor, Sports at News18.com. Has been covering domestic and and international football for nearly a decade. Has played and covered badminton. Ocassionally writes cricket content, havin… Read More
November 17, 2025, 10:42 IST
Read More
