Football icon Lothar Matthäus underwent shoulder surgery after a ski fall. The 64-year-old reports that the operation went well and he feels as good as can be expected. He canceled his TV expert role but plans a quick return.
Lothar Matthäus, the 1990 World Cup winner, suffered a serious fall during a short ski trip. It was the last run of the final vacation day: The piste was icy and bumpy, the skis caught an edge, and he fell onto his right side. Upon returning to Munich, former Bayern team doctor Hans-Wilhelm Müller-Wohlfahrt diagnosed a double ligament tear in the right shoulder and bruised ribs on the same side.
On Wednesday, Matthäus told the newspaper „Bild“ that he would need surgery. The shoulder operation went well, as he informed the portal sport.de. „I feel as good as can be expected under the circumstances,“ he said. On Instagram, he thanked his fans: „Thanks very much for your kind get-well wishes. I'll be fit again soon.“ A photo shows him in a hospital bed with a thickly bandaged right shoulder and thumbs up.
The accident has professional repercussions for Matthäus. He had to cancel his planned role as an RTL expert for the Europa League match between AS Roma and VfB Stuttgart. Still, he looks forward to next Thursday in Stuttgart: „Then we'll cover the VfB I hold in high regard together again!“, sport.de quoted him. On that day, VfB plays its final group stage match against Young Boys Bern. Matthäus regularly works as an expert for RTL and Sky, especially for top Bundesliga games.