Lothar Matthäus is to undergo surgery. © APA/afp / RONNY HARTMANN

Lothar Matthäus was injured in a skiing accident.

Football legend Lothar Matthäus was injured in a fall while skiing.

21 January 2026

From: det

He needs to undergo shoulder surgery, as the 64-year-old explained. BILD said. According to reports, upon Matthäus' return to Munich, former Bayern team doctor Hans-Wilhelm Müller-Wohlfahrt diagnosed, among other things, a double ligament tear.

“I also bruised some ribs on my right side, which is obviously painful. And I'm carrying my right arm in a sling. But overall I'm doing well. The important thing now is the quick surgery, which apparently isn't a major procedure,” Matthäus was told by the BILD quoted. On dpaThe record-holding national player could not be reached at first.

No appearance on TV Thursday evening

Matthäus described the accident: “It was the last run on the last day of my vacation. The slope was icy and bumpy. I was already looking forward to lunch at the mountain hut – when I suddenly fell to my right. I didn't catch a bump properly, and my skis caught an edge.” According to him, the problem was the ice.

The 1990 World Cup winner will miss his scheduled appearance as an expert commentator for RTL on Thursday evening's Europa League match between AS Roma and VfB Stuttgart, the broadcaster confirmed. The football legend is to undergo surgery in a Munich hospital following his fall in Austria. Matthäus said he expects a timely return after the operation.

Matthew is not only for RTL in use, but also regularly for the pay-TV channel Sky. There, he is primarily used as an expert for the top Bundesliga matches on Saturday evenings.