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Berlin (dpa) - Master trainer Jupp Heynckes congratulated the German record national player Lothar Matthäus on his 60th birthday last Sunday with a personal letter.
"You were a stroke of luck," writes Heynckes in a column for "skysport.de".
He added: “When I think of the way you did 50 sprints in a row of 50 meters at full speed and finished your training, it was something unique in my long career as a coach.
This obsession was then also reflected in the games, ”wrote Heynckes, who trained Matthäus from 1979 to 1984 at Borussia Mönchengladbach.
"I accompanied and supported you from the start and that's not the only reason I say: You were one of the most extraordinary footballers of all time," Heynckes emphasized.
«I will never forget your irrepressible ambition, your dynamism and your physique.
Everything about the way you played football was thrilling and irresistible. "
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But Heynckes also admitted: “Lothar, of course you were a rascal too.
You were not only quick with your legs but also with your tongue.
I had to put you in your place once in a while, but we never had disagreements over a long period of time, ”wrote the 75-year-old ex-trainer.
Many people would have been prejudiced for a long time.
«What these people do not know is that you are someone who is always there for someone once they have taken them to their hearts.
Then you have a friend for life, ”said Heynckes.
© dpa-infocom, dpa: 210323-99-931769 / 2
Sky column by Heynckes on Matthew