Lothar Matthaus Promises Comeback for 1 Million Facebook Likes

When Lothar Matthaus says he could come out of retirement and play football again, he probably means it. Since Matthäus has done just that, we would probably be wise not to laugh.

Posting on his Facebook page this past Friday, Matthaus wrote that he would come out of retirement if he received a million "likes" on the popular social-networking site. Matthew Nash of Metro picked up the story Sunday, lending publicity to the idea, but as of Monday, Matthaus is still some ways short of reaching his goal.

The post itself had received almost 300,000 likes as of Monday around 9:30 a.m. ET. Matthaus' Facebook page, on the other hand, had received only about 76,000 likes. Either way, then, a comeback is highly unlikely.

But either way, it's still fun to think about.

Matthaus, for those who don't know, is a retired German footballer who last played professionally in the year 2000. His last professional match was so long ago, in fact, that it came with the MetroStars, a kaput forerunner of Major League Soccer's New York Red Bulls.

Not that time should dull the brilliance of his career. A veteran of five World Cups, Matthaus captained the West Germany squad that won the title in 1990 and was part of the West German team that won Euro 1980. He is West Germany/Germany's all-time caps leader with 150 and has featured in more World Cup matches (25) than any other player.

At the club level, Matthaus was just as successful. He was named FIFA World Player of the Year at age 29 in 1990. In 1999, he was named German Footballer of the Year at age 38.

Diego Maradona, the Argentine legend widely regarded as one of the best players of all time, called Matthaus, "the best rival I've ever had."

But that was in 1990. Matthaus is now 52—as a reference point for American fans, he's more than three years older than Jurgen Klinsmann—and even for a footballer of his credentials, that amounts to being past it.

Just in case, though, we're giving Matthaus a run-out in the spotlight Monday. That's him, in all his youthful glory, in the video clip above. Enjoy, then give him a like on Facebook.

Follow @MikeCummings37