German football icon Lothar Matthäus has sparked considerable interest in his native country after being photographed multiple times with a woman 38 years his junior.
The 64-year-old former World Cup winner has been spotted in public with Theresa Sommer, a 26-year-old Instagram model, at various high-profile events.
Matthäus, who captained West Germany to World Cup glory in 1990 and secured seven Bundesliga titles with Bayern Munich, has been seen with Sommer at football matches, driving together, and attending a celebrity skiing competition.
The five-times divorced Ballon d'Or winner is no stranger to relationships with substantial age differences, having previously been married to Anastasia Klimko with whom he shared a 27-year age gap.
However, the 38-year difference with Sommer represents his most significant age gap to date, though the exact nature of their relationship remains unclear.
The pair were photographed together at a celebrity skiing event in Ischgl, Austria, in April.
They also attended Germany's Nations League semi-final against Portugal at Munich's Allianz Arena, returning four days later for Spain's match in the final.
Video footage has emerged showing them travelling together by car to an unspecified event.
When approached by German newspaper Bild for comment, Matthäus declined to respond.
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At the Austrian skiing competition, the couple told A2 Television: "We came for skiing, and the rest is a private matter."
Sommer's LinkedIn profile indicates she studied economics and management at King's College London before pursuing psychology at Durham University.
The repeated public appearances have fuelled speculation in Germany about the nature of their relationship, though neither has confirmed whether their connection is romantic or platonic.
Matthäus's personal life has been characterised by a series of high-profile relationships, often featuring considerable age disparities with his partners.
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His romantic history includes five marriages and subsequent divorces, establishing a pattern that has kept him in the public eye throughout his post-football career.
The former midfielder's first marriage to Silvia in 1981 produced two daughters, Alisa and Viola, before ending in divorce in 1992.
That same year, Swiss model and television presenter Lolita Morena gave birth to his third child, Loris.
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Matthäus married Morena, who had represented Switzerland at Miss World in 1982 and Miss Universe the following year, in 1994.
Their union lasted five years before dissolving in 1999, coinciding with the twilight of his playing career.
Following his retirement, Matthäus found romance in Belgrade whilst managing Partizan, marrying 31-year-old fashion entrepreneur Marijana Čolić in November 2003.
Their marriage ended in 2007 after Matthäus began dating Ukrainian model Kristina Liliana Chudinova, who was 26 years his junior.
The Bundesliga winner has refused to comment on the nature of their relationship
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By December 2008, Matthäus had married Chudinova in Las Vegas, though their union lasted barely two years.
His fourth marriage collapsed in 2010 after tabloids published photographs of Chudinova embracing a Monaco businessman during a Sardinian holiday.
Matthäus wed for a fifth time in 2014 to Anastasia Klimko, with whom he had a son, Milan.
They divorced in 2021 but were seen together at Oktoberfest in 2023, prompting speculation about a potential reconciliation.
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