It's hard to explain the greatness of Lothar Matthaus, but we will try.

Lothar Matthaus is one of the greatest soccer players ever. He played in five World Cups, spanning 16 years. He captained Germany to the 1990 title, was named European and World Player of the Year, and won numerous national championships with his club teams.

Lothar Matthaus is a playboy. He moves from supermodel to supermodel, and has been married four times, the last to a woman less than half his age. And that's not counting countless girlfriends.

Lothar Matthaus is a jerk. Supposedly, he sees each conflict as a power struggle. There was a well-publicized feud with Germany's other star, Jurgen Klinsmann. During his time with the MetroStars of Major League Soccer, he told the team he was rehabbing his back, but was photographed relaxing on the beach at St. Tropez. "I am an idol and should be treated like one," says Lothar.

Lothar Matthaus is a vagabond. During the last decade, he's coached teams from Austria to Serbia to Hungary to Brazil to Israel, never staying for more than a year, leaving behind himself a whirlwind of turmoil, anger, and lawsuits.

Lothar Matthaus is a... Jew? Lothar Matthaus, who is as German as Germans get, is a... what?

Well, not really. But when he took that Israeli job, he said that "my grandmother is Jewish so she'd be delighted that I am coming to Israel." We wonder how delighted this fictional grandmother was when he was fired after a single season.

Playboy, jerk, vagabond, liar... maybe it's not hard to explain the greatness of Lothar Matthaus after all.