Germany's Lothar Matthaus plays in the most World Cup matches.

The legendary Germany captain Lothar Matthaus is the World Cup’s most seasoned campaigner.

Having participated in five tournaments – beginning in 1982 and concluding in 1998 – Matthaus played in a record 25 finals matches during his career, winning 15, drawing six and losing just four.

During that time, he was a runner-up twice (’82 and ’86) before finally lifting the World Cup Trophy at Italia ’90 – in the subsequent two editions Germany went on to reach the quarter-finals.

He called time on his international career after the ’98 event, with 150 caps to his credit. Unsurprisingly, this figure also makes him his country’s most capped player.