Lothar Matthäus attends Ballon d'Or with 26-year-old girlfriend Theresa Sommer

Football icon Lothar Matthäus, 64, attended the Ballon d'Or ceremony in Paris on Monday with his girlfriend Theresa Sommer, 26, marking a high-profile display for the pair on the red carpet. Matthäus was photographed with his arm around Sommer as they posed for photographers ahead of the ceremony, signaling that their relationship has moved from public sightings to a confirmed romance.

The couple had been seen together multiple times earlier this year, with a series of sightings that suggested a developing relationship. Sommer, a model who has been linked to Matthäus since spring, drew additional attention for her professional background, which includes studies in economics and management at King’s College London and psychology at Durham University according to her LinkedIn profile. The two have also been photographed attending events together in Ischgl, Austria, and during Germany’s Nations League campaigns, fueling ongoing media interest.

Matthäus’s personal life has long been the subject of public interest. The former Germany captain has been married five times. His first marriage to Silvia produced two daughters before they separated in 1992. He later wed Lolita Morena, a Swiss model and television presenter, from 1994 to 1999. In the 2000s, Matthäus married Marijana Colic, a fashion entrepreneur, with the couple eventually divorcing after a lengthy process that culminated in a 2009 ruling. He then married Kristina Liliana Chudinova in 2008, a union that ended in divorce before Matthäus moved on to Anastasia Klimko, whom he married in 2014; that relationship ended in 2021. The public focus on his relationships has persisted even as he remained active in football circles and media.

At the Ballon d'Or ceremony, the attention around Matthäus’s companionship with Sommer stood in contrast to the event’s on-field focus. Ousmane Dembélé was crowned the men’s Ballon d'Or winner, finishing ahead of Barcelona teammate Lamine Yamal, with the ceremony underscoring a blend of star power and football excellence that characterizes the annual gala. Sommer’s presence alongside Matthäus drew headlines in attendance coverage, highlighting how the event often blends sport, celebrity, and public fascination with personal lives just as much as it celebrates footballing achievement.

The Ballon d'Or remains one of football’s most coveted individual honors, and this year’s ceremony in Paris drew players, coaches, and fans from around the world. Matthäus’s appearance with Sommer adds another chapter to the long-running public narrative surrounding the former Bayern Munich and Germany captain, whose career spans decades and who has remained a fixture in football discourse beyond his playing days.

As the final speeches and on-stage presentations wrapped, observers noted that Matthäus’s private life will likely continue to intersect with his public profile, particularly given his status as a celebrated figure in European football and a frequent commentator and pundit in the sport’s media landscape. Sommer’s own professional and educational background has been cited as contributing to the public’s interest in the couple, but both have maintained that much of their relationship is private outside of the high-profile appearances that have characterized their public appearances this year.