Matthäus mouths off: 'Atlético are a dirty and nasty team'

Rubén Uría breaks down Matthäus's comments on German television: Simeone dished out kicks as a player and Atleti are a dirty team. Uría believes they only serve to stoke up a match that had no reason to be heated.

In the build-up to Atlético de Madrid's clash with Bayern Munich, Lothar Matthäus recalled some of his battles with Diego Pablo Simeone, now the Atlético coach, on 'NTV Sport'. "He never stopped kicking," said the current RTL/Sky pundit, looking back on his playing days at Inter Milan and referring to the then Pisa player. "I said to myself: you need shin pads on both sides of your leg," he recalled.

The most out-of-line part of the German's comments came when he turned his attention to Atleti. Matthäus got prickly when giving his answer about Atlético. Thomas Müller, another German football legend, once described Atlético as "the biggest ruffians" in European football, and Matthäus was asked about it. "Ruffians... that's a kind word," said the former Bayern captain. "If he'd said 'tough guys'... It's a dirty and nasty team," he declared, in comments reported by 'NTV Sport'.

Rubén Uría discussed Lothar Matthäus's remarks as a pundit on German television. Uría responds with irony, recalling the episode involving the late Juanito, who once stamped on Matthäus's face during a Bayern-Real Madrid match. Uría considers the comments uncalled for: they heat up a match that had no reason to be heated, since nothing out of the ordinary has happened between the two clubs recently. Only he knows what game he is playing, Uría concludes.