The next DFB world champion from 2014 is ending his career: Lukas Podolski has announced that he will play his last game on Saturday.
“A chapter ends, a new era begins”Podolski and his Polish club Gornik Zabrze said on Instagram. In a video clip, the offensive player packs his things and reflects on his career. “So, closing time”he says at the end. Then he closes a door that says six languages “Thank you football” stands. Gornik Zabrze’s last league game against Radomiak Radom is on Saturday, and Podolski should be honored.
The 40-year-old looks back on an impressive career that included the World Cup crowning in Brazil. Trained in the youth ranks of 1. FC Köln, Podolski made his professional debut in 2003, and the Polish-born striker quickly became a cult figure at FC. In total he scored 86 goals in 181 competitive games. It wasn’t just his quota that helped Podolski, but also his cheeky, self-confident demeanor and his openly communicated love for the club from the cathedral city. “I always wanted to be honest, the boy from the street”he once said about his inimitable style.
When “Poldi” and “Schweini” enchanted Germany
In June 2004, Podolski made his debut for the German senior national team. Together with his friend Bastian Schweinsteiger, he shaped the DFB team in the coming years; the duo “Poldi” and “Schweini” represented a new style and fresh appearances for the German selection. In the 2006 “Summer Fairy Tale” the two became the German faces of the World Cup, in which the DFB team came third. In total, Podolski played 130 international matches and scored 49 goals.
“He’s a bit like Cologne: entertaining, never boring, always carrying a positive attitude towards life with him. That’s how he infected everyone else and pulled him along.”said former national coach Joachim Löw about Podolski on the TV channel “ProSieben”. “And he was approachable, down-to-earth with an incredible empathy for the people, for the fans.”
At club level, Podolski moved to FC Bayern Munich. With the German record champions he celebrated the double of the championship and DFB Cup victory in 2008. A return to Cologne was followed by stints at Arsenal FCInter Milan, Galatasaray Istanbul, Vissel Kobe in Japan, Antalyaspor and finally Zabrze. Podolski is also known for his spectacular goals: he is still the record winner of the “Goal of the Month” award, having received the award 13 times.
From player to owner of Gornik Zabrze
After moving to his youth club, the footballer helped the club from his country of birth advance on many levels – sportingly, structurally and through his network. In December last year, he acquired the property in nearby Poland Gliwice born footballer shares Gornik Zabrze and thus became the second largest shareholder.
“I also really enjoy working off the pitch. I’m 40 now, so my priorities have shifted. The club has enabled me to get a taste of many areas.”Podolski had already emphasized in an interview last year. On Thursday, the Zabrze city council unanimously approved the proposal to sell 86 percent of the shares in Gornik to Podolski. Accordingly, the sales price is the equivalent of 940,000 euros. “Now I’ll buy the rest”said Podolski.
The former German international is committed to financing the club with which he just won the Polish Cup in the coming years. The privatization agreement stipulates that the owner must contribute the equivalent of almost three million euros in the coming years. This passage enabled the sales price to be reduced.
Entrepreneur and joker Podolski
In addition to football, the DFB legend has already built up other mainstays. Together with Mats Hummels he founded an indoor league. Podolski also owns several kebab shops and ice cream parlors in North Rhine-Westphalia. His projects also include a soccer hall and his own fashion label.
Some of his sayings also made Podolski a cult footballer in Germany. An example: “That’s football. Sometimes the better player wins.” Or his appearance at a press conference when, after a scene from a previous game in which former national coach Joachim Löw had grabbed his pants, he said: “80 percent of you and I scratch your balls sometimes.”