Lukas Podolski
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Lukas Josef Podolski (born on 4 June 1985) is a German professional footballer who plays as a midfielder, as number #10, for Ekstraklasa club Górnik Zabrze. He is regarded as one of the best German players of his generation, and among the best finishers in world football. Famed for his extremely powerful and accurate left foot, he is known for his explosive shot, technique and probing attacks from the left side.
He joined 1. FC Köln in 1995 where he made it into the first team in 2003 resulting in 81 appearances for the club before moving to Bayern München. With Bayern, Podolski won the Bundesliga and DFB-Pokal double in 2008. Podolski returned to 1. FC Köln in 2009. He later signed for Premier League club Arsenal F.C. in 2012, with whom he won the FA Cup in 2014. He then moved on loan to Serie A club Inter Milan in January 2015, before signing six months later for Galatasaray S.K. where he also won the Turkey Cup of 2016 with Galatasaray.
He moved to Vissel Kobe on 2nd March 2017 and scored his first J-League hat-trick in a 4-1 win over Júbilo Iwata on 8th December 2019. Podolski helped and inspired Vissel Kobe to win their first major trophy; 2019 Emperor's Cup with a 2-0 victory over Kashima Antlers.
Then he had a 1.5 year contract at Antalyaspor in the 2020/2021 season signing on 23rd January 2020.
He returned home to Poland by signing a contract with Górnik Zabrze on the 6th July 2021. He still remains there as he won an extension contract on the 19th Mary 2023 which, as of writing, ends in 2025.
Podolski was eligible to play for Germany and Poland. Podolski originally wanted to play for the Polish team but was rejected by then Polish coach Pawel Janas in 2003. Podolski enjoyed great success with the German national team . He was first capped by Germany in 2004 and has been part of the squad in all major tournaments since then, winning the 2014 FIFA World Cup. He is the third most-capped player in German history, with 130 caps, and the third-highest goalscorer in German history, having scored 49 times.
On 29 May 2013, Podolski scored the fastest goal in German national team history, after just nine seconds of the 4-2 friendly win over Ecuador. It was at that time the second fastest international goal in history, second only to San Marino's Davide Gualtieri's 8.3-second strike against England in 1993. Podolski retired from international football on 22 March 2017 after scoring the winner in a friendly against England.
He joined 1. FC Köln in 1995 where he made it into the first team in 2003 resulting in 81 appearances for the club before moving to Bayern München. With Bayern, Podolski won the Bundesliga and DFB-Pokal double in 2008. Podolski returned to 1. FC Köln in 2009. He later signed for Premier League club Arsenal F.C. in 2012, with whom he won the FA Cup in 2014. He then moved on loan to Serie A club Inter Milan in January 2015, before signing six months later for Galatasaray S.K. where he also won the Turkey Cup of 2016 with Galatasaray.
He moved to Vissel Kobe on 2nd March 2017 and scored his first J-League hat-trick in a 4-1 win over Júbilo Iwata on 8th December 2019. Podolski helped and inspired Vissel Kobe to win their first major trophy; 2019 Emperor's Cup with a 2-0 victory over Kashima Antlers.
Then he had a 1.5 year contract at Antalyaspor in the 2020/2021 season signing on 23rd January 2020.
He returned home to Poland by signing a contract with Górnik Zabrze on the 6th July 2021. He still remains there as he won an extension contract on the 19th Mary 2023 which, as of writing, ends in 2025.
Podolski was eligible to play for Germany and Poland. Podolski originally wanted to play for the Polish team but was rejected by then Polish coach Pawel Janas in 2003. Podolski enjoyed great success with the German national team . He was first capped by Germany in 2004 and has been part of the squad in all major tournaments since then, winning the 2014 FIFA World Cup. He is the third most-capped player in German history, with 130 caps, and the third-highest goalscorer in German history, having scored 49 times.
On 29 May 2013, Podolski scored the fastest goal in German national team history, after just nine seconds of the 4-2 friendly win over Ecuador. It was at that time the second fastest international goal in history, second only to San Marino's Davide Gualtieri's 8.3-second strike against England in 1993. Podolski retired from international football on 22 March 2017 after scoring the winner in a friendly against England.