Short answers, pulled from the story.
Lukas Podolski earned 130 caps for Germany, making him the fourth most-capped player in German history. He scored 49 international goals, placing him third on the all-time Germany scoring list.
Podolski scored after just eight seconds against Ecuador on the 29th of May 2013, setting the record for the fastest goal in Germany national team history. That record was broken eleven years later by Florian Wirtz, who scored in seven seconds against France.
Podolski was born on the 4th of June 1985 in Gliwice, a Silesian city in Poland. His family emigrated to West Germany in 1987 when he was two, receiving Aussiedler status because his paternal grandparents had held German citizenship prior to World War Two.
Podolski played for FC 07 Bergheim, 1. FC Koln, Bayern Munich, Arsenal, Inter Milan (on loan), Galatasaray, Vissel Kobe, Antalyaspor, and Gornik Zabrze, where he retired in 2026. He also became Gornik's majority owner after buying 86% of the club's shares in May 2026.
Yes, Podolski was part of the Germany squad that won the 2014 FIFA World Cup in Brazil. He also helped Germany finish third at the 2006 and 2010 World Cups.
Podolski was named the Best Young Player at the 2006 FIFA World Cup, ahead of Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo. He scored three goals at the tournament, tying for second place behind Golden Boot winner Miroslav Klose.