Lukas Podolski
Lukas Josef Podolski was born on the 4th of June 1985 in the Silesian industrial city of Gliwice near Katowice. His father Waldemar played football while his mother Krystyna represented Poland in handball. The family moved from Poland to West Germany in 1987 when Lukas was two years old. They received Aussiedler status because his paternal grandparents held German citizenship before World War II. Gliwice had been part of Germany until 1945 as Gleiwitz.
Podolski grew up in Bergheim and later Pulheim, both located near Cologne. He began playing football at age six with FC 07 Bergheim. At ten he joined 1. FC Köln where scouts first noticed his talent. By 2003 he was still part of the club's youth side despite being eighteen. The club faced relegation battles that year under coach Marcel Koller who worked with a shoestring budget.
Marcel Koller invited Podolski to train with senior players during the 2003 season. He made his top flight debut on the 22nd of November 2003 against an unnamed opponent. Köln failed to avoid dropping to the second division but Podolski scored ten goals in his first nineteen senior appearances. This record stood as the best tally by an eighteen-year-old in Bundesliga history until Florian Wirtz broke it in 2021.
He stayed at Köln through the 2004, 05 season helping them gain promotion. Podolski finished as the league's best scorer with twenty-four goals. He remained part of the Germany squad even while playing in the national second tier. The following season he managed twelve goals before Köln were relegated again. He chose not to stay for the 2006, 07 campaign as he became integral to the national team.
On the 1st of June 2006 Podolski announced a transfer agreement with Bayern Munich. Financial details remained unavailable though speculation placed the fee around €10 million. He made his Bundesliga debut on the 11th of August 2006 coming on as a substitute in an eighty-eighth minute victory over Borussia Dortmund. A week later he scored an equalizer just twenty-six seconds after entering a DFB-Pokal game versus FC St. Pauli.
Injuries hampered his early Bayern tenure when teammate Mark van Bommel caused a serious ankle injury during training on the 26th of October 2006. He missed more than five match weeks but returned to score against Alemannia Aachen. Coach Ottmar Hitzfeld preferred pairing Miroslav Klose and Luca Toni together reducing Podolski's playing time. Despite this Bayern won the league and cup double in 2008 giving him his first major silverware.
Podolski returned to 1. FC Köln on the 1st of July 2009 on a four-year contract for approximately €10 million. The club created a website allowing fans to buy pixels of his image for €25 per square to raise one million euros. Formula One driver Michael Schumacher purchased several pixels worth €875. His first season back was poor with only three goals scored including a free kick against his former club.
He reached his fiftieth Bundesliga goal in March 2011 against Hannover 96. During the 2011, 12 season he scored eighteen goals in twenty-nine appearances despite team relegation. Out of respect for his loyalty the club retired his number ten shirt while he remained active before reassigning it in 2014. He later signed for Arsenal in April 2012 after being linked throughout the winter transfer window.
Podolski started for Arsenal in a pre-season match against Köln on the 12th of August 2012 scoring twice in a forty-zero victory. He took the number nine jersey from Park Chu-Young and made his official debut against Sunderland on the 18th of August 2012. His first goal came on the 2nd of September in a two-zero win over Liverpool at Anfield. He provided an assist for Santi Cazorla's first Gunners goal that day.
In the 2013, 14 season he netted braces against Coventry City and Hull City helping Arsenal win the FA Cup. The final ended three-two after extra time ending a nine-year trophy drought. Podolski was substituted in the sixty-first minute as Hull led but his contributions earlier secured the title. He finished his first season with sixteen goals and eleven assists before speaking about his unhappiness with limited game time in November 2014.
Podolski scored the fastest goal in Germany national team history on the 29th of May 2013 lasting just nine seconds during a four-two friendly win over Ecuador. It stood as the second fastest international goal ever until surpassed by Davide Gualtieri's eight-point-three-second strike in 1993. He retired from international football on the 22nd of March 2017 scoring the winner as captain against England.
He earned one hundred thirty caps becoming the fourth most-capped player in German history while scoring forty-nine times. At Euro 2008 he scored both goals in a two-zero victory against Poland avoiding celebration to show respect for his birth country. In qualifying matches he once netted four goals in a thirteen-zero thrashing of San Marino making him one of only four Germans to score four in an international match.
Podolski founded the Lukas Podolski Foundation for Sport and Education to help socially disadvantaged children combat poverty and advance social inclusion. He serves as ambassador for Christian Children's Fund the Ark opening a community day care centre in Warsaw's Praga-Północ district in 2014. The facility runs under Arka Fundacja Dzieci sponsored by his foundation.
In April 2011 he married Monika Puchalska holding a church wedding in Kamionna Węgrów County Poland. They have three children including a son born on the 14th of April 2008 and a daughter born on the 6th of June 2016. The family resides in Katowice where Podolski owns an apartment in the Pierwsza Dzielnica neighborhood. He also operates an ice cream parlour and kebab shop in Cologne while judging Das Supertalent starting in 2021.
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Common questions
When and where was Lukas Podolski born?
Lukas Josef Podolski was born on the 4th of June 1985 in Gliwice, a Silesian industrial city near Katowice. His family moved from Poland to West Germany in 1987 when he was two years old.
What were Lukas Podolski's early football achievements with 1. FC Köln?
Podolski made his top flight debut for 1. FC Köln on the 22nd of November 2003 and scored ten goals in his first nineteen senior appearances. This record stood as the best tally by an eighteen-year-old in Bundesliga history until Florian Wirtz broke it in 2021.
How did Lukas Podolski perform during his time at Bayern Munich?
He joined Bayern Munich on the 1st of June 2006 and helped the club win the league and cup double in 2008. Despite injuries hampering his early tenure, he returned to score against Alemannia Aachen after missing more than five match weeks.
Why is Lukas Podolski famous for his international goal against Ecuador?
Podolski scored the fastest goal in Germany national team history on the 29th of May 2013 lasting just nine seconds during a four-two friendly win over Ecuador. It stood as the second fastest international goal ever until surpassed by Davide Gualtieri's eight-point-three-second strike in 1993.
What are the details of Lukas Podolski's family life and current activities?
He married Monika Puchalska in April 2011 and they have three children including a son born on the 14th of April 2008 and a daughter born on the 6th of June 2016. The family resides in Katowice where Podolski owns an apartment while operating an ice cream parlour and kebab shop in Cologne.