Lukas Podolski loves sumo
The former Arsenal forward talks Japan, sumo wrestling, kebabs and Mesut Ozil
How have you found playing in Japan since joining Vissel Kobe in 2017? It’s been a great experience so far. More than 300 people welcomed me at the airport when I arrived, and the league is better than I thought. I had several offers at the time, including from MLS teams, but I liked the way Vissel Kobe talked to me. They have an ambitious project which I found quite appealing, so I didn’t think twice.
What are your favourite things about living in Japan? The first thing I noticed was how clean the streets are – you can’t find a single piece of litter on the ground! I love the food in Japan and you can visit a lot of interesting places: I’ve already been to Tokyo, Kyoto, Osaka, Yokohama and Mount Fuji. If it wasn’t a 12-hour flight from Cologne, which I consider home, I’d think about staying in Japan once I’ve retired. The bullet trains make the travelling so much faster, too!
Can you go on the streets without being recognised? Well, I am recognised, because I don’t look like a typical Japanese person! But people give you more distance than in Europe. They understand you have your privacy and want to enjoy your free time.
You’ve posed with sumo wrestlers on Instagram. Do you think you would make a good sumo yourself? I will put on a kimono and give it a try! I haven’t wrestled yet, but I plan on doing it soon. I love sumo – it’s my new passion. I go to different tournaments. Maybe it looks funny on TV, but when you watch it in person, it’s real fighting and it’s great. I highly recommend it to anyone. Go and watch it live and you’ll know what I’m talking about.
You’re Andres Iniesta’s captain at Vissel Kobe – what’s it like to have the chance to boss a legend around? I’m not his boss! [Laughs] I’m not going to start telling Andres Iniesta, ‘Hey, I’m the boss here – do what I ask you’. Let’s be serious! I have so much respect for him; it’s fantastic to have Iniesta on our team. David Villa has arrived this season and we link up well. It isn’t easy, though, because the opposition never says, ‘They have Podolski, Iniesta and Villa, so we have no chance’. They want to beat us. What do you plan to do at the end of the season, when your contract is up? I still have time to make a decision. Soon I’ll start negotiations with Vissel Kobe; the rest depends on other offers. If someone calls my manager and it’s interesting, then I might consider it.
So, you don’t want to retire just yet? No, I want to keep playing. If Vissel tell me, ‘Hey, thank you, but that’s enough’, and no one else will hire me, then I’ll retire, but I’m hoping that’s not the case. I could stay in Japan, go back to Europe or go to MLS. Gornik Zabrze are another option. They’re a Polish club I supported as a kid, and I’ve said many times that I would like to end my career there.
We saw that you opened a kebab shop in Germany – how’s that going? It’s going great – so great that I opened a second one, both in my home town of Cologne! The food is very good, and so is business.
Do you still follow Arsenal’s results? Yes, every club I played for. I check the results on my phone, watch games and stay in touch with former team-mates. How do you reflect on your playing career with Arsenal? It was an incredible three years, and I really mean that. I loved my time at Arsenal. We won a couple of FA Cups after a long break and I can remember travelling through the London streets on an open-top bus. My relationship with the fans was good, so I know I can always go back there. They’ll probably say, ‘Hey, Podolski, come over and have a beer with us!’ I left a bit of my heart at Arsenal. It’s the same with Cologne and Galatasaray. I never burned any bridges – quite the opposite, in fact.
Are you still in contact with Mesut Ozil? Can he get back to his best form? Mesut’s a good friend of mine, and a top player who can make the difference on the pitch. He can get Arsenal back into the Champions League places. They’re definitely better with him in the starting line-up – he’s got that eye for a special pass. They have to finish in the top four. For a club of Arsenal’s size, there’s no excuse for going three seasons in a row without Champions League qualification – they need Ozil to help them.