Lukas Podolski answers your posers about the World Cup, kebabs and breaking arms
Several people have been injured by my shots. I broke three or four friends’ arms when I was a teenager, but I didn’t apologise
As Fourfourtwo perches in the bar of a Kobe hotel with Lukas Podolski on this lazy Sunday afternoon, we inform him that the most common request we received from readers for this interview was to ask how his Cologne kebab shop is going.
The former FC Köln, Bayern Munich, Arsenal, Inter Milan and Galatasaray man gladly updates us. “Very well,” he says with a grin. “We have five shops in and around Cologne, including three ice cream shops. My favourite flavour is strawberry and pistachio.
“I played in Turkey and already had a lot of Turkish friends in the city. We make everything fresh: the bread, the meat and the sauces, too. My name is behind it all, so I take care of it.
“People will always want kebabs and ice cream – that’s why I started this business. It’s hard work for the people involved, but easier than a restaurant with lots of seats and staff.”
Podolski likes to keep himself busy – after winning the Emperor’s Cup, Vissel Kobe’s first- ever trophy in January, the German returned to Turkey to play for Antalyaspor. However, the 34- year- old is relaxed, forthright and friendly as he tackles your questions – some of them, not about kebabs...
Given that your mum, Krystyna, was part of the Polish national handball team, was that a sport you seriously considered playing?
Christian Phoenix, London
No, not really. Mum played at a really high level, but I don’t remember those days much as I was too young. When I got older, I would throw an apple to mum and say, “Show me how good you are at handball”. She would catch it easily. She had great hands. Also, my dad was a professional footballer in Poland. Everything I have comes from my parents.
You were a big fan of Gornik Zabrze as a kid – what does the club mean to you? And, after moving to Germany as a child, did you still feel a strong attachment to Poland?
Jan Symanski, Zabrze
Of course. I have a big family in Poland and will always feel something for my country. I was born there, and we used to go back there for our holidays. I feel a connection to my country, my city and to my club, Gornik. I played on the streets around the ground – it was the first club I knew, and the club that my family supports. I still support Gornik these days, too.
Do you think you were a born striker with great goalscoring instincts, or did you have to train a lot to improve that side of your game?
Lukas Vrablik, via Instagram
That’s hard to say, really. Maybe I had something inside my head, an instinct. You have to be lucky to be born with some talent, but you also have to work to grow up well.
I was brought up in a neighbourhood in Cologne with tower blocks and a lot of foreign players – we played 6 vs 6. When I was 10, I was already playing with 35- year- old guys who had two kids at home. I was a street footballer with a lot of scary friends from Turkey, Albania and Morocco. We’d play rival teams in tournaments from the other tower blocks – and even buy a trophy. I remember they would say, “Oh f** k, Lukas’ team is coming...”
I learned a fighting spirit, and I think that’s now missing for young players today. They have a nice dressing room; they’re picked up from home; they get help to have a s** t. It’s a problem, this culture, because you have to learn to fight for something; to be alone and think how hard everything will be. With my friends, I learned to fight for things. With my dad, I improved my left foot.
Why did Poland coach Pawel Janas reject you for a call- up in 2003? Did you feel the same affection wearing Germany’s shirt as you would have had wearing Poland’s?
Daniel Adams, via Facebook
The Polish football federation called me and sent over a shirt with No. 10 and my name on the back – but it was too late. There was a rule that if you had played for one country, then you couldn’t play for another. I told them, “You’re calling me now, when you see I’m in the Bundesliga with Köln – why didn’t you call me before?” I’d played for Germany at every level from the under- 15s to under- 21s. I had a very good connection with them, and the federation helped me a lot. I decided to play for them, and I think I made the right decision.
You were relegated twice with Köln early in your career but kept scoring goals, at a very young age, and kept your place in the Germany squad as a second- tier player. What were your feelings at that time?
James Green, via email
Mixed, of course. I was very young for the first relegation – only 18. I didn’t realise how serious the situation was,
because I had so many great feelings just to be playing for Köln. I was in the Bundesliga and scoring. The second relegation [ in 2005- 06] was harder but I had been called up for the German national team, so things were mixed. Yet we still had attendances of 50,000 in the second division, and over 20,000 fans went to Arsenal in 2017. I nearly cried when I saw that: it was fantastic when we took over north London, even though most fans didn’t have tickets.
We – and I call FC Köln ‘ we’ – had all sorts of issues going on, with different managers and plans for a brand new stadium and training ground. Cologne is the fourth- biggest city in Germany; the club is a historic one with amazing history. I don’t say we have to win the Champions League every year, but the Europa League should be realistic. We don’t want someone coming in from abroad and putting in loads of money, like at other clubs. We don’t want a big company paying for everything. But we should be better.
You came on in Germany’s 2- 1 defeat to the Czech Republic at Euro 2004, seen as German football’s low point. What was it like to be in that squad?
Justin Browning, Rotherham
More mixed feelings. I was happy to be in the squad for my first tournament, training with guys like Oliver Kahn, but we got knocked out in the group stage and that was s** t. Maybe it was a good thing, because a couple of years later the German national team completely changed – and it needed to.
A home tournament, finishing third, and you’re named Best Young Player – how good was the 2006 World Cup?
Matthew Edwards, Dunstable
It was one of the greatest World Cups ever: the weather, the atmosphere, the stadiums, the fan zones, the sell- out crowds, all the flags across Germany... and I beat Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo to that award. I was so happy, especially when I scored both goals in our last- 16 win over Sweden.
Where were you for that brawl after the penalty shootout with Argentina?
Christopher Gannon, via email
I was there – I fought. [ Laughs] There was a fight and our security guard got
REMEMBER “MANCHESTER ELTON JOHN CITY MET ME IN USED TO MUNICH BE THEIR – BUT I WANTED TO PLAY OWN FOR KÖLN IN MY HOME CITY AGAIN”
punched. I don’t run away from those situations – I’m there when you need me. I’m not quite sure what happened, but I was in the middle of it. It wasn’t like today where cameras are filming everything. I was lucky!
The semi- final against Italy is one of the best games I have ever seen. What was it like to play in, and how devastating was it when Italy won in the dying moments of extra time?
Clayton Elliott, Shrewsbury
Losing was hard, but that’s just sport sometimes. The semi- final was played in Dortmund with 80,000 German fans. I had a great chance which Gigi Buffon saved, but to get to the semi- final after 2004 was brilliant, even if it was hard to lose. Italy had a strong team, with Del Piero, Pirlo, Zambrotta, Cannavaro, Buffon and many others. [ FFT: Would you have won with Jogi Löw in charge?] No. Jurgen Klinsmann did a fantastic job and Löw was his assistant. Jurgen energised the team, giving really good speeches. We had a great squad with a nice mix of old and young characters. I enjoyed playing in it.
How special was your relationship with Miroslav Klose [ below, right]? Why did you work so well together?
Angus Mccarthy, Cork Klose doesn’t get enough credit for what he did with Germany. He’s a humble guy who doesn’t like to talk a lot, do interviews or drive a Lamborghini, so that means he was never part of the voting for the Ballon d’or. He was a great player and I built a fine relationship with him, on and off the pitch. We played so well together for Germany.
How did it feel to face Poland at the 2006 World Cup and then score twice against them at Euro 2008?
Sam Fallows, via Instagram
Maybe I was lucky there wasn’t social media like today. I didn’t get a terrible reaction beyond a few writers saying, “You’ve kicked out your home country”. That was a special moment for me, to play against Poland, but the Polish people know I always do my
best for whoever I play for.
Do you have any regrets regarding your time at Bayern Munich? Is it true that Liverpool wanted you when you left in 2009?
@ Zar_ Kopite, via Twitter
It wasn’t Liverpool; it was Manchester City around then.
I met them in a hotel in Munich. I had other offers, from Germany and other countries, and could have earned more money, but I wanted to play for Köln again. I don’t like the way people talk about my time at Bayern. It was a nice experience. I was young, I played with top players, I scored lots of goals and I got plenty of assists.
You scored two great goals against Bolton in the 2007- 08 UEFA Cup, but they battled back to draw 2- 2 – why weren’t Bayern Munich able to beat the mighty Trotters that night?
Dennis Walker, Chorley
We were Bayern Munich and playing UEFA Cup football, which is a surprise for the best team in Germany. And we didn’t even get to the final that year! I can’t remember this match against Bolton. Maybe they made an offer for me after the game. [ Laughs]
Were you headbutted by David Silva in the Euro 2008 Final?
Martine Wickham, via email
I don’t remember. We lost to Croatia in the group, which was a shock, but we came back to reach the final against Spain. We lost 1- 0 through a Fernando Torres goal. There’s little more to say about that game, but we were getting better. Our time would come.
I was at your comeback match for Köln after you returned from Bayern, and the welcome you received from the fans was incredible. Why did you decide to return? Is it true Michael Schumacher helped to buy you back?
Andy Broome, Sheffield
I don’t know what happened behind closed doors regarding the money for my transfer. I didn’t feel that I’d failed at all in Munich, but I had to go back to my home city – I felt it in my heart. The reaction was amazing when I did, with 25,000 people at the first training session. There was pressure and people thought we could win the Bundesliga title, but while the club had promised to build a team around me and bring players in – something which attracted me – it was bulls** t. My parents lived in Cologne, though, so that was nice. Dad went to see every game, but mum was too nervous.
Why did you slap Michael Ballack in a 2009 match against Wales? Did he kill you afterwards?
Omar Alasmar, via Facebook
Nobody can kill me. We had a fight on the pitch, but these things happen. We spoke about the situation afterwards and then shook hands. It was a really big deal for the German media, but not for Michael and I.
Were England a bit unlucky against Germany in the last 16 of the 2010 World Cup? What did you think when Frank Lampard’s ‘ goal’ to make it 2- 2 wasn’t given by the officials?
Tom Bunting, via Facebook
It wasn’t a goal! OK, maybe England were unlucky because the goal wasn’t given, but we were the better team on the day. We won 4- 1, and although we didn’t dominate, we were better. I was on the left, Thomas Muller was on the right, and Miroslav Klose was upfront with Mesut Özil behind him. We had an excellent team. I can’t remember ever losing to England… [ In fact, he played in friendly defeats to the Three Lions in both November 2008 and March 2016]
When Germany thrashed Argentina 4- 0 in the quarter- finals of the 2010 World Cup, was that the team’s best performance during your time in the national setup? And did anyone get the chance to see Diego Maradona after the game?
Rowan White, Madrid
That wasn’t the best performance, no – we had a lot of games where we were excellent. I played for almost 13 years in the national team, with 130 games, so I have a lot to choose from. I saw so much in those years; so many grounds and different countries.
I loved meeting people and visiting different cities, but I didn’t get to meet Maradona after that match. I think he was crazy mad afterwards, and I don’t blame him – it wasn’t the right time to go into the dressing room! I did swap shirts with Messi, though, and I later got to meet Maradona in Munich when we played Argentina in a 2010 friendly. I got a signed shirt for my son, because he asked for one.
Germany topped the Group of Death at Euro 2012, beating Portugal, the Netherlands and Denmark, but still didn’t go on to win the tournament as Italy beat you in the semi- final. How disappointing was that?
Sean Wilkinson, Stevenage
It was really disappointing, and every game was like a final, but sometimes in a tournament you have to be a little lucky. It’s not always the best teams or the favourites who end up winning the cup. Two years later at the World Cup in Brazil, we won the biggest cup. We went from silver to gold.
How did your move to Arsenal come about? You’d just suffered relegation with Köln – did you consider staying with them?
Chris Kelly, St Albans
I was on the phone with the manager, Arsene Wenger, and he made me an offer. We spoke half in English and half in German; he started the conversation in German. I was thinking of staying at Köln with friends and family, but they told me to leave and play for a great manager at a great club, so I decided to move. And I helped my club in doing so, because they got £ 15 million for me – a lot of money back then, especially as they’d just been relegated.
How do you reflect on your Arsenal spell? How did it feel to come back from winning the World Cup, only to struggle for minutes at club level?
Matt Holder, via Instagram
I didn’t get enough game time; I felt that I performed well and didn’t get
who can only improve your team. He’s polite and determined. He brought a whole new dynamic into our dressing room, guiding his colleagues and encouraging them to run until the very last drop of sweat. He was to Sporting what Ronaldo was to Real Madrid: the complete package.”
It hasn’t taken long for Manchester United fans to find this out for themselves. Having bedded himself in with February’s goalless draw against Wolves, Fernandes set about injecting some much- needed creativity into Ole Gunnar Solskjaer’s midfield with a goal or assist in each of his next four Premier League matches, culminating in the clever free- kick which teed up Anthony Martial to sink Manchester City in March’s derby victory.
Almost immediately, Fernandes played a major role as United began to turn around a season that seemed lost. The 25- year- old’s impact hasn’t gone unnoticed in the stands: impressed supporters swiftly made a chant calling him their “Portuguese magnifico” and mentioning Ronaldo, his idolised forebear.
The No. 18 has adjusted to life in England much faster than he might have anticipated – to the extent that in his first Manchester derby, Fernandes was sufficiently confident to put a finger on his lips in Pep Guardiola’s direction during a touchline row. You can’t say he doesn’t know how to work a crowd.
Solskjaer in particular [ below] has been full of praise for the Portugal international. The Norwegian has described him as “a mix of