01/04
A high-flyer who always keeps his feet on the ground
Lukas Podolski
Lukas Podolski is known for his cheerful nature and his dangerous left foot. But what really sets him apart is his honesty, modesty and his firm belief in the values that were once part and parcel of his sport. He has made a career as a professional footballer.
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02/04
A straightforward guy
Lukas Podolski
Lukas Podolski is not known for trying to put a shine on things. He says what he means and means what he says. Hand on heart.
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03/04
Family, home, faith
Lukas Podolski
If Lukas Podolski were only allowed to ask two questions they would be first whether his family were all healthy and second whether the ball was pumped up. Regardless of whether it’s for Arsenal in the Premier League or for Germany, if you play with that amount of passion, practically every match is a home game.
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04/04
Business as unusual
Lukas Podolski
It’s a fact that footballers care a lot about their appearance. When you always wear the same colours as at least nine others on the pitch, you seem to develop a penchant for a certain outfit. Podolski likes to keep it casual, wears what suits him and only promotes products that fit with his image. And he is also proud of the colours he wears on the pitch.
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LUKAS PODOLSKI
A high-flyer who always keeps his feet on the ground
Lukas Podolski is known for his cheerful nature and his dangerous left foot. But what really sets him apart is his honesty, modesty and his firm belief in the values that were once part and parcel of his sport. He has made a career as a professional footballer. Following his own path – without ever losing sight of the important things in life. And never turning his back on his family, home or friends.
Playing more than 100 internationals for Germany has surely contributed to the fact that 98% of football enthusiasts in the country know who he is – and more than 80% find him to be a likeable fellow. 20 million Google hits and more than 1.7 million Facebook fans says it all.
Today, Podolski is plying his trade in the UK. Driving on the left and the strange accents of his British colleagues are not a problem. The environment, the city and the training conditions at a top club in the Premier League leave nothing to be desired – and the club colours are not a problem either for the ex-Cologne player.
Lukas Podolski
A straightforward guy
Lukas Podolski is not known for trying to put a shine on things. He says what he means and means what he says. Hand on heart.
Anyone who spends his life in the spotlight and is often asked for his opinions needs to have values. If you are a role model for others, you need orientation in your own life. As an international football player you are constantly gathering new impressions, experiencing new cultures and learning new languages – and also values.
Lukas Podolski is not the kind of guy who changes like the wind. He stands by the values that his parents instilled in him as a child. Lukas Podolski could never forget his origins and where his roots are. To be sure, much in his life has changed: he now enjoys many privileges and, it could be said, his life is easier. But Lukas Podolski remains true to himself.
Lukas Podolski
Family, home, faith
If Lukas Podolski were only allowed to ask two questions they would be first whether his family were all healthy and second whether the ball was pumped up. Regardless of whether it’s for Arsenal in the Premier League or for Germany, if you play with that amount of passion, practically every match is a home game.
When Podolski returned to Cologne in early 2009, 21,000 people turned up to watch the first public training session. The session had to be moved from the Geißbockheim training ground to the RheinEnergieStadion. After three years at Bayern Munich, he decided to turn his back on more lucrative offers to return to his home town. The ‘Prince’ wanted to come home and play for the club where he signed his first professional contract as a 17-year-old in November 2003. It’s a decision that many saw as taking a sporting step backwards. But Lukas Podolski was acting on his convictions. Following his return to the Rhine, he managed to score 33 goals in 88 games and has also been team captain of 1. FC Köln.
And it is convictions such as these that make Lukas Podolski so unique in the footballing world. Authentic stories give rise to strong brands. And Prince Poldi’s story is certainly a fascinating story ...
When Cologne finally took the drop into the second division two seasons later, he decided to leave the club of his youth for a second time and make the switch to England.
LUKAS PODOLSKI
Business as unusual
It’s a fact that footballers care a lot about their appearance. When you always wear the same colours as at least nine others on the pitch, you seem to develop a penchant for a certain outfit. Podolski likes to keep it casual, wears what suits him and only promotes products that fit with his image. And he is also proud of the colours he wears on the pitch.
But Lukas Podolski also has other sides. He always wears the right thing for the occasion. No longer the short trousers of his youth. Today, professional sportsmen have to live up to quite different expectations. So although he would rather be designing his own T-shirts, Lukas Podolski is more than accustomed to making a good impression in cloth of the finest cut – and not only on his ‘business trips’ to Champions League games.