ON Wednesday night, as Germany and England do battle once again, the fans in Dortmund will get to say goodbye to an international hero, but a player that never quite hit the heights at club level.
Football Whispers looks back at the career of Arsenal cult-hero Lukas Podolski and wonder if his club appearances ever quite matched his international exploits.
Against Gareth Southgate’s team, Podolski will take the field for the 2014 World Champions for the 130th time, 13 years since Rudi Völler handed him his debut in a friendly against Thailand.
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He scored twice in that 5-1 victory and as the curtain falls on his international career, he will have one more chance to add to his 48 goals for Die Mannschaft.
“It’s sensational, you can’t ask for more,” said Podolski, who will join Japan’s Vissel Kobe next season. Joachim Löw, as a sign of respect, will hand the former FC Koln and Arsenal striker the armband for his final match.
“My final appearance will be a lovely, but also a sad moment for me. I’m pleased I will get a chance to say goodbye to the fans.”
The 31-year-old left Arsenal in 2015, joining Galatasaray in Turkey, since then, his international career has been on the slide, playing just 45 minutes over four appearances.
His last game came at Euro 2016, featuring off the bench as Germany beat Slovakia 3-0 in the last 16. Since the summer tournament, he’s not been called into Löw’s squad.
It is a very kind gesture from the national team to give the player a proper send off. Forget his failure to really impress at club level, although he won’t be mentioned in the same vain as Jurgen Klinsmann or Gerd Muller, he will be remembered as being a vital part in Germany’s resurgence after Euro 2004.
A key part of Klinsmann’s World Cup 2006 squad on home soil, his direct style and pace was crucial in reaching the semi-finals, scoring against Ecuador and Sweden.
He added another three, two against Poland – the country of his birth and then against Croatia, as Germany went a step further at Euro 2008, losing 1-0 to Spain in the final.
The Spanish were the enemy again as they dropped out of the 2010 World Cup in South Africa, but Poldi found the net against Australian and Wednesday’s opponent, England in that famous 4-1 win.
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When Podolski does hang up his boots, he will do it with his World Cup winners medal proudly on display.
“You don’t believe it [when you hold the trophy aloft],” he told Arsenal’s official website. “I think you believe it when you stop playing football.”
“As a child, you looked at other World Cups and the players who won it. Now we [have done it], and that’s special and amazing. You don’t have words for it.”
Yet, there must be pangs of disappointment to only play 53 minutes of the competition, failing to feature in the knockout stage. And that is something of a pattern that has followed most of his club career.
He is now fourth in Germany’s all-time goal-scoring charts, with 19 of his 48 strikes coming during friendlies. Only nine times did he find the net at an international tournament.
Podolski has only ever lifted one league title during his career, but as Bayern Munich were crowned champions in 2008, the striker had started just eight times, scoring five.
Although he found the net three times during Arsenal’s 2014 FA Cup run, he scored twice against Coventry in the fourth round and the other in a 2-1 win over Liverpool at the Emirates. Failing to feature against Everton and subbed off in the wins over Wigan and then Hull City in the final.
"He is a unique specimen, no one can really replace him," Löw told reporters this week. "For me it will be a beautiful moment but a sad one because he was one of the greatest players ever to come out of Germany.
"We have gone over many hurdles, many tournaments, disappointments but also the biggest joy as coach and player with the World Cup victory in 2014. So the stage tomorrow is appropriate. Germany against England is the right atmosphere."
Despite his failings, he scored 31 goals in 82 games for Arsenal and remains a cult hero for Gunners fans. His first strike came against Liverpool and for a few weeks, they believed that perhaps he could replace Robin van Persie.
Loveable off the pitch too, his fun-loving nature will be remembered as fondly as his stunning strikes against West Ham United and Montpellier.
A very good player on his day, Arsenal was the perfect club for Podolski. Good, sometimes great, but always just on the edge of being brilliant.
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