- The 39-year-old forward has won a number of major honors at top flight clubs
- His testimony was watched by 50,000 fans at his youth side’s ground
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A former Arsenal star bid a tearful farewell to his 21-year playing career after the final whistle of a testimonial match at his boyhood club.
The 39-year-old enjoyed two trophy-laden decades during which he played for a host of top clubs, including the Premier League bigwigs, and won the Bundesliga, FA Cup and 2014 World Cup with Germany a decade ago.
Emotions were running high as Lukas Podolski returned to Cologne on Thursday evening, whose youth academy he joined in 2003 and where he made 81 appearances before making his first big move to Bayern Munich.
After scoring for both Team Poldi and a Cologne XI on the farewell evening, the forward took the microphone to deliver a farewell speech in which the player pledged his lifelong loyalty to the side.
“It’s over now on the field, but we will definitely see each other again off the field, both in the stands and on the road,” Podolski said.
Lukas Podolski said a tearful farewell to the Cologne fans in Germany on Thursday evening
The striker returned to his boyhood club to play a testimonial, where he scored for both sides
After spells at Cologne and Bayern Munich, Podolski (middle of the photo) joined Arsenal in 2012
‘Once a Cologne fan, always a Cologne fan.
“It touches me enormously that so many fans would like to come and enjoy this special evening with me,” he told the 50,000-strong audience. ‘It is an honor for me to be able to wear the buck on my chest once again in front of a packed audience.
‘It is a final declaration of love to this special city, the club with its fantastic fans, my teammates for so many years and other people who have guided my path.’
A host of famous faces took part in the testimonial, including former Germany number 1 Manuel Neuer, Mats Hummels, Per Mertesacker, Barcelona head coach Hansi Flick and former national team coach Joachim Low.
After two years in Bavaria, Podolski returned to Cologne before moving to Arsenal in 2012.
A move to Inter Milan and spells at Galatasaray, Vissel Kobe and Antalyaspor followed, before the Polish-born forward ended his career at Gornik Zabrze.
Among the more than 50,000 fans, Podolski waved a flare and celebrated like one of them
The Germany international won the 2014 World Cup and is the third most capped player in his country’s history
Podolski’s side career was an eye-wateringly lucrative kebab empire worth £180 million
Podolski had previously retired from the national team in 2017 and he remains the third most capped player in German history.
Outside of football, Podolski has diligently made a name for himself in another field.
Mail Sport met with Podolski in June to discuss his £180m kebab empire, where the entrepreneur discussed building his business and possible plans for club ownership – with Gornik Zabrze at the top of his list.