Lukas Podolski certainly imagined it differently. The farewell gala for the former world champion was not as carefree as planned. The police were called upon.
Festive atmosphere in the stadium, hunting scenes in the city – overshadowed by a momentous clash between fan groups, Lukas Podoloski played for the last time in the stadium of his favorite club, 1. FC Köln. Before the 39-year-old, revered as a cult figure in the cathedral city, is expected to end his professional career next summer, he celebrated another football gala with a lot of celebrities at his former place of work.
However, the festive mood was marred by hunting scenes in the pedestrian zone, in which a 32-year-old Polish fan was critically injured with a knife. According to initial findings, the guests from Poland clashed with another group of young men on the way to the stadium for reasons that are still unclear. A person suspected of being involved in the crime was arrested, the police and public prosecutor’s office said. The 17-year-old had blood on his clothes. The perpetrator is being searched for.
Numerous world champions at the gala for Lukas Podolski
In addition, police officers were attacked by another group of Polish fans. Nine emergency services were injured, mainly by bottles being thrown.
The riots in the city did not match the good atmosphere in the stadium, which was sold out with 50,000 spectators. Numerous 2014 world champions, former teammates from Podolski’s time in Cologne, current FC professionals and teammates from his current club Gornik Zabrze competed in the game. The star of the evening led a specially assembled team with Manuel Neuer, Per Mertesacker, Benedikt Höwedes, Roman Weidenfeller, Ron-Robert Zieler, Matthias Ginter and Erik Durm. The opponents featured FC legends such as Matthias Scherz, Lukas Sinkiewicz, Marcel Risse, Simon Terodde and Patrick Helmes.
The most prominent face on the sidelines was Jogi Löw. “Poldi was one of the best strikers we had in Germany. And one of the most popular of all time,” enthused the former national coach on the TV channel ProSieben.
In keeping with the attacker’s long-standing shirt number, the so-called thank you game had the motto “Our 10 is returning home”. In the 4th minute, Podolski confirmed his reputation as a powerful left-footed player and hit the goal with a big bang. Shortly after he changed teams in the second half, he scored a penalty in the FC jersey.
When he was substituted at 10:10 p.m., the game was interrupted for several minutes and Podolski celebrated with local songs. He also impressed as the lead singer for the south stand.
Podolski is considering joining FC
Podolski played a total of 181 games for Cologne from 2003 to 2006 and from 2009 to 2012 and scored 86 goals. He also played for FC Bayern, Arsenal FC and Galatasaray Istanbul, among others.
It cannot be ruled out that Podolski will return to FC in a different role after his active career. The idea of using the FC legend’s potential in the club has been around for years. The intensified contact between the club’s management and the veteran when organizing the farewell game could accelerate the process.
Farewell game in Cologne
Prince Poldi’s (almost) last game – his football career in pictures
Podolski says he is thinking about joining the Cologne team. “We are in good and constructive discussions about how I could contribute to FC after my active career,” he was quoted as saying on the FC homepage the day before the game.
Source: Stern
I am an author and journalist who has worked in the entertainment industry for over a decade. I currently work as a news editor at a major news website, and my focus is on covering the latest trends in entertainment. I also write occasional pieces for other outlets, and have authored two books about the entertainment industry.
