World champion with Germany in 2014, Lukas Podolski had never played for Polish side Górnik Zabrze.
He joined his boyhood club in 2021, already a veteran after spells with Cologne, Bayern, Arsenal and Galatasaray, among others.
And now he can even start thinking about retirement, fully fulfilled on the pitch.
His Górnik Zabrze won the Polish Cup this Saturday (2) by beating Rakow 2-0 — goals by Massimo (32′) and Khlan (65′).
It ended a drought that had lasted since 1988, the year the club last won the domestic league and then the domestic Super Cup.Â
It had been 38 years without celebrating a single trophy.
He has already played more than 100 matches there
Born in the Polish city of Gliwice, Podolski came through at Cologne — the club he had two spells with.
He also played for — besides the teams already mentioned — Inter Milan, Vissel Kobe and Turkish side Antalyaspor.
He has made 131 appearances for Górnik Zabrze. He has scored 25 goals and provided 22 assists.
This season, he has played 14 matches without scoring or setting up a goal.
He came off the bench in the 90th minute in Saturday’s match, put on the captain’s armband and helped lift the long-awaited trophy.Â
Naturalized as a German citizen, he also played in the 2006 and 2010 World Cups before his triumph in Brazil. He scored 49 goals in 130 matches for the Nationalelf.
Featured photo: Reproduction
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