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AT THE 2004 UEFA EUROPEAN CHAMPIONSHIP 297 PLAYERS TOOK TO THE FIELD.
Official YIFY movies site: YTS.BZ
TODAY, TWO OF THEM ARE STILL PROFESSIONAL FOOTBALL PLAYERS:
CRISTIANO RONALDO AND…
But honestly, I don't look 40, do I?
What do you think? Do I look 40?
Okay.
Is this shit running?
-Everything okay now? -Sound too?
I'm Lukas Podolski.
And we're shooting something awesome.
Documentaries are always the same. That's my impression.
They show the career.
Highlights, videos cut in.
Lukas Podolski, that's his position!
Eighty percent of us scratch our balls sometimes.
And therefore everything is fine.
Every now and then, something private is shown.
Mine, mine, mine…
Such a little baby.
Then all the coaches speak.
Jogi Löw, Thomas Müller, Toni Kroos, Bastian Schweinsteiger…
-Hello. -…Oliver Kahn.
Teammates.
Twenty-five cameras and then: talk.
-Left foot. -Left foot.
-Best left foot.
Podolski! Madness! I'm going crazy here!
-Power. -Assertiveness.
Mentally extremely stable.
Played well again. Podolski!
He could score goals from anywhere.
-World champion. -130 games.
A legend.
That's what makes a great player for me.
There will be nothing you don't already know.
That's always a bit boring, I would say.
Oh? Really?
-Alright. -I made time especially. Well then…
Too bad. I have a lot to say.
I think other people that have something to do with me should answer questions.
THE KIT MANAGER
Sure, family is important.
"Mrs Podolski, what a grandson you have!"
He said he can play for another five years.
THE FATHER
If he finds out, he'll kill me.
THE SISTER
I've heard a lot about your aunt.
Yeah, sure, I mean…
You can't go wrong with that.
And then the other aunt comes, "Why didn't you choose me?
Why only one aunt?"
THE ONE AUNT
Hello.
THE OTHER AUNT
Accompany me…
All for the film, for the doc. For a little drama.
Let's see what comes of it.
Full throttle.
Lukas Podolski!
-Positively nuts. -Always needs action.
That's just how he is.
There's no stopping me. You snooze, you lose.
BERGHEIM GERMANY
This is where I grew up.
-Camera rolling? -Rolling.
Okay, and action.
PARENTAL HOME
I think it's cool to say, let's do a family interview.
Where everyone sits together and talks. Because that's when the stories come out.
Why are you laughing?
"Oh, yeah, back then, that's right."
Black hair.
Beautiful pictures.
My family includes my mom, Krysia.
Aha, here.
-Show us. -Mom playing handball.
Number six. Here.
My dad, Waldemar.
Yes. Hey, hey.
-What is it? -Look here!
No! No, no, no, no.
That was when I became a pro. He was cheering.
-First pro contract. -Show me.
You can't show pictures like that.
My sister, Justina.
Podolski. All of them.
-My God, we were so young. -Jesus Christ. Gigolo!
Yes, we're a little mad.
Yes, positively crazy.
-Positively crazy. -Yes.
All four of us shared the same bath water.
A full tub, and not out and a new one in, or a shower, but…
-First one… -First one, then the next…
And the worst was the last one.
He always took a lot of water in the bathtub.
-He wanted to. -And Mom said, "Lukas, not so much water."
And then he said it very nicely.
He said, "Mom, one day you'll have so much water,
you can bathe as much as you want."
-That was a little… -Yes.
-And that's how it was. And now it is. -And it is to this day.
KATOWICE POLAND
Mommy.
-Mommy. -There. Okay.
Yes?
Elchi. Yum-yum, pretzel sticks.
Coffee was made by Ella!
What a good coffee!
-Bravo! -Again.
Ella goal!
No! Dad goal!
Our base, our home is here in Poland right now.
Not that one.
And that's where we live as a family. That's Monika, me, the kids.
Dad has to get sauce for Maya.
Louis is already starting to stand on his own two feet.
But with the two girls, Monika and I share the daily routine.
Monika was always in the background. She never loved being on camera.
And she never will.
MONIKA PODOLSKI SPEAKS PUBLICLY IN HER FIRST INTERVIEW.
-No idea why you stayed here for that. -Test, one, two, three.
I think it's important to see that he's not just a footballer,
Poldi, but also a dad.
That he has a very loving, soft, and yes, different side.
That's why I agreed to take part in this.
I think my daily routine has been the same since I started playing football.
Actually, I train every day.
And then games, either Friday, Saturday, Sunday or Monday.
-You got a dead body. Gotta train more. -What?
Put more power into it. It has to be more stable, you know?
Alright. Here we go again.
Yalla, habibi!
Sober! I wish you lots of fun fucking!
Remember, condoms are important.
-Soberka, best of luck! -Thank you!
I had been thinking about going back to Poland for a while.
We are here in the region of Silesia.
Zabrze is the town where the club is based.
Górnik Zabrze.
Where I myself also play football.
Zabrze is a working-class town.
The region is known for its open pits, for mining, etc.
Normal people, open-minded people.
Sośnica is five minutes from the stadium. It's where my whole family comes from.
I used to go to the stadium with my father and my uncle.
I'd been thinking about returning to this region and this club
for quite some time.
I promised my grandmother in Poland.
The best in the world.
GRANDMA
-Not good? -Yes, good.
I just feel comfortable there. I come from there, and I like being there.
JULY 2024
First match day of the Polish Ekstraklasa.
Lech Poznań welcomes Górnik Zabrze.
I've said that, in my head, it's the last season.
I'm turning 40 this summer. That's the end of my professional career.
Then I'll sit down and think about what to do next.
But as of now, it's over.
And you are part of the journey.
They get fed at six o'clock.
These two idiots here.
Come on.
I think everyone knows me as a footballer.
Of course that will be covered in the doc. Makes sense.
There have been some really nice moments. Lots of goals.
COMING UP ON "POLDI"
World champion!
Defeats.
It will be a very ugly end.
That's part of it.
A documentary is 90 minutes long. More or less. It depends.
And 70 to 80% of it is just the footballer and his successes.
And 20% is about what he does off the pitch.
If I had a say in it, I'd rather turn it around.
COLOGNE GERMANY
1.2 million euros, right?
Yes, let's see. Let's see what's coming, right?
Yes?
Lukas has changed a lot in the last 10, 12 years.
People don't expect a person like that. They expect the footballer.
But not Lukas, the businessman, who has developed in recent years.
This will probably be my last season.
By then, I wanted to develop a collection
that will be the last.
A wall like this, let's say, this is the goodbye collection
of Lukas Podolski together with the club.
LP10-X, a small Górnik Zabrze logo here, or at the neck.
How many articles will it be, approximately?
-Shall we make a suggestion? -Yes.
I just want to make things a bit cooler.
I don't feel like doing stuff like this. You know?
I would rather go in this direction.
With a cool cut, cool fabric, and a clean logo on it.
I think the bag is great, so I'd straight off…
I don't know how well garden gnomes sell. It's a very German product.
Yeah, I don't know. Garden gnomes, you know, everyone has them, right?
Well, okay, but not one that looks like you.
-Okay, then make one. -Yes?
That would be awesome.
And then you tell me how many. And at the bottom there's a price.
You'll get it transferred. I'll take care of the rest with the club.
Got it.
-Simply put. Full throttle. -Yes.
That will be, I think, five seconds in the movie, right?
-What we just did. -Yes. Definitely.
His thoughts are really just projects and business all day long.
"How can I do this better? Bigger? How can I do even more?"
That's his attitude in general.
SPEYER AIRFIELD
There they are again.
Yes, with the defeat to the festival. All for the documentary.
Lukas is not a person who sleeps.
He's not a person who says, "I'll chill for a few hours."
With Lukas, it's straight into sixth gear. It's always fast-paced.
Here we go. Now!
Hey, Louis!
Here we go.
Over here!
We built a festival from scratch
to the point where we had almost 200,000 visitors.
Calling sponsors, calling managers,
organising the whole thing, and so on. I enjoy that.
-No problem! -All good!
Honey, where you at?
Get up! Good morning!
Here we go.
Podolski! Podolski! Podolski!
I have a business called Mangal Döner.
Ice Cream United. Together with Christian.
"Come on, let's make ice cream." "Alright, let's do it."
And another two or three things that are works in progress.
Go, get a kebab there.
There are people who say his kebabs are better than his career by now.
Of course, the goal is to grow all the businesses.
I want 100, 200 stores. That's my goal. You see the surprise on people's faces.
When you say there are almost 60 stores by now,
they probably say, "Holy shit. How does he do that?"
That's a lot, huh? What is it that drives you?
You snooze, you lose. Remember that. You snooze, you lose.
Alright, then I'll call them.
He's on the move all day long.
Sometimes he's in Germany. I don't know if he came for two or three hours.
And then he's back in Poland in the evening.
I find out later from friends that he was in Germany.
My mode is not a one-way street, but rather like a Shibuya crossing.
It goes in all directions.
Football, business, a lot going on. Family is also in the mix.
A lot of people come and go.
There's always a lot going on. Travelling, doing stuff…
I often ask myself, "Why are you still doing so much?
You're doing well, I would say.
Why do you do this to yourself?" But Lukas keeps going.
Don't you want to stop at some point?
ZABRZE POLAND
Sarapata, damn it, you had four days off!
Snap, snap.
New stuff has been added.
What will you miss when you think about stopping?
When you've done this your whole life, at some point you'll miss it.
But I think after a few months, after half a year or a year,
I don't know when, something new will open up again.
Every change is hard at first.
But you get over it.
But you miss things like that.
Getting there, sitting down, drinking tea.
It's in your body, for over 20 years.
If it's suddenly gone from one day to the next,
I'm curious how I'll react or what it will be like.
-Does that scare you a little bit? -No.
"What will be will be," as they say in Cologne.
OCTOBER 2024
HIS FAREWELL MATCH FROM 1. FC KÖLN TAKES PLACE IN COLOGNE.
THE PLACE WHERE IT ALL BEGAN.
When I started at 1. FC Köln, I was ten. Later with the pros.
That was always my dream. This is my club.
And now Lukas Podolski is coming back at almost 40 as an active professional.
I wanted a farewell match that would connect these two clubs,
1. FC Köln and my club, Górnik Zabrze.
Two home clubs, I would say.
To play a match against each other.
To play again in the stadium where my career began.
Lukas Podolski, welcome to the Bundesliga.
Eighteen years young and already a beacon of hope.
He gets the first one.
To say goodbye, to say thank you for all the support over the years.
Podolski, free shot, that was the goal! Goal for 1. FC Köln. Lukas Podolski!
All the coaches, all the teammates I played with,
thank you very much for all the years you had us here.
From me, from my family.
Because of it, it's hard to say goodbye.
He walked around the stadium, the spectators cheered him on.
He talked to the people. He didn't want to leave.
That's when I realised, this is his living room.
He moves as if he was born on the pitch.
The most beautiful thing for him is to play football.
Football is still a bit finite.
Are you getting a sense it might be over at some point?
Yes, it's hard to let go. I'll just see how it is after the season.
Good morning.
-Good morning. -Oh, today in pink!
Don't film here, it's chaos! Not here!
BOARD MEMBER GÓRNIK ZABRZE
-Shall we go into the middle room? -Yes!
Hello.
How long do you want to play?
I don't know.
I haven't made a decision yet whether to continue or to stop.
You haven't decided yet?
What do you mean, "haven't decided yet"? Right now, the plan is to stop.
So, to discuss the contract details…
Whether it is 500 zlotys, 1000, or any other amount…
Today is not the day?
But I always leave a door open in life.
So we're not filming your last season?
Supposedly last season.
"SUPPOSEDLY LAST SEASON" LUKAS PODOLSKI
My head is not ready to say, "Okay, in a few weeks it's over."
That's why the decision hasn't been made.
Football is simply the best sport.
It's fun, emotions. You don't find that in your everyday life.
And that's why I love it.
It's a drug for me.
If you're looking for one thing, the emotions you had on the pitch…
FORMER TEAMMATE
…you'll never find them again.
The feeling of a final, won, lost, the atmosphere.
Everything that goes with it is over. It doesn't come back.
And there's nothing that gives you similar emotions anymore.
It's not just a job you do. It's a passion.
And to give up a passion, forever…
It's quite normal that it costs a certain amount of willpower.
Of course there are many questions. What happens when it's over?
What is the drive? Or who am I when it all comes to an end?
Lukas is going through a period of change right now,
where he himself has to let go.
And you are just about to experience a phase of his life
that is very difficult for him.
Here, have this one from Daddy.
Lukas doesn't open up quickly to other people.
You really have to spend a lot of time with him, many years…
to understand what kind of person he is.
You only see the football player, the funny guy, Poldi.
Mommy!
There is much, much, much more behind it.
Plop!
To understand Lukas as a person and his character,
you also have to take another look at how he grew up,
how he developed, and where he came from.
Come on, let's go see the "baa."
I think then you understand a lot of things.
1987 POLAND
It was the end of November '87. It was a very difficult time.
Poland is still far from being able to feed itself.
The economic development has led to inflation and widespread poverty.
After drastic price increases, many people can no longer even afford their rations.
I don't know exactly how we got to Germany. I was too young.
I only ever hear the story from my father and mother.
Passport.
Yes, that's the passport.
Old Polish passport.
Oh here, here I am. Mom's visa.
Here.
Not everyone could come. And my wife got a visa from Holland.
And I got one from Germany. Yes. We did it all secretly.
Who knew beforehand?
Only me, my husband, my sister-in-law.
And that was it. No one.
No one knew. We packed our things in the car.
Me with one child and my wife with the other child.
And then we said, "Should we go or not?" And then we took the plunge.
And then we came here to Bergheim.
We came here for a better life. For the children.
So we came over with a few things. We had nothing here.
My father found a job. My mother was a cleaner in the schools.
She cleaned the classrooms and everything. And yes, that was the start.
And our grandma took us in.
In the beginning, she was like a second mother to me.
And she helped raise me, took care of me.
ROOM 006 MRS PODOLSKI
Nice. Yes, nice.
You have put on a jacket.
-You dressed up for today, huh? -Yes, today is Sunday.
Yeah.
He always was a good guy.
GRANDMA
Oh yes.
He was the youngest in our family.
You were one year old.
-No, two. Two. Yes. -Yes, one… Two? Yes.
Two, yes.
You didn't want to go to kindergarten. You always cried.
That was in kindergarten. The teacher spoke only German.
And of course I didn't understand anything at first.
My grandma dropped me off at the door. And then she left.
And I didn't go into the classroom, but went outside.
And I waited there until one, until two, on the stone, until she picked me up.
-Alone? -Alone, yes.
Some kids did make fun of me.
Like, he doesn't understand the language and so on, but…
Learning German as quickly as possible
and adapting to German culture was very important.
When we went out to eat, how often did my parents say,
"Behave, there are a lot of Germans here."
How often that happened when I was little.
Because there were a lot of Germans there and we wanted to show we were fitting in.
The good thing was that we lived in a housing estate
where there were 25 different nationalities.
No one cared where you came from.
We just had fun and played football in the street.
That's how I used to run to the sports field.
He was always with the ball. Always with the ball, even in the bathtub.
Always with the ball.
The ball was always with me.
My mother sent me out shopping, I kicked the ball down,
juggled down the stairs, then walked down the path.
When I got a football from my parents, I was happy, I was proud.
I slept with the football because it was so awesome.
No matter the weather.
There was no "It's cold, it's raining."
He came home wet from head to toe.
He was always on the football field.
That football field in Bergheim,
that was always a luxury for me, and a freedom.
I always felt comfortable there.
That's where I blossomed, that was everything to me.
-How did he present himself there? -Same as today. Rough.
As a little boy, he was identical to how he is today.
You have to stand up to him because he's stable, tough,
always shooting with his left foot.
Everyone was afraid of his shot. That was his weapon.
We just had fun. Five against five, six against six, seven against seven.
We never stopped playing.
Ah, yes!
Everyone knew Lukas. And by bike…
SISTER
…the football field was about six, seven minutes away.
My mother was always calling him.
And it travelled so far that it reached the football field.
"Lukas, your mom's calling you. You have to go home."
Hello.
I just froze it.
Four pigs and chickens. Okay?
Yes.
Today we're having new potatoes with dill…
pork chops,
-and mushrooms. -Schnitzel!
Schnitzel. Well, pork chop. In Poland it's called a pork chop.
-Wiener schnitzel. -Yes.
-You need to add a little butter. -Then give me that margarine.
-My God, you're ruining me. -Don't make a fuss.
Mom has this attitude that she wants to do everything perfectly.
The same ambition as me, my mother.
If a key card is lost, she searches until the thing is found again.
Where others say, "I don't care, I'll just get a new one at reception
or have it blocked,"
she just searches and tries to find or fix things until they work again.
A fighter, a winner mentality, and that's how I am too.
I was never a fearful person.
-Do you think he got that from you? -I think so.
I say he got almost everything from me.
It was amazing for such a little guy
to be so very confident, to be the one who basically dominated,
even though he was often the smallest.
He also had instances in the game where he passed well,
crossed very well, and of course was in the right position.
He also always had a good nose for goals.
It was clear to me that we had to try to get that player to 1. FC Köln.
From 1995, I was in the youth team at 1. FC Köln.
Anyone who has come this far has the desire to go further.
In the end, everyone wants to go pro.
I played for 1. FC Köln in the U17s and U19s on Sundays.
Games were at 11 o'clock. Then I left again at three or four o'clock
and played football with my boys on the football field.
Of course we also got up to mischief and had fun.
-What kind of mischief did you get up to? -Quite a bit, yeah. A lot.
Stealing things.
Breaking into a warehouse with my boys.
Selling tickets on the black market back then.
We always got free tickets from FC in the youth team.
And we sold them on the black market. That existed back then.
There were players who didn't live in Cologne,
who didn't have time to go to Cologne on weekends to watch the game.
So we bought the tickets from the boys for ten marks, five marks,
but then sold them for 20, 25.
Poldi was, I must say, always tough in negotiations. Always.
If it was five marks, he said no, he wouldn't sell it.
You might have had eight or ten tickets for some games.
If we add it all up, it was quite a bit.
Plus collecting deposits in the stadium.
Some of us searched the lower tier, some the upper tier.
And then he had maybe 10, 15 cups and exchanged them for money.
What did you do with the money?
I don't know, no idea.
He took out all his money, folded it like this and always did this, "Look."
Always like this, with the money, even today.
"You have nothing. Look at mine." He always had money, always.
I didn't brag about it or spend it like crazy.
He hoarded it.
Frugal, very frugal.
And I always hid the rest in the closet under my clothes.
So my sister wouldn't steal it.
He hoarded it. I spent it.
I think this conviction, this toughness, I got from the street.
And with my boys, the ones I played with, I had a certain conviction and toughness.
When I started with the pros back then,
I made sure to show from the first session that I wanted to stay here.
We still changed in the old catacombs.
You come in, there's the jersey with the 36.
Everything you dreamed of as a child is suddenly real and suddenly there.
It's not a dream anymore, the jersey is hanging there,
you put it on and basically go down with the team.
Lukas Podolski, welcome to the Bundesliga. Eighteen years young,
not a minute with the pros yet, and already a beacon of hope.
I used to be behind the goal, on the side, as a fan.
And suddenly you're on the other side, part of it yourself.
And I thought to myself, "Hey, where are you?"
Then it was time, the chance of my life,
to make it at 1. FC Köln, at my club.
Let's go!
Podolski!
He's got a good left foot.
For the rest of the family it might have been a surprise,
but for me, I already knew he would make it.
Lottner. Yes, well done, Podolski!
Do you feel a bit like you're in a fairy tale?
Not really, it's just normal, like always.
I came home from work and then all of a sudden…
I arrived and there was a car parked in front of my car.
It was parked in my parking space, where I always parked my car.
I gave him the keys upstairs and said, "I have something for you."
He went downstairs and there was an Audi A4.
He said, "That's yours, it's a gift."
Whether he was happy or what, he should tell you.
What should I say? Wow, awesome!
And he hugged me and kissed me and couldn't hold back his tears.
Yeah, I don't know. Did I cry? I don't know.
As a worker, it was impossible for me to buy a car like that.
Right? So… And suddenly I get a car like that for free,
and an hour later, I could drive directly to Wuppertal.
His dad had accompanied him to every training session.
AUDIO INTERVIEW WITH MONIKA PODOLSKI
Authoritarian, yes, as a dad, always.
But also so close that they call each other every day
and tell each other everything.
They have a very strong connection with each other.
Of course you have some genes or something from your father,
because he was a footballer himself.
It's not just that your father always told you,
"Nothing comes from nothing," but of course work is always part of it.
My father always said, "No matter what it is,
don't take it for granted.
You have to do something for it.
It won't just fall into your lap.
You have to work for it. And only then you can say you made it."
The Bundesliga returns from the winter break
with a derby weekend between 1. FC Köln and Borussia Mönchengladbach.
What was the kick-off moment for you personally,
when you realised, "Okay, now I've made it, now I'm a full pro"?
I think the goal against Gladbach in the derby.
Schröder with an opportunity, Podolski, free shot, the ball is in the goal!
Goal for 1. FC Köln, Lukas Podolski!
The force from the south stand and all. It gave me a boost, also in the media.
Good cross!
1. FC Köln is in the lead.
Great goal, right? In my opinion.
Podolski! 1-1!
Podolski! And goal!
It's unbelievable!
THE POLDI FAIRY TALE
You go there as an 18-year-old, 19-year-old,
you play, and they call your name, they support you.
Podolski! And 2-0! A great goal!
What happened was unimaginable,
even though Lukas hadn't been there that long.
But there weren't that many heroes, that many young stars in Germany then,
and with his fun personality, he was just popular with people.
Not long ago he stood in the fan section himself. Now he has his own fans.
They're writing, "We want to have your baby."
With a mobile phone number underneath, to get in touch.
But I won't do that.
-You don't have a car or a girlfriend. -Football comes first, that's what counts.
What role did girls play when you were teenagers?
-None at all. -None at all.
I never had a girlfriend, even in my teenage years.
We always just played football.
And my boys went to Cologne on the weekends, partying and so on,
and then always told me, "Wow, women, I met this chick,"
just how it is with boys.
And I was always at home or had football games on Saturday or Sunday.
And then one day a friend said, "Wow, there's this Polish girl.
You're from Poland too. She's Polish, she's blonde and I know her.
I'll introduce you."
We met, talked and…
that was it.
Then we met at the schoolyard, at the ping-pong table.
Then we went to the gas station, got something to drink and a Mars bar.
I remember that. And then we just went for a walk.
Half the night.
He talked a lot about football, a lot about his family,
and then I realised pretty quickly that we had the same attitude to life.
And that's why there was a second date and a third.
And his wedding, my goodness.
-I don't even talk about that. -What a wedding!
What a wedding. Three days. You know what? It was to cry for.
-A dream. -To cry for.
-In the church. -It was a dream.
Wonderful. Beautiful. All three days, right?
It was all so overwhelming.
At first you didn't really realise it, you had to grow into it.
But I was so happy for him. I knew how important it was to him.
Not so much the fame and the glory,
but to play as a pro footballer, in the jersey.
She probably saw at the beginning that I put so much energy into it,
and I was so focussed and wanted it so much, that she put herself second.
And that means she let me fulfil my dream.
I was with the U21s at the time and then I got the call from Rudi Völler.
"You're going to the training camp of the national team."
2004 with Rudi Völler. Yes, that's when he started.
We were totally exhausted here.
Lukas Podolski will come on
as the second debutant alongside Schweinsteiger.
Totally exhausted, and then he didn't let him play.
So far no opportunity to bring on Lukas Podolski.
He's still warming up.
And they play and say, "Why didn't he let him on?"
Now we have the interruption.
The Cologne player is the third youngest debutant
in the post-war history of the German national team.
But then he played. We were happy. Yes, we were firing on all cylinders here.
It was Basti and me back then.
We both went all out.
Podolski, goal!
Yes! Ten minutes before halftime, the 3-0.
And were there at the 2006 World Cup.
The expectations were immense.
"AT THE WORLD CUP WE'RE BANKING ALL ON POLDI"
Everyone believed that Lukas Podolski would carry us to the title on his own.
When the impression is
that you have to shoot the Germans to the world championship on your own…
I read that a few times. "Poldi will do it."
Does that make you nervous or can you handle this pressure?
A lot is written by the press,
but I don't need to put any pressure on myself.
I have fun playing football and that's what I want to show.
That's what he says. You almost want to believe him.
He was focussed on what he needed to do,
and he had the gift of going into a game
so carefree and unselfconscious.
For me, things were simple at the 2006 World Cup.
You're there, give it your all and play.
And here we go! Counterattack by Schneider, Podolski!
A great goal! That's divine! That's wonderful!
Klose, through the turn, Klose, comes in… Goal!
Goal by Lukas Podolski!
I was at every game, watched them all from start to finish.
We were live at every game.
Klose.
Podolski again! I don't believe it!
Unbelievable!
When I hear "Poldi and Schweini,"
I get this glow inside me, this joy.
-Lukas, get up. -Hey.
Come on! Off to the game!
Get up, lazy bum.
It's like two good friends who get along really well.
That's how it was at the end of the day.
-That's what the bastard eats. -Oh man, Schweini.
I was visiting there too.
We women were allowed to visit the men on certain days.
I brought a bag of crisps with me.
They were actually mine, not Lukas's.
And that's why I found it so funny when that was picked up.
That Lukas eats like that.
Look at that.
The good thing about us was
that we clicked incredibly well on the pitch.
We got along very well and just had fun. And the people… They liked that.
Germany-Argentina. There is overtime with a penalty shootout.
If there's one thing he doesn't do, it's poop his pants.
It didn't matter if it was a penalty, or an opponent, or a teammate.
Both have always won penalty shootouts at previous World Cups.
Today it will be different.
I can remember difficult moments, like the penalty against Argentina.
We got together and the coach asked who felt ready, who had a good shot.
I said, "I'm ready, I want to shoot." I think I was the second or third shooter.
I was substituted at that point. I couldn't take a penalty.
I thought, "Thank God he's there."
Now Lukas Podolski.
That's why you always wanted to go pro.
To be ready, to be sure of yourself, and to shoot the ball where it should go.
Lukas, put it in there.
Podolski!
He didn't give a damn.
We drove to every game all over Germany.
And Lukas organised everything.
We had a car, a hotel, meals, and admission tickets.
UNCLE
And then, after the game, Lukas came over of course.
In a car, barefoot. Klinsmann allowed it, because his family had come.
And we drove back at night.
He drove us to the hotel.
He was speeding, and the police pulled him over.
He looked at Lukas, and…
"Goodbye." He let us continue.
Even though he exceeded the city's speed limit.
-So there he was like a god. -Yes.
Lukas Podolski was voted the best young player of the World Cup.
FIFA chose the 21-year-old.
-How do you feel at your first World Cup? -I'm happy. I got an award yesterday…
Man, man, man. He's only with the women again.
Come on, Schweini. Get out of here.
Ronaldo and Messi also started at the World Cup.
And they are the same age as Lukas.
They were already good football players back then.
But they chose Lukas.
It certainly motivates me to continue improving in my career.
It was a great experience for the whole family, for Lukas.
Like new. Five years younger.
At least!
-Off with that shit. -You don't look 40, you look 30.
You can just keep playing, perfect for the Ekstraklasa.
My head already hurts.
And Lukas, are you playing next season?
-Don't know. -He doesn't know.
Podolski!
PRESS OFFICER GÓRNIK ZABRZA
Still 0-0. 87th minute.
Lukas Podolski, subbed in 15 minutes ago.
With an inglorious scene.
Siedlecki with another chance.
There could be complaints against the player!
And you go, you fucking go…
Fucking sprint. Pick up the ball and play. I'm playing 2-0.
It's like talking to a fucking wall.
Fucking play. You have to watch yourself on the pitch.
BOARD MEMBER GÓRNIK ZABRZE
It was on his mind, for sure.
He was torn. He even asked the kids what he should do.
Do you want some chicken?
Or a sausage?
Chicken? Okay.
He always said, "What do you think, should Daddy keep playing?"
If he really thought about it, it was hard for him.
He really doesn't know what to do.
Sometimes I think, "It's enough." Sometimes you say, "Come on."
When you see that you can keep up in training,
that you can keep up in the Polish first league,
then you think, "Why should I give up what I love so much?"
Ella!
There's no reason. The only reason is the family.
This is the footage we want.
I have to pretend I'm pedalling, or people will think it's an electric bike.
Yalla!
Ella.
Let's go, Ella. Billy goat.
You can go straight there, honey. You can go straight there.
Maya, turn left back there to the ice cream parlour.
-Let's keep going, okay? -Come on!
Whenever I'm at home, with my children, family,
I feel that it's time to now say… More time for other things.
The children have had to do without for years too.
Ella benefits the most because the national team is gone.
He doesn't travel as much anymore.
But if he still wants to play, I said he has to make enough time for the kids.
In the last few years, I never had time to think about my entire career.
To sit down, "Wow, where did I actually play?
Which were the nice moments?"
Then you realise what you're missing or what you've accomplished.
Germany's most talented striker moves to Germany's most successful football club.
This makes him one of the world's most valuable footballers.
And there's the goal!
Lukas Podolski scores his first goal for Bayern.
How was it for you when he moved to Munich?
If Bayern Munich wants someone, then we all go.
Here, money, money, and everything's good.
An apartment by the lake. Wonderful, I'd go there too.
He was one of the young stars of the World Cup.
That's how he was seen when he went there.
Of course he, along with Bastian Schweinsteiger,
was a rising star in the national team, in the Confed Cup and so on.
Expectations were high.
The only drawback was being away from home for the first time.
I'd always lived with my parents.
The first time looking after myself.
The first time Dad not driving you to training
and Mom not cooking at home.
Munich was a huge step, because it was outside of Cologne.
The family wasn't right there.
Lukas was always with his family.
Away from my friends, from my surroundings.
You come to a new city and are on your own.
But I was focussed on football.
First everything was positive. Prince Poldi, the boy from Cologne.
But then you play badly once.
Then comes the criticism, the newspapers.
The media no longer protect you, they attack you.
PODOLSKI AND THE BAVARIANS A MISUNDERSTANDING?
You have fewer games, buffers, in which things are not allowed to go wrong,
because there's a lot of competition.
It's not for nothing that they say FC Bayern is a bit like a shark tank.
THE PRINCE COUNTS FOR NOTHING IN BAVARIA
When I look at my games, my stats,
I'd say my athletic performance in Munich was good.
Not top-notch or amazing, but good.
He wasn't always set to play for Bayern. He had to prove himself.
It isn't about him always being in the starting lineup.
He just wants to play.
That was an experience he had to live as well.
It was what it was.
He must have been frustrated.
But he never showed it.
He never showed it to the outside world or to the club.
I've never heard my brother complain.
If he's feeling bad, you don't notice it.
He's so hardened by all the situations, by everything that happens.
Our greatest talent, Lukas Podolski, is being criticised.
He's having a bit of a hard time.
Lukas, welcome to Harri's European Championship club.
-Nice to have you here. -I'm so looking forward to the game.
Lukas, from what we hear from Säbener Straße,
is it disappointing to be on the bench with people like Luca Toni
and Miro Klose in front of you?
I don't care, I fight my way through. We play for the team.
And I definitely have a contract here at FC Bayern.
There is no communication problem between Bayern and me.
I speak clearly so that everyone can understand me and make sense of it.
Everyone can say something too.
Do you even know anything about politics? Do you even know how to vote?
Of course I know how to vote, you little piece of trash.
I even have redial on my Nokia.
For me, it was similar to criticism you get in sports.
You get frustrated about it.
Dear diary, this is Lukas, right?
Professional football is a bit like studying German, right?
You have to get a lot of points
and after a few years you're done and don't know what to do.
Basti Schweini and I have to chase Philipp Lahm
through the FC Bayern clubhouse with a wet towel, right?
And try to slap him on the butt, right? So awesome.
They wanted to make fun of him
because he couldn't speak as clearly as the other people.
Of course, I wouldn't do that to someone who has a Polish background
when I know a bit about his history, where he comes from, etc.
It was a bit over the line, what he was saying.
And they were also attacking his parents, his grandmother on his mother's side.
As if to say he wasn't taught the language properly.
None of us thought it was funny, but what can you do about it?
What are you supposed to do in that moment?
POLDI TAKES ACTION AGAINST WDR
"I DON'T HAVE TO BE INSULTED LIKE THAT."
If he thinks he's being treated unfairly, he's a bit of a stickler for justice.
And then he can bark back.
…also from us journalists in his last ten DFB days,
but he rejected all interviews, marching past the cameras
with the same statement. "No, I won't do it."
No, no, I won't do it.
-What did that do to him? -He thinks things through more.
He's less carefree.
"What do people want?"
"Positive, negative, what could happen if I say that?"
And that made him more mature.
WÖRTHSEE MUNICH
Back there. The mountains are nice.
In the summer, the lake here is outstanding.
It's just awesome.
-But swimming? -Sure, swimming, of course.
After the Euros, it starts.
My wife is calling, right?
We know each other.
Hello.
Hello, hello, greetings.
I can't… Call you back in five minutes.
A real journalist.
So until Munich, it was always just about football and our relationship.
But no big responsibility.
Good. Exactly.
Then he becomes a dad.
Something he always wished for, which is actually happening now.
To have a little baby, a little person,
and then to take responsibility, that was already overwhelming.
For him, but also for me.
Lukas was away during the week, away on the weekend.
He was maybe home twice a week, sometimes two days a week.
And I was alone with the child.
As an athlete you can't decide for yourself where you go.
Sometimes you're here and tomorrow you're somewhere else.
There are always moments that are special in a child's life.
And often he wasn't there.
Back then, I cried a lot when I was away from Louis.
When I knew we were going away for three, four, five weeks,
it was hard to let go.
I think that's just the sacrifice you make as a football player.
He didn't act selfishly, but he didn't act differently either.
He just… We just kept going as before. Only now with a baby.
-Okay, now. -Yes, now. Now.
Play on the other side.
Son!
Even further, even further, strong! Bravo, Poldi!
Play!
Come on, son. Header goal, son.
Now.
Yes, son!
Great, Louis!
Yes, son.
That's how it has to be. It's because of the pressure.
When the pressure is high, people perform well.
Like father, like son, as they say. That's how the saying goes?
SON
Is here okay?
What do you think, if we make a documentary about your father,
what should definitely be in it?
His sense of humour, of fun, is definitely a characteristic.
Most people already know that, but…
And here it is.
-Would it be okay for him to listen in? -Yes, sure.
And? Good?
The picture is good, the light, yes, nicely cut there.
He's a funny father, yes. He's not the oldest either.
So, yes, he can take a joke. You can have fun with him.
Does he sometimes embarrass you?
No, not really. Luckily not, no.
Describe what he's like as a father.
Difficult. One father. Limited edition.
See, you didn't put that one in. You have to…
-Yes. -You have to really want it.
You have to squeeze that out of the players.
Until they throw up.
From the guys who play, everyone wants to go pro.
You have to be very lucky.
Avoid injuries, and…
School is important.
-What? He's starting again. -Yes, yes. He should go.
But going pro…
What will be will be.
-I tried. -What?
I wanted the near post. A bit hard, but it hit wrong.
From there you have to hit it, into the corners.
-It was too long. His legs were too long. -You had too much time to think.
-Yes. -Yes.
-I wanted to dribble past him. -First hat trick?
Yes.
At Górnik, second or third.
This season, first hat trick.
-You coming home with me? -Yes.
-Then go shower, see you in a minute. -Okay.
But hurry up, not as usual.
When you think too much, something like this happens.
Full instep, has to go into the corner, that thing. Full instep.
-It was too easy, right? -Too easy, yes.
I ask him now and then whether he wants to stop,
but I always get the same answer, that he still enjoys it.
He still loves football as much as he used to.
My father also told me a lot of stories about how he got into football here.
This is his home. He was born here. This is where he got to know football.
I always had responsibilities at the clubs I was at.
Especially here, because it's kind of the home club.
Responsibilities, because I realise they need me on the field, off the field.
The club is in a difficult situation, financially too.
I just wanted to come for a year, play, and then finish.
But then came that drive again, like with all the businesses.
"I'm going to try to achieve something with the clubs."
Now I have a meeting.
We want to redo the fitness and spa area.
YOUTH ACADEMY GÓRNIK ZABRZE
We want to invest a little.
Hello.
-Hello. -Hello.
Go on! Go on with the talks and the swear words.
What? No more?
-Training or match? -Training.
This is not supposed to be a five-star facility.
We have to retain the character of this place.
This is where the rooms will be, where we'll install cold and hot pools.
And the sauna will go here?
Sauna or shower. Back in the day, all of this used to work.
I'll quickly go get the architect.
-She'll show the first drafts. -Okay.
You can create something. That's fun.
Invest. Motivate people.
So they see things are moving forward. Slowly, but things are moving forward.
That's what I suggest for the floor. That's the 0.5 tile.
And for the wall?
Maybe this one. But I'm also considering this option.
What if we use the same tile for the floor and the wall?
We could do that. It's up to your liking.
-Then we'll take that, and maybe that too. -Okay, let's go in that direction.
If the person who keeps the club alive, its leader, breaks away,
then that might also happen to the club, because it is not yet set up in such a way
that you can say, "Okay, we can just carry on without him."
Therefore you have a responsibility to the team, the people,
the fans, and the region.
And I know that the responsibility is there.
There.
COLOGNE
Now, after the last few years, with Lukas and his family in Poland,
where they spend a lot of time with the family there,
I think he has a much greater sense of home.
In Poland he has found a kind of home, but Cologne will be his home forever.
Right, let's let some air in.
LUKAS'S APARTMENT COLOGNE
Wonderful, wonderful.
Looks like a…
Like a postcard.
Viva Colonia!
-You can pull it over once, too. -Yeah.
Right, put on the shirt. And then we'll do the number here.
Like a Santa Claus.
Awesome! Fits like a glove.
-Does it stay open? -No, no.
Alaaf.
-Morning. -Morning.
-Hey. -Morning, Lukas. I'm Andreas.
-Morning. -Morning.
-Morning, morning, morning.
Morning, everyone.
Hello. Morning.
-Morning. Morning. -Hello. Friedrich.
Do you have music on the float? It's all there?
Yes. You're more nervous than all of us.
-There has to be a bit of organisation. -Have fun.
Here we go. Hey.
Nice to have you here. All the best. Have fun.
Let's greet Lukas Podolski with "Kölle…"
-Alaaf! -Lukas!
-Alaaf! -Hey!
Hey, look at this.
Home is everywhere. But of course, Cologne means a lot to me, 100%.
-Prince Poldi should come back to Cologne. -Why?
He's a good player and Bayern isn't using him anyway.
COME HOME, POLDI
COLOGNE IS COLLECTING MONEY FOR PODOLSKI
Bring Lukas, bring Lukas back home
All of Cologne wanted the prodigal son to return to the FC at the Geissbockheim.
PODOLSKI TRANSFER COMPLETE
I just wanted to go back to 1. FC Köln
because I was excited about the club again, the fans, and I missed it.
The love for the stadium and the fan block never went away.
I've always been one from the fan block, always an Ultra.
And another picture for you.
The hype, euphoria. There were 30,000 fans at the training.
Every media outlet was there. Everyone reported on it.
And of course, I was happy back then.
Everyone told to me, "Finally Poldi is coming home."
My phone just exploded.
Lukas Podolski!
This return gave the club an incredible boost.
The belief in the great 1. FC Köln returned.
This club needed a face.
And that face is Lukas Podolski.
I have the kind of personality that always wants to give 100%.
As a footballer you're always hyper-focussed.
You only ever see the ball, the football, the training, and the game.
Sometimes you forget everything else.
In Cologne, it was sometimes so crazy. You couldn't even go out.
Masses of people came at you.
Take the picture!
Maybe that was a time for me when I had a hard time dealing with it.
That I had to share him with millions of people.
Every day, day after day.
Maybe I was just going through a phase where I needed him more.
I played football and the next day, instead of spending Sundays with Monika
and maybe going for a walk with Louis, I was on the football field with friends
and then went out to eat with them instead of doing something with my family.
Maybe I just kept living the way I… the way I thought I had to back then.
And at that point, I said, "You go to the apartment,
leave us for a bit and think things through.
Because when you're here, you piss me off, I yell at you, you yell at me."
There were times in Cologne when we didn't talk to each other for weeks,
when we argued, when we weren't together for a few weeks.
When you're separated physically and on purpose,
that's when you start to think.
And when you come to the conclusion that we want this,
we can't live without each other, how can we make it better?
Through conversations, through emotions and conversations.
And then one side has to say yes, and the other side has to say yes.
Somehow we found our way back together.
I also think that this story,
that we embarked on this path together from the start,
that we got to know each other when we were "normal people"…
I'd put that in quotation marks.
That has made us stronger as people.
Lukas wanted to go back to Cologne because he missed his family,
he missed his surroundings, and he just missed the club.
He probably also underestimated what that meant for him.
The fun of playing football was there,
but you could tell it wasn't the same as it used to be.
You come back as the superstar and everyone is looking at you,
all of the media, all the players, like, "Podolski, go on, do something."
Now the pass for Podolski, Lukas Podolski with the left!
AFTER FALSE START, COLOGNE PINS HOPE ON PODOLSKI, NOVAKOVIC AND MANICHE
He was the one everything depended on.
And he couldn't live up to that, not from the position he was in.
Philipp Lahm. But who intercepts this pass?
Lukas Podolski.
I think it was a problem, that people in charge didn't protect me.
They just let it run its course. They didn't throw me to the wolves,
but they said, "Right, Lukas, see if you can manage on your own."
AN ETERNAL UP AND DOWN
There was no 1. FC Köln, I think it was only 1. FC Lukas Podolski.
THE DOUBTING PRINCE
RELEGATION BATTLE
Lukas Podolski alone can't guarantee staying in the top league.
The final whistle in Cologne, and it will be a very unpleasant end.
The players are doing a runner and have no opportunity to say goodbye.
It's the final blow on a black Saturday.
RELEGATION IN COLOGNE
Well, it's clear that this is the hardest moment for me,
in recent years.
And if you get relegated on the last match day…
BLACK DAY FOR PODOLSKI
He thought, "I'll go back to Cologne and stay there forever."
MY PRINCE! TAKE CARE
But at some point he realised, "I don't think that's what I had in mind."
He said, "I think I need something else to develop further,
to gain new experiences."
There are players who have never left Germany.
Who have only played for one club or two clubs.
I'm different.
When I got the call from Arsène Wenger, I didn't think twice.
London, Arsenal, the stadium, the coach.
Everything fit. I packed my bags and went over.
COLOGNE LONDON
We have Arsenal footage that we would actually like to use.
-But it costs **** euros. -Yeah, it has to come out of your budget.
How many people are involved?
Simone, Nico, Gerrit, Frank, Pivo, and here, the boss.
Everyone gives ****, then we have it.
THE MONEY WASN'T RAISED.
THEREFORE, HERE IS A PHOTO.
Then came the request from Inter Milan. We had a good conversation.
LONDON MILAN
"SLOW AND SLUGGISH" SHARP CRITICISM OF PODOLSKI
But hindsight is 20/20.
MILAN ISTANBUL
I always had a connection with Turkey. Because of the Turkish friends I had.
I was proud when the offer came. I didn't think long about accepting it.
And I had an awesome time there.
It's a corner for Galatasaray. A header, and the ball finds the back of the net.
PODOLSKI WINS FIRST TITLE WITH GALATASARAY
And when the inquiry came from Japan, we said, "Okay, we want to take that step.
We want to experience it as a family.
Mature as people, get to know a new culture."
That's why we did it.
We shot in Japan for four days. Why did you want that?
I love Japan. There's just such a great atmosphere in that country.
Konnichiwa.
Good food.
The people are relaxed.
There are structures. There are rules.
Three, two, one, bam.
Twenty-nine.
There's onsen. There's lots to see. Lots of nature and stuff.
The most important thing. Soap it up nicely, the thing.
Soap up the pipe nicely.
Just like plumbing. The pipe must always be free.
And… sumo.
Thank you very much!
I think it was nice there and important.
That's why I wanted to go to Japan.
Thank you, thank you very much.
FORMER TEAMMATE
I haven't played for two months, but Lukas is a person who…
who thinks about other things outside of football.
And the most important thing, I think, is to be outside of football,
to find these images, these motivations, these projects
that you can have in your life.
So the topic was…
-Currently we don't have a kids' menu. -Yes.
And we have a lot of families who say, "Okay, we'd like to have a kids' menu."
Exactly, that's why we looked at what we could do.
-That's the prototype now, the first one? -Yes, exactly.
-And we'd also make a new carnival cup. -Exactly.
Carnival, World Cup, European Championship in German colours, for example.
You have to get this Poldi cup out right away.
My face is on it right away.
If you communicate that well, I think, you'll get people there.
I think the idea is great.
-Let's go for it. -Yes.
I've got the businesses, and they're fun,
and I invest just as much in them as I invest in football.
But something has to give.
Sure, I'd like to be at home now.
But I can rest when I'm dead.
Sure, I have a family, kids,
but I also have a responsibility to all the other projects I have.
It's two against two for the last seconds. Now they have to finish. Kruse! Max Kruse!
-Wow, Max "Shisha" Kruse. -Max Kruse.
Four to two.
How much do you sleep when you're here?
We played an away game the day before yesterday.
We got home at 3 a.m.
Training early this morning, and then I came here.
You can tell that he's usually a bit exhausted,
a bit tired, probably doesn't sleep much either.
He will text me at 6 a.m. or something.
Alright.
You have less time to do private things.
But you can't always have everything. You have to be able to give up something.
But I think when football is no longer the main focus,
you also have more energy, more power, and more free time.
-It's a bit paradoxical. -What's paradoxical?
Well, on the one hand you say you'd like to have more time for family,
but at the same time you fly to Berlin for two hours for the Baller League…
-Did I say that? -Yes.
As long as the businesses are doing well and as long as you're active and so on,
you have to be able to combine it somehow.
It's always been like that, so…
But why do you do all the businesses? What's driving you?
I don't know.
To achieve things, to have a better life, you have to work for it.
He got this attitude, this attitude to life, he experienced it.
And he still has it. He never gave that up.
He just can't stand still.
Standing still is a problem.
In general, he's a person who always has to have something to do.
Then he's happy.
Do you think your businesses will ever fulfil you as much as football?
No, I don't think so, no.
SUPPOSEDLY LAST SEASON
Everyone asks how it's going to be. What's next? What about Lukas?
Of course I feel good,
there are no conflicts, the games looked good.
But then there is also a lack of life.
These are my thoughts.
We want it to be fast, and we want to know which way we're going.
When you say, "I'm going to do this my whole life,"
and then it's not there anymore, what's the alternative?
There is no alternative to that.
The only alternative is to continue playing this sport
so that you have something to do, but that's not possible.
There is no alternative to that.
If you lose a job, you can go to another company and do it there.
The only thing is the business and the family,
and whether something will be missing, that I don't know.
But you won't get the same thing back.
Be very quiet.
The best sauna, the very best.
Of course you always have phases where you say, "It's hard.
And it'd be better to stop."
But then there's always something that says, "No, keep going."
And so you always go back and forth.
That's exactly the shit we need.
But sure, at some point you have to make a decision.
And I'm ready to make a decision.
1 DAY BEFORE THE LAST GAME OF THE SEASON
What's today? May 23rd.
I never thought I'd play until I'm 40.
-I'm supposed to sign this one, right? -Right.
Right there.
-You have to button up. -Damn, and what if I don't?
I don't wear suits, but I know this. That you have to fasten the button.
What ultimately led you to decide not to quit?
I'd rather keep going and then stop at some point
than stop and lie on a beach for three months
and watch how the club is performing, how the club is in training camp.
I wanted to continue to be a part of it.
LUKAS PODOLSKI EXTENDS FOR ONE YEAR IN ZABRZE.
ONE YEAR LATER, HE WINS THE POLISH CUP WITH GÓRNIK.
I can contribute a lot here with my experience, which I am already doing.
And what I might do a little more of in the near future.
I'm in the process of taking over the club's shares from the city.
I would say that it keeps me alive and fulfilled.
I would say that I'm still involved in football.
Fucking awesome!
Letting go, but not yet 100%, but it's slowly going in that direction.
It's all just a process, just like the past 20 years.
And he has to realise,
"Okay, I've already accomplished a lot, and I can slowly start to take it easy,
slow down a little."
Ella is coming!
40TH BIRTHDAY
I'm someone who lives in the here and now,
on the day, and I'll fill my day with life, no matter what that is.
Someone who is happy, who laughs, who has a sense of humour.
That's how it's going to be.
What will be will be, as they say in Cologne.
Look. Left foot, with a view of the sea.
It can still do a bit more.
The left one doesn't want to stop yet.
Last question.
In every sports documentary,
they show Mario Götze's final goal at the 2014 World Cup.
What are we going to do with the goal in your documentary?
Do it here… with AI.
Schürrle. He's coming! Do it!
And make it look like I scored that goal.
Do it! He does it! Lukas Podolski!
Put all the titles or the 2014 World Cup,
put it all in the credits, and then people will see it anyway in the credits.
And then they'll see everything that happened, and what I've won,
and they'll see the trophy again.
Lukas Podolski says goodbye to the national team.
Podolski! No! I don't believe it!
I don't believe it! Sensational! A wonderful goal!
That way, it's in the documentary too.
-Yes. -Or not?
Of course. At the end, yes.
If not, then they should just watch it on YouTube.
IN MEMORY OF HELENE PODOLSKI