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Lukas Podolski Profile |
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Birth Date: June 4, 1985
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Birth Place: Gliwice, Poland
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Birth Name: Łukasz Podolski
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Height: 5'11"
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Biography |
Lukas Podolski (born as Łukasz Podolski on June 4, 1985 in
Gliwice, Silesia, Poland) nicknamed (Prinz) Poldi, is a
German footballer of Polish origin. He plays as a striker
for Bayern Munich and for the German national football team.
Born in the industrial town of Gliwice, in Upper Silesia,
Poland, Podolski is one of two top German football players
with Polish roots, the other one being Miroslav Klose. His
father Waldemar Podolski was also a professional football
player playing for a number of Polish clubs, while his
mother played handball for Sośnica Gliwice. In 1987, when
Lukas Podolski was two years old, his parents settled from
People's Republic of Poland to West Germany. Podolski grew
up in Bergheim, North Rhine-Westphalia, and later in
Pulheim, both near. Cologne.
It was at 1. FC Köln where Podolski's talents were first
noticed. In 2003, at the age of 18, Podolski was still part
of the club's youth side. At this time the club found itself
in dire straits battling to avoid relegation from the
Bundesliga. First team boss Marcel Koller, working on a
shoestring budget, invited Podolski to train with the senior
players and he made his top flight debut shortly afterwards
on November 22, 2003. Even though Cologne failed to avoid a
drop to the 2nd German division, Podolski had shown what he
could do, scoring 10 goals in his first 19 senior
appearances. This was the best tally by an 18 year old in
the history of the Bundesliga.
Though his call up to the German EURO 2004 squad brought
along interest from several top clubs, Podolski stayed at
Köln to help the club gain promotion in the 2004-05
campaign. With 24 goals, Podolski advanced to become the
league's best scorer. Somewhat unusually, Podolski remained
part of the Germany squad, even though he did not play in
the national top tier league.
After 1. FC Köln was promoted, the pressure was on Podolski
to keep the club in the Bundesliga practically
singlehandedly. Podolski managed to score 12 goals in the
2005-06 season, but eventually, Köln was relegated again. It
became clear that Podolski would not stay again to push Köln
through the 2006-07 2nd Bundesliga - even more so, as
Podolski was becoming an integral part of the national team.
On July 6, 2006, Podolski was announced as the first
Gillette Best Young Player |
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Other Information |
German soccer international.
First second-division player since 1975 to break into
Germany's national team.
Started his professional career at 1.FC Köln (Cologne),
where he played from 2003 to 2006. He currently plays for
Bayern Munich.
Was announced as the FIFA World Cup's first Best Young
Player award winner (7 July 2006).
Emigrated with his family from Poland to West Germany in
1987.
Longtime companion is Monika Puchalski, who was born in
Poland as well.
During "2006 FIFA World Cup" (2006) (mini), he was parodied
by comedian Oliver Pocher. |
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since September 12, 2007