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{{Infobox football biography
| playername =backside Lukas Podolski
| image = ]
| fullname = Lukas Josef Podolski<ref name="List of Players">{{cite web|title=List of Players|url=http://www.fifa.com/mm/document/tournament/competition/01/22/85/78/fwc_2010_squadlists.pdf|publisher=]|format=PDF|accessdate=8 November 2010}}</ref>
| dateofbirth = {{birth date and age|1985|06|04|df=yes}}
| cityofbirth = ]
| countryofbirth = ]
| height = {{height|m=1.82}}<ref name="koeln profile">{{cite web | url = http://www.fc-koeln.de/index.php?id=107&player=1 |title = Spielerporträt Lukas Podolski | work = ] | accessdate = 28 March 2011| language = German}}</ref>
| position = ] / ]<ref>{{cite web|title=Germany: 20 Lukas Podolski|accessdate=9 June 2008|work=]|url=http://www.euro2008.uefa.com/tournament/players/player=62594/index.html}}</ref>
| currentclub = ]
| clubnumber = 10
| youthyears1 = 1991–1995 | youthclubs1 = FC Jugend 07 Bergheim
| youthyears2 = 1995–2002 | youthclubs2 = ]
| years1 = 2002–2004 | clubs1 = ] | caps1 = 2 | goals1 = 0
| years2 = 2003–2006 | clubs2 = ] | caps2 = 81 | goals2 = 46
| years3 = 2006–2009 | clubs3 = ] | caps3 = 71 | goals3 = 15
| years4 = 2007–2008 | clubs4 = ] | caps4 = 2 | goals4 = 0
| years5 = 2009– | clubs5 = ] | caps5 = 75 | goals5 = 29 <!-- LEAGUE GAMES ONLY - When you update this parameter, please update the pcupdate parameter! -->
| nationalyears1 = 2004 | nationalteam1 = ] | nationalcaps1 = 5 | nationalgoals1 = 0
| nationalyears2 = 2004– | nationalteam2 = ] | nationalcaps2 = 95 | nationalgoals2 = 43 <!-- When you update this parameter, please update the ntupdate parameter! -->
| pcupdate = 27 December 2011
| ntupdate = 23:31, 25 November 2011 (UTC)
}}

'''Lukas Josef Podolski''' ({{IPA-de|ˈluːkas poˈdɔlski}}); born ''Łukasz Podolski'' {{IPA-pl|ˈwukaʂ poˈdɔlski|IPA}}) on 4 June 1985 in ], ]) is a ] ] who plays as a ]/] for ] and for the ]. He joined ] in 1995 where he broke into the first team in 2003 and made 81 appearances for the club before moving to ]. After three years in Munich with mixed success, Podolski returned to Köln. He was first ] by ] in 2004 and has been part of the squad in all major tournaments since then. Although he was eligible to play for ] and ], Podolski chose to play for ].

==Personal life==
Podolski was born to Waldemar Podolski and to Krystyna Podolska, a former member of the ] in the ]n industrial town of ] (near ]), ].<ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.independent.co.uk/sport/football/internationals/germany-2-poland-0-polishborn-podolski-strikes-twice-to-double-german-delight-842873.html|title=Germany 2 Poland 0: Polish-born Podolski strikes twice to double German delight|work=]|first=Jason|last=Burt|date=9 June 2008|accessdate=9 June 2008}}</ref>

In 1987, when Łukasz Podolski was two years old, his family emigrated from Poland to ] and was given '']'' status as a result of his paternal grandparents having German citizenship prior to WWII (Gliwice had until 1945 been a part of Germany as ''Gleiwitz'').<ref>{{cite web|title=Podolski und Klose – Zwei Polen im Einsatz für Deutschland|work=Kleine Zeitung|accessdate=6 June 2008|language=German|url=http://www.kleinezeitung.at/sport/fussball/euro2008/gruppeb/1318624/index.do}}</ref> Podolski grew up in ], and later in ], both near ].<ref>{{cite web|title=M 02.11 Lukas Podolski|accessdate=17 October 2007|language=German|work=www.bpb.de|url=http://www.bpb.de/methodik/3ILKPA,0,0,M_02_11_Lukas_Podolski.html}}</ref>

Podolski holds both German and Polish nationality, but has stated that he does not have a Polish passport.<ref name=keinpass>{{cite web|url=http://www.welt.de/sport/em2008/article2091163/Lukas_Podolski_hat_gar_keinen_polnischen_Pass.html|title=Lukas Podolski hat gar keinen polnischen Pass|work=]|language=German|date=11 June 2008|accessdate=5 July 2010}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://sport.interia.pl/pilka-nozna/news/nie-mam-polskiego-paszportu,1126543?source=rss|title=Nie mam polskiego paszportu|work=Interia.pl|accessdate=10 June 2008|language=Polish}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.netzeitung.de/sport/em2008/1049957.html|title=Podolski und der polnische Pass|work=Netzeitung|accessdate=12 June 2008|language=German}}</ref><!-- The following citations do not support the cited statement and are hidden <ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.mirror.co.uk/sport/top-10s/2008/09/09/10-things-you-need-to-know-about-manchester-city-target-lukas-podolski-115875-20730217/|title=10 Things you need to know about Manchester City target Lukas Podolski|work=Mirror.co.uk|accessdate=9 August 2008}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.polen-digital.de/news/die-polnische-staatsangehorigkeit-soll-podolski-und-klose-entzogen-werden/|title=Die polnische Staatsangehörigkeit soll Podolski und Klose entzogen werden|work=Polen-digital.de|accessdate=9 June 2008|language=German}}</ref> --> In an interview Podolski said that the Polish football association never cared about him until he started playing for the German U21 national team and received coverage in the media. At that point, Podolski arrived at the decision, but nevertheless "there are two hearts beating" in his chest.<ref name=keinpass/> In an interview in the Polish ''Przegląd Sportowy'' from 2011, Podolski stated that he always wanted to play in Poland as he is a Pole but plays for the German team.<ref>{{cite web | url = http://www.sport.pl/sport-trojmiasto/1,111862,10238853,Lukas_Podolski__Gram_dla_Niemcow__ale_jestem_Polakiem.html | title = Lukas Podolski: Gram dla Niemców, ale jestem Polakiem | publisher = sport.pl | date = 6 September 2011 | accessdate = 16 December 2011}}</ref>

Podolski's longtime girlfriend Monika Puchalski gave birth to their first child, Louis Gabriel Podolski, on 14 April 2008.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.tz-online.de/sport/fussball/fc-bayern/poldi-im-glueck---mein-kleiner-louis-soll-noch-geschwister-bekommen-96190.html|title=Poldi im Glück – "Mein kleiner Louis soll noch Geschwister bekommen"|work=tz-online.de|accessdate=2 November 2009|date=22 June 2008|language=German}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://jetzt.sueddeutsche.de/texte/anzeigen/453341|title=Der kleine Prinz: Lukas Podolski spricht übers Vatersein|work=]|date=4 November 2008|accessdate=2 November 2009|language=German}}</ref> In April 2011, the couple married in a civil ceremony in ], Germany.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.spiegel.de/panorama/leute/0,1518,757836,00.html |title=Lukas Podolski heiratet langjährige Freundin | trans_title = Lukas Podolski marries longtime girlfriend |work=] |date=18 April 2011 |accessdate=19 April 2011 |language=German}}</ref> In June 2011, they had a church wedding in ], Poland.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.wspolczesna.pl/apps/pbcs.dll/article?aid=/20110612/pogodzinach/671227643 |title=Lukas Podolski ślub: Wesele odbyło się w Polsce |work=] |date=12 June 2011 |accessdate=12 June 2011 |language=Polish}}</ref> Podolski is a fan of ].<ref>{{cite web | url = http://www.soccerway.com/news/2010/September/10/polish-hometown-club-dreams-of-signing-podolski/ | title = Polish hometown club dreams of signing Podolski | publisher = Soccerway |date = 10 September 2010 | accessdate = 8 May 2011}}</ref>

==Club career==
===1. FC Köln===
Podolski began playing football at the age of six in the youth team of FC Bergheim, where he played until he joined ] in 1995. It was there 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 ]. First team boss ], working on a shoestring budget, invited Podolski to train with the senior players and he made his top flight debut shortly afterwards on 22 November 2003. Even though Köln failed to avoid a drop to the ], 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.{{Citation needed|reason=december 2009|date=December 2009}}

Though his call up to the ] ] squad brought along interest from several top clubs, Podolski stayed at Köln to help the club gain promotion in the ]. 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 Köln were promoted, the pressure was on Podolski to keep the club in the Bundesliga practically singlehandedly. Podolski managed to score 12 goals in the ], but eventually, Köln were relegated again. It became clear that Podolski would not stay again to push them through the ]—even more so, as Podolski was becoming an integral part of the national team.

===Bayern Munich===
In 2006, clubs such as ], ], ], ], and even ] manifested their interest in Podolski, even though he had a contract with ] through 2007. On 1 June 2006, Podolski announced that a transfer agreement had been reached with Bayern Munich, allowing him to join the Bavarian side for the 2006–07 season. Financial details of the deal were not immediately available, but the transfer fee was speculated to be around 10 million euro. He made his Bundesliga debut for Bayern on 11 August 2006 with a 2–0 victory against Borussia Dortmund, coming on as a substitute in the 88th minute. On 9 September 2006, he came on as a second half substitute in a DFB cup game versus ]. Only 26 seconds after the second half started, he scored the ], evening the match 1–1. On 14 October 2006, with his first Bundesliga goal for Bayern, Podolski helped to secure the club's 4–2 win over ]. On 26 October 2006, Podolski suffered a serious injury to his right ankle joint caused by teammate, ], during a training session. Consequently, Podolski missed more than five match weeks. He returned from this injury and scored against ]. He sometimes communicates with former Bayern and fellow national team striker ], also a Polish-born '']'', in ] to hinder their opposition's understanding of their conversation.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://euro2008.uefa.com/tournament/players/player=62594/index.html|title=20 – Lukas Podolski|work=euro2008.uefa.com|accessdate=1 November 2008}}</ref>

When Bayern brought in Italian striker ], "Poldi" was moved down the pecking order and received less playing time due to the coach's preference to partner Klose and Toni together instead. After a rather unhappy season at Bayern, he returned to former club ] on 1 July 2009.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.transfermarketweb.com/?action=read&idsel=30333|title=GERMANY/ OFFICIAL, Podolski at Koeln next summer|accessdate=19 January 2009|date=19 January 2009}}</ref>

===Return to FC Köln===
After Podolski was assured by ] ] ] that a return to ] would not harm his chances of international football, an agreement to sign him was agreed between ] and Köln on 20 January 2009, although he would not return to Köln until the start of the summer transfer window. On 1 July, Podolski returned to Köln on a four-year contract, and the transfer is speculated to be around 10 million euro, equivalent to the fee Bayern paid to sign him in 2006.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.football.co.uk/koln/low_assurance_for_podolski_276634.shtml|title=Low assurance for Podolski|work=football.co.uk|accessdate=2 November 2009|date=14 January 2009}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.insideworldsoccer.com/2009/01/podolski-secures-koln-return.html|title=Podolski secures Köln return|work=insideworldsoccer.com|accessdate=2 November 2009|date=20 January 2009}}</ref> Köln created a website where people were able to buy pixels of an image of Lukas Podolski for €25 per 8x8 pixel square, in order to gather €1 million to reduce the cost of the transfer.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.thespoiler.co.uk/index.php/2009/02/04/fc-koln-find-unique-way-of-funding-podolski-transfer|title=FC Köln find unique way of funding Podolski transfer|work=thespoiler.co.uk|accessdate=2 November 2009|date=4 February 2009}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://pixel.fc-koeln.de/|title=1. FC Köln – Poldi-Pixel|work=pixel.fc-koeln.de|accessdate=2 November 2009}}</ref>

Having just moved from Bayern Munich, Podolski had a poor first season at Köln, scoring just three times the entire season. One of his goals however, came from a free kick against his former club to salvage a draw.

In the ] season, Podolski scored his 50th Bundesliga goal in the match against ] in March 2011. During the entire season, Podolski scored thirteen goals and seven assists.

==International career==
]]]

===International debut and breakthrough===
In late 2003, after several impressive performances in his first few ] games, Polish media suggested then-Polish national team coach ] should check Podolski out, as he was still eligible to play for Poland. Janas ignored the request stating in one of the press interviews that "as for today we have much better strikers in Poland and I don't see a reason to call up a player just because he played one or two good matches in the Bundesliga. He's not even a regular starter at his club." By that time Podolski was still interested in representing ], but as the season progressed German media increasingly highlighted his performances to suggest he should be called up to the ]. When his full potential was finally unveiled, he had already decided to represent Germany. At the end of the season Köln were relegated, but Podolski impressed so much, that he held his debut for ]'s Germany on 6 June 2004, at age 19, in ] against ] with a late substitute appearance. He had become the first second-division player since 1975 to break into the national team.

===Euro 2004===
Podolski played for ] at ], where he was the squad's youngest player. He made one substitute appearance in the game against the ], when he came on for ] at half-time.

===World Cup 2006===
Podolski was selected in the ] for the ], where he partnered ] as the attack duo in the starting lineup. He scored his first ever World Cup goal in Germany's third group match against ], and both goals in the 2–0 win over ] in the round of 16. He became the first player since 1962 to score two goals in the first 12 minutes of a World Cup match and only the third player ever to accomplish the feat. Germany finished third in the tournament, and while his teammate ] won the ], Podolski's three goals tied him for second place with ], ], ], ], ], ] and ]. Podolski was named the World Cup's ] ahead of players like ] or ].

===Euro 2008===
In a ] qualifying game against ] in ] Podolski netted four goals in Germany's record 13–0 thrashing. He is one of only four German players to score four goals in an international match. He was the third after ] and ], and since this, ] has accomplished this feat. In Germany's 4–1 win against ] in ] on 11 October 2006, he scored the first and the last German goal, both on assists by ]. He has continued to score goals at an astonishing rate. On 17 November 2007, in a ] match against ], Podolski was involved in every goal in Germany's 4–0 victory. This was one of Podolski's best performances for the national team. Even though he played out of his natural position, playing at left midfield, he netted one goal himself and was voted Man of the Match.

On 8 June 2008, Podolski made his Euro 2008 entrance against debutants ] in a ] match in ], ]. He scored both goals in a 2–0 victory. He avoided celebrating his goals, however, to show respect for his country of birth. After the game he gave an emotional interview on Polish television. The goals put him in the lead in the Euro 2008 goal-scoring list for two days until ] scored a hat-trick for ] against ].<ref>{{cite web|url=http://en.euro2008.uefa.com/tournament/matches/match=300685/report=rp.html|title=Podolski double gets Germany going|accessdate=1 November 2008|work=euro2008.uefa.com}}</ref>

On 12 June, Germany played ] in their second Group B match, again in Klagenfurt. Podolski scored the German team's only goal of the game in the 79th minute, by which time the Croatians were already leading 2–0. He did not celebrate this goal either despite it putting him joint first on the Euro 2008 goal-scoring list with ]. Podolski's goal was not enough to snatch a draw, with Croatia holding out for a 2–1 victory over Germany.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.euro2008.uefa.com/tournament/matches/match=300693/report=rp.html|title=Olić kick-starts Croatian celebrations|accessdate=1 November 2008|work=euro2008.uefa.com}}</ref> On 19 June, Germany played Portugal in the quarterfinal in ], Podolski was instrumental in the first goal, whipping a cross into the penalty box that was slotted home by ] in the 22nd minute to give Germany a 1–0 lead.

On the international scene, Podolski seems to be gravitating towards an attacking left midfield role from his traditional place as a striker. Initially, Löw had moved him to the wing in order to accommodate the partnership of Klose and ] up front. When this backfired, he resumed his forward position in the ], but was unable to prevent Germany losing 1–0 to ]. In a controversial incident, Podolski was headbutted by Spanish midfielder ], although this went unnoticed by the referee and his assistants, and went unpenalised. Lukas Podolski was named in the 23 man squad as one of the players of the tournament along with countrymen ] and ].

===2010 FIFA World Cup===
On 6 September 2008, Podolski scored the opening two goals in Germany's first ] qualifier against ] in ]; a match that ended in a 6–0 victory for the Germans. He scored the opener in the 2–1 home win over ] on 11 October, when he turned ] on the edge of the penalty area, before unleashing a powerful shot past Russia's goalkeeper ]. He finished the qualification campaign second highest scorer of ] with 6 goals, behind teammate ]'s 7. During one of the qualifying matches, he was involved in a bust-up with team captain Michael Ballack.

On 13 June 2010, Podolski, who had become accustomed to his position as a winger scored the first goal in Germany's World Cup opening game in a 4–0 win against Australia, before assisting teammate ] for the third goal.

On 18 June 2010, Podolski missed a second-half penalty after a handling infraction committed by ] in the 1–0 loss to Serbia. The German team had gone down to 10-men after a second yellow was shown to ] in the 36th minute. Even though the Germans played with 10-men throughout the rest of the game, Podolski had numerous chances on goal. However he was unable to capitalize, and the game ended in a surprise defeat for the Germans. However, he managed to score against ] in the last 16, giving Germany a 2–0 advantage in the first half. They went on to beat England 4–1.<ref>{{cite news|first=Phil|last=McNulty|url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport2/hi/football/world_cup_2010/matches/match_51/default.stm|title=Germany 4–1 England|date=27 June 2010|accessdate=28 June 2010|work=]}}</ref>

In the quarter final against ], Podolski ] Klose to a goal, bringing the score to 2–0. The Germans won the match 4–0.<ref>{{cite news|first=Chris|last=Bevan|url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport2/hi/football/world_cup_2010/matches/match_59/default.stm|title=Argentina 0–4 Germany|work=]|date=3 July 2010|accessdate=3 July 2010}}</ref>

===Euro 2012===
During qualification, Podolski provided assists for three goals and scored three times, helping Germany to win all 10 matches of their qualification campaign.

==Career statistics==
===Club===
{{updated|27 December 2011}}
{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center;"
|-
!colspan="3"|Club performance
!colspan="2"|League
!colspan="2"|Cup
!colspan="2"|League Cup
!colspan="2"|]
!colspan="2"|Total
|-
!Club!!League!!Season!!Apps!!Goals!!Apps!!Goals!!Apps!!Goals!!Apps!!Goals!!Apps!!Goals
|-
|rowspan="3"|1. FC Köln II
|rowspan="3"|]
|]
|1||0||colspan="2"|–||colspan="2"|–||colspan="2"|–||1||0
|-
|]
|1||0||colspan="2"|–||colspan="2"|–||colspan="2"|–||1||0
|-
!Total
!2!!0!!colspan="2"|–!!colspan="2"|–!!colspan="2"|–!!2!!0
|-
|rowspan="4"|]
|rowspan="1"|]
|]
|19||10||1||0||colspan="2"|–||colspan="2"|–||20||10
|-
|rowspan="1"|]
|]
|30||24||2||5||colspan="2"|–||colspan="2"|–||32||29
|-
|rowspan="2"|]
|]
|32||12||1||0||colspan="2"|–||colspan="2"|–||33||12
|-
!Total
!81!!46!!4!!5!!colspan="2"|–!!colspan="2"|–!!84!!51
|-
|rowspan="4"|]
|rowspan="4"|]
|]
|22||4||3||2||2||0||7||1||34||7
|-
|]
|25||5||4||0||0||0||12||5||41||10
|-
|]
|24||6||3||1||colspan="2"|–||4||2||31||9
|-
!Total
!71!!15!!10!!3!!2!!0!!23!!8!!106!!26
|-
|rowspan="2"|]
|rowspan="2"|]
|]
|2||0||colspan="2"|–||colspan="2"|–||colspan="2"|–||2||0
|-
!Total
!2!!0!!colspan="2"|–!!colspan="2"|–!!colspan="2"|–!!2!!0
|-
|rowspan="4"|]
|rowspan="4"|]
|]
|27||2||4||1||colspan="2"|–||colspan="2"|–||31||3
|-
|]
|32||13||2||1||colspan="2"|–||colspan="2"|–||34||14
|-
|]
|16||14||2||0||colspan="2"|–||colspan="2"|–||18||14
|-
!Total
!75!!29!!8!!2!!colspan="2"|–!!colspan="2"|–!!83!!31
|-
!colspan="3"|Career total
!231!!90!!22!!10!!2!!0!!23!!8!!278!!108
|}

Moved to Arsenal in the January Transfer Window

===International career statistics===
<ref>{{NFT player|8019}}</ref><ref>{{cite web | url = http://www.rsssf.com/miscellaneous/podolski-intlg.html | title = Lukas Podolski - Goals in International Matches | publisher = RSSSF | accessdate = 8 May 2011}}</ref>
{{Football player national team statistics|GER}}
|-
|2004||8||2
|-
|2005||12||8
|-
|2006||17||12
|-
|2007||7||2
|-
|2008||16||7
|-
|2009||9||6
|-
|2010||14||5
|-
|2011||8||1
|-
!Total||91||43
|}

Arsenal
Forever - Lots of goals.

===International goals===
::''Scores and results table. Germany's goal tally first:''

{| class="wikitable collapsible collapsed" style="font-size:90%; text-align:left; margin:auto;"
|-
! # !! Date !! Venue !! Opponent !! Score !! Result !! Competition
|-
| 1. || 21 December 2004 || ], ], ] || {{fb|Thailand}} || '''3'''–1 || 5–1 || ]
|-
| 2. || 21 December 2004 || Rajamangala Stadium, Bangkok, Thailand || {{fb|Thailand}} || '''5'''–1 || 5–1 || Friendly
|-
| 3. || 26 March 2005 || ], ], ] || {{fb|Slovenia}} || '''1'''–0 || 1–0 || Friendly
|-
| 4. || 4 June 2005 || ], ], ] || {{fb|Northern Ireland}} || '''4'''–1 || 4–1 || Friendly
|-
| 5. || 15 June 2005 || ], ], ] || {{fb|Australia}} || '''4'''–2 || 4–3 || ]
|-
| 6. || 25 June 2005 || ], ], ] || {{fb|Brazil}} || '''1'''–1 || 2–3 || FIFA Confederations Cup 2005
|-
| 7. || 29 June 2005 || ], ], ] || {{fb|Mexico}} || '''1'''–0 || 4–3 || FIFA Confederations Cup 2005
|-
| 8. || 7 September 2005 || ], ], ] || {{fb|South Africa}} || '''1'''–0 || 4–2 || Friendly
|-
| 9. || 7 September 2005 || Olympiastadion Berlin, Berlin, Germany || {{fb|South Africa}} || '''3'''–1 || 4–2 || Friendly
|-
| 10. || 7 September 2005 || Olympiastadion Berlin, Berlin, Germany || {{fb|South Africa}} || '''4'''–2 || 4–2 || Friendly
|-
| 11. || 27 May 2006 || ], ], ] || {{fb|Luxembourg}} || '''3'''–0 || 7–0 || Friendly
|-
| 12. || 27 May 2006 || Badenova Stadion, Freiburg, Germany || {{fb|Luxembourg}} || '''5'''–0 || 7–0 || Friendly
|-
| 13. || 20 June 2006 || ], ], ] || {{fb|Ecuador}} || '''3'''–0 || 3–0 || ]
|-
| 14. || 24 June 2006 || ], ], ] || {{fb|Sweden}} || '''1'''–0 || 2–0 || FIFA World Cup 2006
|-
| 15. || 24 June 2006 || Allianz Arena, Munich, Germany || {{fb|Sweden}} || '''2'''–0 || 2–0 || FIFA World Cup 2006
|-
| 16. || 2 September 2006 || ], ], ] || {{fb|Republic of Ireland}} || '''1'''–0 || 1–0 || ]
|-
| 17. || 6 September 2006 || ], ], ] || {{fb|San Marino}} || '''1'''–0 || 13–0 || UEFA Euro 2008 qualifying
|-
| 18. || 6 September 2006 || Stadio Olimpico, Serravalle, San Marino || {{fb|San Marino}} || '''5'''–0 || 13–0 || UEFA Euro 2008 qualifying
|-
| 19. || 6 September 2006|| Stadio Olimpico, Serravalle, San Marino || {{fb|San Marino}} || '''8'''–0 || 13–0 || UEFA Euro 2008 qualifying
|-
| 20. || 6 September 2006 || Stadio Olimpico, Serravalle, San Marino || {{fb|San Marino}} || '''10'''–0 || 13–0 || UEFA Euro 2008 qualifying
|-
| 21. || 11 October 2006 || ], ], ] || {{fb|Slovakia}} || '''1'''–0 || 4–1 || UEFA Euro 2008 qualifying
|-
| 22. || 11 October 2006 || Tehelné Pole Stadion, Bratislava, Slovakia || {{fb|Slovakia}} || '''4'''–1 || 4–1 || UEFA Euro 2008 qualifying
|-
| 23. || 12 September 2007 || ], ], ] || {{fb|Romania}} || '''3'''–1 || 3–1 || Friendly
|-
| 24. || 17 November 2007 || ], ], ] || {{fb|Cyprus}} || '''3'''–0 || 4–0 || UEFA Euro 2008 qualifying
|-
| 25. || 26 March 2008 || ], ], ] || {{fb|Switzerland}} || '''4'''–0 || 4–0 || Friendly
|-
| 26. || 8 June 2008 || ], ], ] || {{fb|Poland}} || '''1'''–0 || 2–0 || ]
|-
| 27. || 8 June 2008 || Wörthersee Stadion, Klagenfurt, Austria || {{fb|Poland}} || '''2'''–0 || 2–0 || UEFA Euro 2008
|-
| 28. || 12 June 2008 || Wörthersee Stadion, Klagenfurt, Austria || {{fb|Croatia}} || '''1'''–2 || 1–2 || UEFA Euro 2008
|-
| 29. || 6 September 2008 || ], ], ] || {{fb|Liechtenstein}} || '''1'''–0 || 6–0 || ]
|-
| 30. || 6 September 2008 || Rheinpark Stadion, Vaduz, Liechtenstein || {{fb|Liechtenstein}} || '''2'''–0 || 6–0 || FIFA World Cup 2010 qualifying
|-
| 31. || 11 October 2008 ||], ], ] || {{fb|Russia}} || '''1'''–0 || 2–1 || FIFA World Cup 2010 qualifying
|-
| 32. || 28 March 2009 ||], ], ] || {{fb|Liechtenstein}} || '''4'''–0 || 4–0 || FIFA World Cup 2010 qualifying
|-
| 33. || 29 May 2009 ||], ], ] || {{fb|China}} || '''1'''–1 || 1–1 || Friendly
|-
| 34. || 9 September 2009 ||], ], ] || {{fb|Azerbaijan}} || '''4'''–0 || 4–0 || FIFA World Cup 2010 qualifying
|-
| 35. || 14 October 2009 ||], ], ] || {{fb|Finland}} || '''1'''–1 || 1–1 || FIFA World Cup 2010 qualifying
|-
| 36. || 18 November 2009 ||], ], ] || {{fb|Ivory Coast}} || '''1'''–0 || 2–2 || Friendly
|-
| 37. || 18 November 2009 ||Veltins-Arena, Gelsenkirchen, Germany || {{fb|Ivory Coast}} || '''2'''–2 || 2–2 || Friendly
|-
| 38. || 29 May 2010 || ], ], ] || {{fb|Hungary}} || '''1'''–0 || 3–0 || Friendly
|-
| 39. || 13 June 2010 || ], ], ] || {{fb|Australia}} || '''1'''–0 || 4–0 || ]
|-
| 40. || 27 June 2010 || ], ], ] || {{fb|England}} || '''2'''–0 || 4–1 || FIFA World Cup 2010
|-
| 41. || 7 September 2010 || ], ], ]|| {{fb|Azerbaijan}} || '''2'''–0 || 6–1 || ]
|-
| 42. || 12 October 2010 || ], ], ] || {{fb|Kazakhstan}} || '''3'''–0 || 3–0 || UEFA Euro 2012 qualifying
|-
| 43. || 2 September 2011 || ], ], ] || {{fb|Austria}} || '''3'''–0 || 6–2 || UEFA Euro 2012 qualifying
|}

==Honours==
===Club===
''']'''
* ]: ]

''']'''
* ]: ]
* ]: ]
* ]: 2007

===Individual===
* ]: ]
* ] ]<ref name="uefaeuro2008">{{cite web|url=http://www.euro2008.uefa.com/news/kind=1/newsid=729372.html|title=Spain dominate Team of the Tournament|date=30 June 2008|accessdate=30 June 2008|work=euro2008.uefa.com}}</ref>
* ]
*] (2):2006, 2010<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.rp-online.de/sport/fussball/nationalelf/wm/dfb/DFB-Elf-erhaelt-Silbernes-Lorbeerblatt_bid_59101.html|title=DFB-Elf erhält Silbernes Lorbeerblatt|accessdate=19 December 2010|language=German|work=]}}</ref>
* ] (24 goals): 2005

===National team===
* ] 3rd Place: 2006, 2010
* ] Runner-up: ]

==Attributed quotes==
* "So ist Fußball, manchmal gewinnt der bessere" (That's football, sometimes the better one wins)
* "Fussball ist wie Schach, nur ohne Würfel." (Football is like chess, only without the dice.) The quote has been published by Spiegel Online but has never been confirmed. Spiegel officially withdrew this quote.

==References==
{{Reflist|2}}

==External links==
{{Commons category|Lukas Podolski}}
* {{FIFA player|196789}}
* {{official website|http://www.lukas-podolski.com/}} {{de icon}} {{pl icon}}
* {{fussballdaten|id=podolskilukas|name=Lukas Podolski}}
* {{IMDb name|id=1889144|name=Lukas Podolski}}

{{Navboxes colour
|bg= gold
|title= Awards
|list1=
{{S-start}}
{{S-ach|aw}}
{{Succession box| before=Inaugural| title=]| years=2006|
after=]|}}
{{Succession box| before=] & ]| title=]| years=2008|
after=Incumbent|}}
{{S-end}}
{{2. Bundesliga top scorers}}
{{FIFA World Cup Best Young Player}}
{{UEFA EURO 2008 Team of the Tournament}}
}}
{{Navboxes colour
| bg = white
| fg = black
| bordercolor = black
| title = Germany squads
| list1 =
{{Germany Squad 2004 Euro U-21}}
{{Germany Squad Euro 2004}}
{{Germany Squad Confederations Cup 2005}}
{{Germany Squad 2006 World Cup}}
{{Germany Squad 2008 Euro Cup}}
{{Germany Squad 2010 World Cup}}
}}
{{1. Arsenal Fc squad}}

{{Persondata <!-- Metadata: see ] -->
| NAME = Podolski, Lukas
| ALTERNATIVE NAMES =
| SHORT DESCRIPTION = German footballer
| DATE OF BIRTH = 4 June 1985
| PLACE OF BIRTH = ], ]
| DATE OF DEATH =
| PLACE OF DEATH =
}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Podolski, Lukas}}
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Revision as of 17:47, 2 January 2012