Shocking confession. Podolski played for Arsenal and Bayern, became world champion, but made more money from his kebab business than football

Lukas Podolski is a football legend. He played for Arsenal, Bayern Munich and Inter Milan, and spent most of his career with Cologne. He helped Germany to the title of world champions. At 38, he is still playing football at the highest level. Yet he made one very surprising admission.

You may have thought he was retired from football, but no. Lukas Podolski is still playing. The 2014 German world champion, who scored 49 goals in 130 games for the German national team, is now 38 years old and playing in the top Polish league.

The man who once played for clubs such as Arsenal, Bayern Munich, Inter Milan and Cologne, is currently playing for Górnik Zabrze, where he will play from the summer of 2021.

In addition to being a world champion, he also has several club trophies to his name. He dominated all German competitions with Bayern, won the FA Cup and the League Cup with Arsenal, celebrated winning the Turkish Super Cup and Cup twice during his stint at Galatasaray, and also collected trophies in Japan.

Podolski may have been overlooked at times, but he has achieved a lot in his career. He has certainly left behind a significant legacy. Especially in Cologne, where he also celebrated several trophies, he will certainly never be forgotten.

What makes it all the more interesting, however, is the fact that a player of his calibre will claim to have earned more from his own business outside of football than he did during his sporting career.

Lukas Podolski shocked with his confession

Lukas Podolski currently lives, of course, in Poland, where he also plays. However, he opened a kebab chain in Germany in 2018 under the name Mangal Döner. There are no less than 40 branches of this business throughout the country.

“Whenever I am in Germany, I visit my businesses. I put my face into the business, which means I try to fully engage. If I didn’t, it wouldn’t work so well. If you want to succeed in life, you have to put yourself in the front row. Sometimes I help out in the kitchen, but otherwise I’m mostly busy with emails and calls. It’s time-consuming,” he admitted in an interview with La Gazzetta dello Sport.

One piece of information, however, surprised him a lot. He was asked how profitable his business is. Or rather, if it earns him more than football did when he was at the peak of his career. “Actually, if you look at the numbers, you could say that,” he replied.

He doesn’t dwell on it too much, though. Nor does he address his future and how much longer he’ll play. He enjoys living and playing in his hometown: “People like me here, I live close to the training ground. It’s great to be useful to my hometown club.”

He has a contract at the Polish club until the summer of 2025. He joked that if Gigi Buffon played until he was 45, he would like to last until he is 46. Once he got serious, he admitted that he will play as long as he feels comfortable.

Source: La Gazzetta dello Sport, Transfermarkt