Interview
[Arsenal Media](/author/arsenal-media-2) 07 Dec 2025
More than 10 years after leaving Arsenal, with an FA Cup and 82 appearances to his name, Lukas Podolski is still playing top-flight football in Europe.
Now aged 40, the German forward features for Gornik Zabrze, currently setting the pace at the top of the Polish Ekstraklasa. It’s the latest stop on an incredible career that started at his hometown club Cologne and took in three seasons at Bayern Munich before coming to Arsenal in the summer of 2012.
He scored 16 goals in his debut season, and lifted the FA Cup at the end of his second. That summer he went on to win the World Cup with the German national team, alongside fellow Gunners Per Mertesacker and Mesut Ozil.
After another half season with us, he went to Inter Milan on loan before playing for Galatasaray and Antalyaspor in Turkey – with a three-year stint in Japan’s J1 League sandwiched in between. He has been at Gornik Zabrze since 2021, and has now racked up 700 club appearances, as well as 130 senior caps for his country.
Famed for his ferocious left foot, Poldi is also fondly remembered at the club for his sparkling personality and sense of humour. We caught up with him ahead of our meeting between two of his former clubs.
**First of all Poldi, you are still playing at 40 – you must have looked after yourself?!**
Yes, of course you have to look after yourself, but you also have to love what you do. I’m also lucky I didn’t have big injuries like some other players had. I’m still strong, I’m still mentally strong so when you love what you do and you are full of energy and everything, I think you can do it. From that team I played with at Arsenal I think it’s just myself and Santi Cazorla still playing, and Wojciech Szczesny.
I’m happy to still be playing at 40. It’s a big deal for me because often when players get to 33, 34, 35, they are ending their career and it’s getting harder. Of course you cannot play at the top level, in the top five leagues, because age doesn’t lie. Things are different but I’m still hungry, I still love what I do and that’s why I’m still playing.
**Have you thought about what you will do afterwards?**
I haven’t taken any coaching license at the moment. Lots of players do that during their career, but I want to stop playing football first. That’s when I will look into what I like. I will wait. I also have some businesses running around football, and some things away from football.
But of course, I want to give something back because I learned a lot in football, not only on the pitch. I’ve played for different clubs in different countries. I’ve met a lot of people, managers and everything. I want to do something with that knowledge – that’s important too.
**Let’s go back then to your Arsenal days, when you signed in 2012. Can you remember how the transfer came about?**
Yes, I was outside my apartment in Cologne and I got a call from Arsene Wenger. It was a dream for me. I was playing for Cologne so going to such a big club as Arsenal and playing in the Premier League – it was a big dream for me. I was so happy when I got the call and I knew I had to make the move. I had many clubs interested in me, but once Arsène called there was no other club for me.
Also, when I met the people from the club, I knew this was the right decision because it felt like a family. All the people around the club, not only the coaching staff, but also the people in the backrooms and everything. The bus driver, the physios – I could feel this club was something special. I think that was one of my best days because Arsenal is a big club. Not everyone can play in the Premier League, but I played there and I played for a great club.
**What was it that Arsène said to you?**
We talked about how the club was and what his plans were for me, my position, why he wanted to bring me in and everything. I felt there was a real interest. It wasn’t an agent, or the assistant coach – no, the head coach called me and that meant a lot. I felt something special.
**It was the first time you had left Germany to play elsewhere. What were the main differences you noticed?**
The language was difficult. Not as difficult as for example in Japan when I played there. But really it was not a big difference because I had played three years for Bayern Munich, which is also a big club who wants to win trophies every year, with a big stadium, big fanbase and fantastic players. So that experience helped me, but it was not a big deal to move from Cologne to London because I have that character. I like the competition and I felt it was the right decision.
Then you find an apartment, you meet your new teammates but nothing surprised me because everyone knows about Arsenal before. It’s a big history, a big club. You know Arsène Wenger, you know the players. Per also helped me a lot in the beginning, but in the end it’s about football. It’s about training well, fighting for the three points and fighting for the badge. This was always important for me, to fight and to give everything in training, in games and also to do everything for the fans.
**You always had a great relationship with the supporters, didn’t you?**
Yes, for me, fans are football. Without fans, football is nothing. Of course you always want to win trophies, but trophies for me isn’t everything because a football club is also about being connected with the people and having a good relationship.
I don’t like to just remember trophies because football is more than that. It’s always important to connect with the fans, with the people and to help the club move forward.
**But you did manage to win trophies too – you lifted the FA Cup in 2014…**
Yes, winning the FA Cup and the World Cup in the same year was something special. I don’t know for how many years Arsenal didn’t win a trophy, I think it was nine, so to win that, and also to be a starting member for the final, playing at Wembley – these are moments you remember.
With 40,000 Arsenal fans in the stadium, this is for me football. This is passion. This is for the fans and the people in the club who give everything. So nine years without a trophy, to be there at that moment was something unbelievable.
**You won the World Cup with Per and Mesut too. How close were the three of you?**
We were close. We had a lot of French players who were also close and that’s normal when you share a dressing room – you’re always a little bit closer to the people from your country. But generally what I also liked was we had a really good dressing room.
We had a lot of fun there at Arsenal. It was a special group and that’s why we won something. Of course we had the quality, but without a good relationship and without a good dressing room, it’s difficult to win trophies.
**Who are you still in touch with from that team?**
I went to a Champions League game last year at Emirates Stadium and met up with everyone - I met Mikel, I met the staff but there are not many left from my time. But I’m in touch with everyone, I speak to Mesut and Per and always try to stay in touch. I saw Arsène Wenger at the Champions League final last season, so there is always somebody you know!
**You played with Mikel. Were there signs then he would go on to become a coach?**
Yes, you could see it during my time. He was always a leader, a captain, and you always saw in him something more than just a footballer. That he could make a career like he has, you never know from the beginning. But you saw he had some interest in more than just being a footballer. He already prepared to be a coach during his playing career, so it’s nice to see him back at Arsenal and doing a great job over the years.
I’m also happy that I shared the pitch with him and maybe one day when I stop playing football, he can teach me how to be a good coach! It’s nice to have someone like him to be an example of how it could work.
**So maybe we could see you back at Arsenal one day as a coach?**
Haha, let’s see! First of all, let me enjoy my time on the pitch. When I stop is when I can think about other things.
**What do you think of the current Arsenal team?**
I follow all the games when it’s possible. I always look for the score after my games. I still really connect with the club because I had a great time and remember it well. Also my family is still in love with the city and with the club. They always remember how well the people there treated us. You remember things like that, not just winning the FA Cup. And now Mikel and everyone at the club is building a strong team. They have been unlucky to finish second but this is the Premier League.
Everyone wants to be on top – let’s cross our fingers that we can be on top this year. In the Premier League every game is hard, but I have a good feeling. I have a feeling that something can happen and I hope to celebrate a title this season. There is a long way to go. You have to be motivated, you have to be calm and you have to be hungry every game, every single minute.
When you want to achieve something, you have to be hungry every second. I think Mikel has the right motivation and mentality and it’s nice to see how he moves the whole club forward. I hope he can stay there for a long time like Arsène Wenger did.
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