How well I remember the day, how well I remember Lukas Podolski rising! On 4th of July 2006, the independence day of USA, one of the co-hosts of the World Cup 2026, but two decades back things looked different, but did have some links we might not even expect to find. Germany was back then the host of the World Cup, and so it reached the semi-final. Against Italy, the very last tournament when the future world champion – as they will crown in 2006 – will play in a knock out stage until at least 2030! It seems unbelievable, but it is not. Grosso and Del Piero secured a victory in the last seconds of the extra time. Crazy, Germany will play only for the bronze. And it did play, and did beat Portugal, 3-1 to claim the consolation prize. Nobody cared too much, but there is a catch.
Lukas Podolski, head to head with Cristiano Ronaldo
Number 20, in the German squad was a rookie: Lukas Podolski. Only 21 years of age, the youngster with Polish roots, but raised in Germany since 2 years of life, made a solid impression. Even against another 21 y.o. becoming star, a Portuguese: Cristiano Ronaldo. CR7, the guy who is spending the months of 2026 trying to score 1,000 career official goals played his only World Cup semifinal in… 2006! His opponent for the consolation prize, Podolski, made it again in 2010. This time with no. 10 on his back, but Spain, this time, clinched his dream, on South African soil. He won a second bronze against Uruguay, but he didn’t even played the game. At 25 years old he looked to have all the time in the world.
Lukas Podolski, to Gornik Zabrze, at 36 years
We all know that Germany won the FIFA World Cup in 2014, but this time Podolski, with more than 100 caps under his belt (at 29 years!!!) merely appeared in the group stage in two matches. We wasn’t keep it up anymore. He became world champion 12 years ago, but without any real merit. He made it a couple of more times for the national side, and in 2017, before his 32th birthday, he concluded his 130 caps with a final goal in a 1-0 win against England. More than nine years ago. After international football was over, Lukas played in Japan, some more low profile football in Turkey, and at the age of 36 of age he – no, he didn’t retired, even better for the story – returned to his roots: signed a contract with Gornik Zabrze, his childhood club, as many would say.
From World Cup to Polish Cup
These things are hard to be proven, but Lukas Podolski didn’t quit football, as many expected, but preferred to keep going. And he did for five more seasons! Now, at almost 41 years of age, even if he is far, very far away from the times when he made sensation at the World Cup, he took once more the spot light: he entered in the final minutes of the Polish Cup final: Gornik Zabrze – Raków Częstochowa 2-0. His club won the trophy after a pause of… 54 years! Which means, Lukas Podolski was not even born when the club manage to achieve its last similar success. Again, he didn’t have a decisive role, but he had, for sure, a honorary well deserved one, and the club made sure he is recognized as he should.
It would be nice to see Cristiano Ronaldo at Nacional Funchal
It is hard to believe that a prodigy from 2006 can still write pages in 2026, but Lukas Podolski does it beyond the World Cup, and, let’s be fair, regardless of what many say, to win at 41 years a trophy with Gornik Zabrze, means at any moment a better story than being champion with Al Nasr at the same age, not because of the continent, clubs and so on, because it is a lesson about courage, and about being able to play “normal” football after you had all the world at your feet. Maybe we will say the same thing at some point, about Cristiano Ronaldo. But for such a comparison, he would really need to win a Portuguese Cup with Nacional Funchal. It looks even a harder story, but yet not impossible.
No World Cup for Poland in 2026
Then, Poland, didn’t qualify at the World Cup in 2026, Lewandowski didn’t make it, but another Poland born boy, but who became a great German footballer, manages to put some headlines who nobody thought possible with only a few weeks before the World Cup from 2026, where maybe other pages of history are awaited to be written, even if mostly the expectation is for a show, festival, celebration. Less of sports, unfortunately, having 48 teams, as we already discussed in the past here.
Photo source: gornikzabrze.pl