Lukas Podolski, the German striker who played for both Arsenal and Inter Milan, now manages a chain of kebab shops while still playing for Polish first division team Gornik Zabrze. In a recent interview with Gazzetta dello Sport, he shared his thoughts on the upcoming Champions League match between his former clubs.
When asked if he would sign for Inter again, Podolski said, “Looking back, maybe I wouldn’t accept. I have nothing against Inter, mind you, it’s a top-level club, but moving during the season isn’t a good idea. You need to adapt to a new league, a new country, and so on. But I’ve learned my lesson.”
Reflecting on his time with Arteta at Arsenal, Podolski recalled, “Even back then, he was ‘obsessed’ with football. He constantly talked about tactics, schemes, game situations. In the locker room, sometimes we wanted to relax, but for him, there was only and exclusively football. He pushed you to improve and complete yourself. He already had a special, different point of view. So it doesn’t surprise me that Arsenal plays like this.”
Comparing the two teams, Podolski stated, “It’s hard to say. Inter is Inter. Inzaghi’s philosophy is well known to everyone, but if I have to choose a style that bewitches me, I opt for Arteta’s. I love what he manages to convey when the Gunners play football.”
On the upcoming match, he predicted, “I say Thuram [will be the protagonist for Inter]. Arsenal doesn’t have a striker like him. They have Havertz, it’s true, but he’s not a number 9. The difference is all here.”
Podolski also praised Inter’s attack, saying, “I’ve known [Thuram] since he played in Germany, but now he’s become a real goal scorer. And it’s not easy to steal the spotlight from someone like Lautaro, top scorer in the last Serie A and Copa America. Inzaghi doesn’t have any particular problems when setting up the lineup. That’s the level of Inter – to have two such strong strikers as starters.”
When asked about the Ballon d’Or rankings, Podolski expressed his skepticism: “To be honest, I’ve never cared much about such awards. There’s a lot of ‘politics’ around who wins or who judges. In the history of football, several players deserved to win the trophy, and instead they didn’t. For me, the team counts, the collective, the whole, and Lautaro last year won Serie A and Copa America.”
Finally, Podolski shared the success of his kebab business: “It’s going great. The secret is that it knows how to adapt to anyone’s needs. Mangal Doener is a place designed for new generations. At the moment, we are one of the most important emerging realities in the world.”
