Löw and Podolski: One heart and one soul before the big farewell!

Löw and Podolski: One heart and one soul before the big farewell!

In the shadow of Lukas Podolski's upcoming game, which takes place on Thursday evening at 8:45 p.m. in the Rhein-Energie Stadium in Cologne, the special relationship between former national coach Joachim Löw and the long-time FC professional is increasingly coming into focus. This evening, Löw, together with his colleagues Hansi Flick and Andreas Köpke, will train Podolski's team and ceremoniously accompany their final performances.

Löw, who was Podolski's coach from 2004 to 2017, describes his time with the Cologne native as formative and emphasizes that they built a strong relationship of trust during these years. "We not only achieved the 2014 World Cup title together, but much more. Our collaboration was characterized by trust," said Löw in an interview with the Kölner Stadt-Anzeiger.

The successes of our time together

Joachim Löw, who first rose to the role of key coach as Jürgen Klinsmann's assistant, guided Podolski in most major tournaments and was clearly a key figure in the striker's career. During this time, Podolski appeared in 130 international matches, scoring 49 goals and showing tireless commitment to the national team. Löw emphasized how special it is that someone like Podolski, who not only has success on the pitch but also always acts modestly and with a big heart, has achieved such great popularity in German football history.

"His positive charisma and his open ear for the fans make him a unique personality. There is hardly anyone who is as highly valued as Lukas," the coach continued, praising Podolski's ability to adapt to different cultures and convey a positive attitude to life.

Podolski's influence and future

Although Löw and Podolski have different views in terms of age and perspectives, the joy of having such a humorous and likeable player on the team has been a constant. “Luke is not only an outstanding athlete, but also a person with infectious lightness and empathy,” Löw continued. “He always has the big picture in mind and is very well respected by his teammates and the entire team.”

The former coach also admired how fit Podolski still is at 39 years old. “He could certainly play at a high level for a few more years, but I hope he finds the right time to retire.” However, speculation about Podolski's future role at 1. FC Köln remains vague. Löw expressed his wish that Podolski would remain in football in some form, as he could do a lot for the sport and future generations.

Löw's words left an impression on Podolski. The multiple top scorer explained: "That's nice to hear. Jogi is not only a great coach from whom I learned a lot, but also a wonderful person. His honest nature always challenged and motivated me." Podolski also does not forget to acknowledge the shared harvest of the 2014 World Cup title as a result of hard work.

For more information about this moving coach-player relationship and the farewell to Lukas Podolski, you can here read up.