During the game between his club Gornik Zabrze and Piast Gliwice, Lukas Podolski was brutal in several situations. Despite harsh criticism from all sides, the former world champion shows no remorse – on the contrary.
Former national player Lukas Podolski was noticed by his hard fouls and rowdy behavior during a local derby between his hometown club Gornik Zabrze and the team from Piast Gliwice. Online, fans insulted the 39-year-old Podolski as a “field bully” and a “bully.”
In Sunday’s encounter, which Gornik Zabrze won 1-0, the 2014 world champion came on as a substitute in the 73rd minute. In the 87th minute he slid into his opponent Damian Kadzior from behind and hit his ankle. That alone would have been enough for at least a yellow card.
Afterwards, Podolski turned things up even further: he showed his rival the so-called Kozakiewicz gesture. He hit his right arm with his left hand and raised his right hand from above with a fist. In Poland that means: “You can have me.” However, referee Pawel Raczkowski saw no reason to punish Podolski or take him off the field.
Violent push against opposing defender
After Podolski’s club colleague Yosuke Furukawa scored to make it 1-0 a little later, the 130-time national player was brutal again. He took a run and brought down defender Jakub Czerwinski from Piast Gliwice with a violent push. That’s why he got a yellow card.
The former offensive player of 1. FC Cologne earned a reputation as an “anti-hero” in the local derby, according to the sports portal “Przeglad Sportowy”. Former Spanish professional Gerard Badia, who once played for Piast Gliwice, also criticized Podolski’s behavior. “You can’t become an idiot, you have to be born an idiot,” he wrote on the X portal.
Podolski showed no remorse in his response. “Outbursts like that are how you win trophies and play at big clubs. Greetings, the idiot from Zabrze,” he wrote on X. In response, the Piast Gliwice club posted a photo of Damian Kadzior’s swollen foot. “If you call injuries to your opponents on the field trophies, then you can definitely add another,” it said.
dpa/rc
