Lukas Podolski said his final performance for Germany was like a great movie after he struck a stunning winning goal in Wednesday s clash with England.
The 31-year-old capped his 130th and final performance for the national team with a spectacular strike that sealed a 1-0 victory over Gareth Southgate s side at Signal Iduna Park.
Podolski was treated to a pitch-side presentation and crowd mosaic before the match and he was substituted late on to the sound of a standing ovation and Hans Zimmer s score to the Oscar-winning film Gladiator.
And the forward, who described his match-winning left foot as a gift from God, said it was difficult to imagine a more fitting farewell.
This is like a great movie, he told ARD. We win 1-0 and I score the goal.
I know I have a left foot that was probably gifted to me by God, or someone up there, and I can always rely on it. I am proud of these last 13 years.
From the atmosphere in the stadium you could see the connection I have with people from Cologne.
There were at least 30,000 people from Cologne in the stadium. It gives you goose bumps.
That’s when you know where you home is, and that you’ve done a lot of good, also off the pitch. That makes me very proud.
— Germany (@DFB_Team_EN)
Head coach Joachim Low felt the occasion was a fitting one for a player who sits third on the all-time appearance and goalscoring lists for Germany and lifted the World Cup in 2014.
That goal was typical Poldi, he said. Special players deserve a farewell like that. This is great for him.
We thought about substituting him earlier but at half-time he told us he wanted to play for longer. So we watched how the game went on and it was good he was still in it.
