At the game of his club Gornik Zabrze, 2014 World Cup winner Lukas Podolski is brutal. And he shows no remorse afterwards.

In Cologne, he was celebrated just a few weeks ago at his farewell game. Now the former national soccer player Lukas Podolski is being booed and jeered. The 2014 World Cup winner attracted attention for his hard fouls and rowdy behavior during a local derby between his home club Gornik Zabrze and the team from Piast Gliwice. Online, fans called the 39-year-old Podolski a “field thug” and a “rowdy.”

In Sunday’s game, which Gornik Zabrze won 1-0, Podolski was substituted in the 73rd minute. In the 87th minute, he tackled his opponent Damian Kadzior from behind, hitting his ankle. That alone would have been enough to get at least a yellow card.

But Podolski then went even further: he showed his rival the so-called Kozakiewicz gesture. This involves slapping his left hand on his right arm and raising his right hand with a fist from above. In Poland, this means “sod you.” However, referee Pawel Raczkowski saw no reason to punish Podolski or send him off.

When Podolski’s teammate Yosuke Furukawa scored the 1:0 shortly after, the 130-time national player showed his brutal side again. He took a run-up and brought defender Jakub Czerwinski from Piast Gliwice down with a fierce shove. For this, he was shown the yellow card.

Lukas Podolski: violent push against opposing defender

“Poldi” is not really known for scenes like this. The football daredevil kicked balls into the goal net with his left foot, played for 1. FC Cologne, FC Bayern, FC Arsenal, and was part of the 2014 German World Cup-winning team. 130 international matches are on his CV. And now this: the attacker has earned the reputation of 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 reply. “You win trophies and play for big clubs with outbursts like that. 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 one,” it said. (fs / dpa)