Man On: Joakim Noah & Jozy Altidore Interview World Cup Winner Lukas Podolski

The latest episode of Man On featured one of soccer‘s most accomplished players as 2014 World Cup champion Lukas Podolski joined hosts Joakim Noah and Jozy Altidore for a wide-ranging conversation about his remarkable career, life after retirement and the ventures keeping him busy off the pitch.

From growing up on the streets of Germany and winning football’s biggest prize to mentoring the next generation and building a business empire, Podolski reflected on the experiences that shaped him.

Before wrapping up the episode, Joakim even turned the tables on Jozy, putting the Buffalo Bills minority owner on the spot for a few NFL predictions.

Growing Up Without a Plan B

Podolski’s football journey began long before packed stadiums and World Cup glory. Looking back, he said there was never another career path in mind.

When did you know football was what you wanted to do?

It was always the target. You know, I didn’t have a Plan B. So my target was always to be a footballer.

So I grew up on the streets in a poor area. I grew up on the street, played on the street. Later on, of course, you went to a club and trained more professionally.

But I liked to grow up on the streets because I learned there so much—this energy, this culture, connecting with the people, doing something else.

These days, you have a script, you have a plan. At my time, you just went out. You were just playing till night. You did what you wanted.

And these days, you have these coaches. You cannot come home late. The parents are calling you. You have to eat like a professional. You only have to drink water and stuff like that.

So this was not my time.

And I always remember my childhood as the best. I would do it all the same way, exactly the same. I would never change anything.

The Family Support That Shaped a World Cup Champion

Podolski says talent alone isn’t enough to build a successful career. Having the support of his parents gave him the foundation he needed to pursue his dream.

How much did your family influence your career?

I am lucky to have parents who supported me. My mother was a professional handball player. My father was a football player, like me. Having that support is important.

But next to that, it’s much more important to have the love from your parents, the support, them looking after you and stuff like this.

I think these days parents are important because I know many, many players or friends who had problems at home with their family, with their parents. And this is a problem when you grow up, especially as a sportsman, if you don’t have a hero at home.

So I am lucky to have great parents who supported me. My father, of course, helped me later on on the pitch. I was training with him on the court, on the street. So I’m lucky to have my mom and dad, of course.

Why FC Köln Will Always Feel Like Home

Although Podolski enjoyed successful spells across Europe, no club holds a more special place in his heart than FC Köln, where his professional career began.

What does FC Köln mean to you?

When I was two, I moved from Poland to Germany to have a better life because at that time Poland was not like it is these days.

So I moved with my family to Germany. As I said, I grew up on the streets, and then my first professional club was Cologne. Till today, it’s my first club.

So I would say I’m like a Cologne boy, a hero there. I think every player has his childhood club. You have it, you have it. So you always look back, you always try to support them, and this is what I’m doing.

So Cologne is my club. They’re playing in the Bundesliga, the first league. Big club.

And yeah, you know, I look after them. I support them, and maybe one day I will have a position at the club—as a coach, in management, or something else—to give my advice and what I learned during my career, to give it to the people, to the young people, to the people in the club.

Let’s see what’s next.

What Arsène Wenger Taught Him

During his seasons with Arsenal, Podolski played under legendary manager Arsène Wenger, whom he credits with teaching lessons that extended well beyond football.

What was it like playing for Arsène Wenger?

I remember when I was in Cologne, I was around walking on the streets and I got a call from a UK number. It was Arsène Wenger. He can speak German, and says “Hi – how are you?” and stuff like that. He says “I want you, you fit in my system and we’ve been following you.”

He was a great person, more like a dad for the dressing room. He never got nervous. He never shouted. He always stayed calm and explained exactly what he expected from you. A really nice guy inside the dressing room.

Arsenal’s style of football, the one- and two-touch passing, that’s what people remember. That’s what Arsène Wenger did at Arsenal. When I see the stadium, the facilities, everything that’s there is from Arsene Wenger. He is the man, he is the Arsenal man.

For me, it was a great honor to work with him, on the pitch, off the pitch. Always nice to meet him, great person, great heart. This is more important than what he did on the pitch. I learned so much from him, not just on the pitch but about how to behave as a person. I’m lucky to have met somebody like him.

Learning From Every Stop Around the World

From Germany to England, Türkiye and Japan, Podolski embraced every stop of his career, believing each country taught him something different.

How different were your experiences playing around the world?

You know, everything is different. You know, different league, different culture, different countries. So, different fan base, you know. Turkey is crazy. When you enter this arena, you know, you are in hell. They are crazy.

Everywhere is a different culture, and from every station you learn something on the pitch and off the pitch. So, that’s why I always love to speak off the pitch, because you always learn something for yourself, for your family, for your kids.

I am a professional footballer, so this was easy for me to adapt somewhere in a football way. Of course, you have a different coach, different playing style, but I always see the things like the country. You learn something in Japan. I was in Japan for two and a half years. Great country, great behavior from the people. Also a great league.

So I’m lucky to be in different countries, in different leagues, meet different people, different coaches, and from every station—I’ve been two, three, four years in every station—I learned so much.

So I never have one station I would say was the best for me. Maybe the national team, because when you play 12 years for the national team, with 130 caps for the national team of Germany, this was something special for me.

So I came from Poland, grew up on the street, and later on I had more than 100 caps for Germany. So this was the best time for me.

What did you think about the Turkish fans specifically?

When you play a derby or something, it’s crazy, you know. I remember I had a derby, Galatasaray against Fenerbahçe at home. And our fans behind the back—you see, they kick a corner and I saw our fans throwing iPhones on the pitch.

So I see like 10, 12, 15 iPhones on the pitch. So they’re throwing iPhones on the pitch to hit the player. So, of course, it’s not nice. You know, it’s crazy.

But it’s a different culture, different mentality. It’s nothing wrong, nothing bad. It’s just they live with the club. So it’s a different passion.

When you are in Japan, it’s completely different, you know. So they behave. There’s no fireworks. The singing and stuff like that…

But Turkey is completely different. So it’s difficult to explain. Either you watch a YouTube video or you visit a game. And then you have this idea of what Turkish fans are.

Giving Back to the Next Generation

Now retired after a career that spanned more than two decades, Podolski says one responsibility stands above the rest: helping the next generation of players. Whether it’s coaching, mentoring or simply sharing advice, he believes every veteran has something valuable to pass on.

Do you mentor younger players now that you’ve retired?

You have to give something back to the next generation. This is important.

I think when I see my career, what I did, what I learned, I think it would be a mistake to not give away the advice to the next generation. I think this is important, that all the players, or players who want to achieve something, give something back to the next generation.

Of course, on the field, like as a coach maybe, but also in the meetings outside the pitch. The behavior, what you have to do in a dressing room. Don’t come late. Do stuff in that direction.

This is important, to give some advice to the next generation, and this is what I try to do. I have a foundation in Germany and Poland. I have a big youth academy in Poland, so we have over 900 kids.

This is important, to give them something back. Of course, not everyone can be like me and play maybe for the national team, but they don’t have to be. You know, give something back to the next generation. This is important.

Retirement Hasn’t Fully Hit Yet

Although Podolski officially called time on his playing career at 41, he admitted he hasn’t fully processed what retirement means just yet.

Do you miss the game?

Not yet, I’m on a holiday mood at the moment. But when my team starts playing and you see the full stadium, I think my heart will be crying a lot because you’re doing it your whole life.

And when you miss something that you love, I think the first months will be hard.

But, you know, on the other hand, I’m lucky to play till 41, and you have to say to yourself, “Okay, now it’s finished.” You know, keep going with your family, enjoy your kids, enjoy your family. This is also important for me now.

But, of course, it will be hard for me to see my team playing without me and to be in the stands, to be in the box, to watch my team.

But let’s see how I react. You always can come back.

Building a Business Empire Beyond Football

Podolski started preparing for life after football long before retirement. Today, his business portfolio includes restaurants, festivals and even club ownership.

Tell us about everything you’re doing away from football.

I started during my career, so I have a kebab franchise. Mangal Döner.

Mangal means in Turkish, like, grill. So, Mangal Döner. Well, it’s a kebab franchise. We have over 60 shops.

So we are growing. We invest a lot. This is a business I started like 10 years ago already, because kebab is the most famous fast food in Germany. We are starting now to explore other countries, so let’s see. This is what I started.

I also have a big festival with over 200,000 people in Germany. So we had the Backstreet Boys at our festival. Now we have David Guetta and much more, other things. So I’m in the festival business also.

I also bought my club where I was playing (Górnik Zabrze). So I’m a club owner now. So there’s a lot of things to do, like searching for players, doing transfers, doing marketing activations, looking for sponsors and stuff like that.

So, a lot of things to do. But I love it, you know. I have the passion for that.

Now, of course, I have more time to focus on my businesses because when you’re playing, you have training every day. On the weekend you’re away, you’re sitting in a hotel, you’re in the stadium, so there’s not so much time for that.

So now I have more time, and it’s time to grow. You know, this is my passion. When you start something on the pitch, you have to finish it. And the same is in business. You have to invest. You have to love it. You have to keep going. You have to love it, and you have to have passion. Otherwise, leave it.

So this is my idea of business. This is my idea of sport. You have to love it. You have to feel it. You have to work your ass off, on the pitch and off the pitch. And when you give 100%, everything can be possible in life, can be possible in sports.

And this is my idea of living.

The Toughest Opponent He Ever Faced

After facing some of football’s greatest players across Europe and on the international stage, one opponent immediately came to mind.

Who was the toughest player you ever faced?

I remember the Italian, Gattuso. You remember Gennaro Gattuso?

He was unbelievable. He was hunting everywhere on the whole pitch. He was talking trash to you and stuff like that.

So, you know, I like it because I’m also a guy like that. Because this is what the game is about. You play to get the three points, and you want to go through to the next round, and you have to do everything.

And Gattuso was crazy, you know. Very good defender, crazy, hunting you on the whole pitch.

But, of course, I had many, many other great defenders defending me, or us as a team.

And, you know, I’m lucky to be in a generation to play against great defenders because playing against these defenders also makes you stronger.

And this is what I like—to compete against the best national teams, against the best teams.

His Advice for the Next Generation

Podolski’s biggest message for young athletes had very little to do with tactics or training. Instead, he encouraged kids to disconnect from technology and rediscover the joy of simply playing.

What advice would you give the next generation?

I’m lucky to see two generations. So my generation, when I was like 20, or the beginning of my 20s, and also now.

But, of course, the generation changed a lot these days. People, kids, focus on other things than I focused on when I was a kid. So it’s difficult to explain it in a few words to the generation now, to be maybe the next Lukas Podolski. So it’s difficult to explain.

So what I have to explain to them is: go on the streets and play.

You know, get off the phone. Go out from social media. I think that’s good advice—to not focus on social media, to see so much crazy stuff around.

So focus on what you love. Focus on what you want to do. It doesn’t have to be always connected with sports. Maybe other businesses, other activities. The important thing is to invest in what you love.

And when you find something that you love, what you want to do, it’s much easier to bring your energy into that.

And I loved to be… when I was young, I loved to be a footballer. So I invested everything to be a footballer, a professional footballer. My dream was to be a professional footballer in Cologne, and I did everything for that.

So I loved that, you know, and this is what it’s about.

But I cannot give you one piece of advice to the young generation and say, “If you do that, you will be a great star.” It’s not so easy, I think.