Will Lukas Podolski soon own a majority stake in his favorite club? He has long held shares in Gornik Zabrze, where the 2014 World Cup champion still plays. Now Podolski has announced: “Now I’m buying the rest.”
In the soccer world, it has become common for active players to buy into clubs. Lionel Messi has done so, as has Kylian Mbappé, and most recently Thibaut Courtois joined their ranks—to name just three highly prominent examples. Will there soon even be a German majority owner? Lukas Podolski, at least, who already holds shares in his beloved Polish club Gornik Zabrze, has now announced: “Now I’m buying the rest.” Exactly when that will happen remains to be seen. A price has not yet been set either.
In the coming days, however, the city council is set to decide whether the municipal shares will also be transferred to the 2014 World Cup champion. In Poland, clubs are run by the city, as Podolski himself explained on the sidelines of a visit by North Rhine-Westphalia Minister President Hendrik Wüst to Katowice. “In my opinion, the city has a different role: it needs to build playgrounds, it needs to do other things, expand the infrastructure, but not manage a soccer club. Before the club falls into other hands, I said I’d rather it go to good hands—mine,” Podolski explained his decision.
But what does this actually mean for his career? Currently, Podolski himself is still playing for Gornik Zabrze. Whether he will continue his active career remains to be seen. Now 40 years old, the end of this season would be a fitting conclusion: Podolski recently won the Polish Cup for the first time with Zabrze.
Not a traditional investor, but “one of the fans”
He then made it clear: “The plan is to end my career. Maybe there’s still a surprise in store? I’m leaving that door open. European cup competitions are always interesting.” Even on the sidelines of his meeting with Wüst, Podolski remained tight-lipped: “We’ll see; it’s still in the planning stages as to what’s next for me.”
A post-career path with his own club would seem practically inevitable—or would it? In any case, Podolski made it clear that he does not see himself as a traditional investor. Rather, he is “one of the fans. Someone who speaks the language and voices the concerns of the fans. Football always belongs to the fans. I want to help the club move forward,” Podolski announced.