Lukas Podolski

Podolski in 2008, photo by Prphotos.com

Birth Name: Łukasz Józef Podolski

Place of Birth: Gliwice, Poland

Date of Birth: 4 June, 1985

Ethnicity: Polish, possibly German

Lukas Podolski is a Polish-born German footballer. A forward or attacking midfielder, he plays for Ekstraklasa club Górnik Zabrze. He was previously with 1. FC Köln II, 1. FC Köln, Bayern Munich, Bayern Munich II, Arsenal, Inter Milan, Galatasaray, Vissel Kobe, and Antalyaspor, and the German national team.

Lukas was born in Gliwice, Poland, the son of Krystyna, who was on the Poland national handball team, and Waldemar Podolski, a footballer, who was a forward, and played for Poland and Germany. His family moved to West Germany in 1987, and were given Aussiedler status, because his grandparents were German citizens until WWII. Lukas was raised in Bergheim, North Rhine-Westphalia, and Pulheim, both near Cologne. He was eligible to play for Germany and Poland, and chose to play for Germany.

Lukas is married to Monika Puchalski, with whom he has three children. He lives in Poland.

Sources: http://www.player-profiles.co.uk
http://www.independent.co.uk
http://abcnews.go.com