World Cup winner Lukas Podolski wins unprecedented title in fifth different country

Lukas Podolski celebrates with the team after the Polish Cup Final Gornik Zabrze - Rakow Czestochowa at National Stadium in Warsaw, Poland on May 2, 2026. (Photo by Jakub Porzycki/NurPhoto via Getty Images) | NurPhoto via Getty Images Lukas Podolski’s professional career has taken a number of unpredictable turns. He played for eight different clubs, earned 130 international caps while scoring 49 goals for Germany (third on the all-time list), and became a part-owner of Polish side Górnik Zarbrze in 2025.

At the ripe age of 40, he just led Górnik Zabrze to their first major trophy in 38 years, winning the Polish Cup with a 2-0 victory over Raków Częstochowa. With this win, Podolski became the first player to win five domestic cup titles for five different clubs in five different countries: Germany, England, Turkey, Japan, and Poland (via @TouchlineX ). 2008: DFB-Pokal with Bayern Munich 2014: FA Cup with Arsenal 2016: Turkish Cup with Galatasaray 2019: Emperor’s Cup with Vissel Kobe 2026: Puchar Polski with Górnik Zabrze A variety of other players have won a compilation of domestic league shields and super cups, but no one has come close to Podolski’s unique feat.

Second in line, Zlatan Ibrahimović won domestic cups with Manchester United, PSG, and Ajax. Podolski was a key contributor for Germany in the 2006 and 2010 World Cup tournaments that resulted in third and fourth place finishes, respectively. In the 2014 World Cup, he made a pair of appearances for the World Cup winning squad.

In his final international cap, Podolski was the lone scorer in 1-0 friendly win over England. If you are looking for more Bayern Munich and German national team coverage, check out the latest episodes of Bavarian Podcast Works, which you can get on Acast , Spotify , Apple , or any leading podcast distributor… Join the conversation! Sign up for a user account and get: New, improved notifications system!