Lucas Podolski spent three years at Arsenal and the former Germany international has now compared his time in North London to kebabs.
The 38-year-old is currently playing for Polish side Górnik Zabrze, where he has been since 2021 but with an eye on his future after football, the forward has opened a kebab chain in Germany.
The chain is called Mangal Doener and the footballer runs it with a business partner he met in Koln and now owns 40 restaurants across Germany.
The World Cup winner’s three years at Arsenal saw him play 82 matches, scoring 31 goals and assisting a further 18, while winning the FA Cup and Community Shield in 2014. However, Podolski has claimed that his restaurants are more profitable than the contracts he signed at both the Gunners and Inter Milan.
Lucas Podolski makes more money from kebabs than his time at Arsenal
In an interview with La Gazzetta dello Sport released on Sunday, Podolski explained how he is developing his kebab business and his plans for the future once he retires from football.
“I live in Poland but whenever I go back to Germany, I always go to my restaurants. I’ve put my face on this project, so it means I am entirely involved. If it wasn’t like this, it would not work so well. If you want to succeed in any field in life, you must put yourself in the front row. I may help in the kitchen sometimes even if I am usually busy with emails and calls. Managing the business is time-consuming,” the footballer said via Football Italia.
When asked if his new business is more profitable than the contracts he signed at the peak of his career, Podolski replied: “Well, if we were to look at the numbers… yes, you could say that.”
The former Germany star earned around £7m per year in North London, which means his kebab chain is doing very well.
It is great to see a footballer with a plan for after retirement as that is something many stars leave too late.