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Former Arsenal forward Lukas Podolski lost the plot after committing a terrible foul during a five-a-side friendly match. The 39-year-old was playing for Polish club Gornik Zabrze in a tournament featuring professional teams from Czechia and Slovakia's top-flights and an All-Star Team featuring former Polish internationals. But while the tournament was supposed to be fun and light-hearted, the former Arsenal star was anything but having lunged into a full-blooded challenge. Playing against Polish side Wisloka Dębica player Kuba Siedleckim, Podolski lunged in with a knee-high, two-footed challenge that saw Siedleckim writhing around on the floor. But Podolski wasn't done yet as he berated his opponent before throwing the ball in his direction. Incredibly, the ex-Bayern Munich and Germany star was only given a yellow card despite practically having steam coming out of his ears. Thankfully his opponent wasn't hurt. Taking to social media after the game, Podolski wrote: "There were emotions on the pitch, but after the match there is agreement. "Sorry for the hard foul. All the best in the season. " But fans weren't happy with what they'd seen from a player who was always more known for his lethal left-footed shot. Reacting to the tackle, one fan on social media wrote: "What a disgusting tackle, and then he moans at the player. " A second fan said: "Never seen him like this. What happened to him? " "Lukas Podolski goes absolutely nuts in a friendly game and only gets a yellow card, " a third said. "He could easily broken his opponent's leg. " A fourth supporter commented: "The referee is two metres away? ?" Meanwhile a fifth added: "That’s horrendous. "Such an embarrassing guy. That's really crazy, and not for the first time. Is it somehow normal for ex-professionals to be like that when they play in tournaments and amateur teams? " Podolski enjoyed a hugely successful career with clubs including Bayern, Arsenal, Inter Milan and Galatasaray. He was also part of Germany's squad that won the World Cup in 2014. © 2025 talk SPORT Limited
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