Tumble: Podolski goes down under a challenge

Gomez is half-Spanish, Podolski half-Polish, the make-up of the German squad has been changing for more than a decade now. ‘Poldi’ is a symbol of that.

Should Germany reach the final and should Podolski play in each game, he will equal Franz Beckenbauer’s cap tally of 103. Jurgen Klinsmann has 108, while Lothar Matthaus’ record is 150. It is some company, although it shows the increase in internationals as well as Podolski’s longevity.

Miroslav Klose, also Polish-born, is the most experienced player in Joachim Low’s squad with 118 caps, but Klose is 34. It is why Podolski was asked about the  possibility of catching Matthaus before his 30th birthday.

‘Will I reach 150 by the time I’m 30?’ asked Podolski. ‘Being in the Guinness Book of Records is not my objective.’ His status in  Germany is not due simply to his volume of appearances and 43 goals, but to his character and story. His introduction here began with the words ‘once upon a time’.

Gomez described him as ‘a bit coarse, a practical joker — the last five minutes in the room reflect what a colleague he is and why he is so popular.’

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