Lukas Podolski made one happy. The German football legend visited the stabbed fan in hospital on the evening of his farewell match, Thursday, October 10, in Cologne.
The German newspaper Bild revealed that the former German international gave his support to the 32-year-old supporter whose life would no longer be in danger. He gave him a jersey with his name on it which he autographed and posed next to him for a souvenir photo taken at the hospital.
17-year-old suspect arrested
At 39, Lukas Podolski ended his professional career on Thursday during a final match in Cologne which was marked by clashes between supporters near the stadium. One of them was stabbed during the fights which also left nine local police officers injured. The stabbing victim, a 32-year-old Polish fan, was admitted to hospital in a critical condition. Since then his health has improved.
According to the first elements of the investigation, the alleged perpetrator of the attack would be 17 years old. He was arrested by local police officers who had great difficulty restoring calm around the stadium.
READ ALSO. REPORTING. From football to Kebab… In Cologne, ex-scorer Lukas Podolski has built a sprawling empire
However, 50,000 spectators came to watch this gala match to celebrate the last of Lukas Podolski who had treated himself to a special confrontation between a team of friends of his (made up, among others, of Manuel Neuer, Per Mertesacker, Christoph Kramer but also the German coaches Hansi Flick and Joachim Löw) and Cologne, the club whose colors he wore for six years in his long career (from 2003 to 2006 then from 2009 to 2012) before joining Arsenal (2012-2015, then ‘Inter Milan, Turkey, Japan and Poland.
