Wojciech Szczesny has joked that he’ll definitely be greeting Lukas Podolski in Polish when the pair meet at pre-season training after Euro 2012.
Arsenal’s new signing, who has 95 caps for Germany under his belt since making his debut for Die Mannschaft as a 19-year-old, famously rejected the chance to play for Poland, despite being born in Gliwice in the country’s south.
Still mourned from Warsaw to Gdansk as a major loss for Polish football, Podolski admitted last year for the first time that he’d have jumped at the chance to represent the country of his forefathers if he hadn’t been ignored by their Football Association when he was a teenager in the German under-21 side.
Speaking to Sport Magazine on the subject of his new teammate’s national affiliation, Szczesny confirmed he’d be greeting Podolski in his mother tongue and confirmed he believed the striker should be lining up next to him when the White Eagles kick-off Euro 2012 next month.
“Oh Polish – 100 per cent,” said the Pole, making clear he’d tackle the controversy head on.
“Definitely, don’t joke about it. I think we all realise he’s more Polish than German.
“He plays for Germany – we have to respect that. He’s played 90-odd games for them, but we’re disappointed because he is one of the best players in the world.
“We’d be delighted if he was playing for Poland, which he should do.
“When he comes to Arsenal, he’ll definitely be greeted as one of the Polish lads in the squad!”
It remains to be seen whether Lukas Fabianski will be around to share in the joke come July, although with Laurent Koscielny already treated as a compatriot by the Arsenal No 1, it looks as though Szczesny is certainly on the hunt for new recruits to his gang.
Chezzers telling it like it is!
Really? Podolski was born in Poland but his family moved to Germany when he was 2. He grew up in Germany. When he was a teenager, playing extremely well in the Bundesliga, the Polish NT manager said “as for today we have much better strikers in Poland and I don’t see a reason to call up a player just because he played one or two good matches in the Bundesliga. He’s not even a regular starter at his club.” and ignored him. Germany gave him a debut as a 19 year old. I certainly wouldn’t play for Poland if I… Read more »
I wasn’t saying weather Poldi should play for Poland.. just that I love the way Shez speaks his mind so openly
LETS ADD LEWANDOWSKI.but i think we’re getting Giroud?
I would love to be in Szczesny’s gang. I bet they have a right laugh.
Why not get Miroslav Klose too then eh?! :p
GOLDI POLDI HALLELUJAH!!!!
62,000 fans will be making this sound inside the Emirates next season. Fact!
So if Poldi plays behind van Persie next season, we’ll have a Pole in goal as well as a Pole in the hole.
I prefer to put Coquelin in the hole, but maybe that’s just me…
How about a Pole between the poles & a Pole in the hole…
If Sir Chesney provides the assisit for Poldi, with a monster clearance from box to box . . . a Super Route One Goal ( SROG ) . . . will the commentator have an excuse to say it’s ‘ Pole to Pole ‘ ?
I should give you a thumb up for your troubles but noooo.
Maybe they will bounce up to each other and do a ‘ cześć-bump ‘ kind of greeting !
( ‘ cześć ‘ is pronounced a bit like ‘ chesht ‘ and means ‘ hello ‘ ! )
Okay now this…….this is something.
No polish yet to support this one?, no?……okay. Just though we’d see more of “i’m from poland and……..blah blah”
Szczesney rabona goal was classic, just hope he tries it in an actual match. Go szcz!!!!!!
I’m not from poland but I tried a bi-lingual pun above just before your comment . . .
. . . we’ll see how that flies, then !
😀
Well Tim, my missus is Polish blah blah. She’s a dancer.
Bet she’s got polish tits.
Steve jobs came round my house earlier on and for some reason stole all our washing up liquids. Stupid jobs coming over here and stealing our polish
If you wash up using polish, you will be quite unwell.
95 caps?!? And we got him for a measly amount, a tuppence? That’s cracking, let’s hope he scores 16 billion goals next season…
Polish or German. Who cares he is now a Gooner
16 billion goals would make him highest scorer in football history right, or have messi and ronaldo already scored that m any this year
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Oi… why are u in the news every single day…
Is it possible to join Szczesny’s gang without being polish? I’m sure they’re the cool kids on the Arsenal training ground
That’s probably what’ll decide Robin’s future; whether the Szcz lets him join his gang.
Polish pole in the hole
Regardless of where he was born, firstly his family’s ethnic German and secondly (more importantly) he was brought up in Germany.
It’s almost as ridiculous as saying the Ox is more Jamaican than English…