Picture Gallery: Bye bye Poldi!

As the man himself said, a farewell like a script from a movie. In his 130th and final match for Germany, Podolski scores his 49th international goal. And it was one of his best. A scorching drive into the top corner to secure a 1-0 friendly win against England in Dortmund.

In the autumn of 2003, Lukas Podolski made his Bundesliga debut with the club that brought him up through its youth system, FC Cologne. At the tender age of 18 he scored 12 goals for the Billy Goats. His recipe for success: "Just fire the ball into the net, then head home."

Podolski was born in Poland, but he grew up 20 kilometers (12 miles) west of Cologne, which he describes as "my dearly beloved city." No matter where he would venture in the world of football, "Prince Poldi" would always find time to send warm wishes to Cologne and its residents. This feeling of warmth has always been mutual.

Podolski made his first appearance for Germany in a 2-0 defeat to Hungary in a friendly match in June, 2004. Head coach Rudi Völler brought him on for the last 15 minutes of the match. At 19 years and two days old, he was the third youngest player (until then) to have made his debut for Germany or West Germany - after Uwe Seeler and Olaf Thon.

The entire nation seemed to revel in Germany's hosting the 2006 World Cup, and the antics of Poldi and his friend Bastian Schweinsteiger were all part of the fun. "Asked about "Schweini's" haircut, Podolski quipped: "It took just 15 minutes - and it shows." Schweinsteiger has described Podolski as one of the people "who will always be a special part of my life."

In 2006, Podolski joined his friend Schweinsteiger at Bayern Munich. However, he never really settled in. The media would describe his three years in the Bavarian capital as "one big mistake." However, he did win the double with Bayern in 2008 - taking the opportunity to give his buddy Schweini a beer shower.

Although Michael Ballack captained the national team for several years, he wasn't popular with everybody who played with him. The clearest evidence came when Poldi slapped Ballack in the face during a World Cup qualifier against Wales in 2009. "I have apologized," Poldi said afterwards. "It was a mistake on my part, and it shouldn't have happened."

In 2009 Podolski returned home to the River Rhine. The attacker "is as much a part of FC Cologne as the cathedral is of Cologne itself" the city's mayor at the time, Fritz Schramma quipped. However, Podolski wasn't the messiah that Cologne's management had hoped that he would be.

After three not particularly successful seasons back at Cologne, Podolski accepted a transfer to Arsenal. The move to London agreed with him and in 2014 he was part of the Gunners team that won the FA Cup.

His greatest achievement was being part of the German team that won the 2014 World Cup in Brazil in 2014, even though he only saw 53 minutes of playing time. Poldi's is seen of having played a key role in keeping the team's spirits up when the going got tough.

Euro 2016 in France was Podolski's seventh and final major tournament. His only action with in the round of 16 when he was subbed in for the final 15 minutes, much to the delight of the German fans, with whom he celebrated the victory. Poldi truly is a man of the people.

Poldolski got what must have been the biggest laugh at Euro 2016. When asked about coach Löw having been caught on camera reaching into his trousers during a match, Poldi replied: "Eighty percent of the guys in this room have scratched their balls at some point or another." Even most of the journalists at the press conference at the German camp in Évian-les-Bains laughed out loud.

In 2015, Podolski moved from Arsenal to Galatasaray via Inter Milan, where he would become a fan favorite. Back in January, Podolski scored five goals in a 6-2 win over Turkish league rivals Akhisar Belediyespor, making him something of a legend at Galatasaray. In the summer he is to move to Japanese club Vissel Kobe.

In Lukas Podolski, the nation team is losing one of its most colorful characters. "Nowadays, it seems like everyone is looking for computer-controlled players, players out of a catalogue," the 31-year-old said recently. "There is no more room for characters, which is unfortunate, because they are what make football so special." Good-bye Poldi, a lot of German fans will miss you.