Lukas Podolski
If I am at 100 percent fitness, I do not fear any competition for places in the first 11.Collection: Fitness
You have a lot of pressure in football.
I had the pressure when I started my career at 18 at Cologne, when people were saying, 'Ah, Podolski, the new hero of Cologne.'
People in England have a lot of respect. It is relaxed here.
When you are young and you play football, you must play in the street. When you go to a club at the age of five, and the coach says you must pass this, eat this, drink this... it's not a life. Young people must train for themselves, play football every day, and not have three coaches, with each one saying this and this.
I like the Premier League; the style of play, I like it.
It's not easy in England. It's so competitive.
Arsenal is a very big team, and we want to win trophies.
Saying goodbye is very emotional.
Going from a two-year-old Polish boy, who practically came to Germany with nothing more than a football under his arm, to a world champion - it's more than I could have ever imagined.
I have celebrated major successes with Germany on the pitch, but not only that, I have experienced so much off the pitch too, visiting countries and cities all over the world.
Every tournament and every international game played gives you additional experience which brings you forward, both on the pitch and off it, but there is nothing more special than playing a World Cup on home soil.
When you come from Poland, you have nothing. Your mother and father are working. You have only a bed for sleep. You have a kitchen, and that's it. You must fight.
It was tough for my family. My father was working; my mother was working. Sometimes I was alone at home after leaving school.
Cologne was my big team, my favourite team. I trained one week in Cologne, and they asked me to sign for Cologne. At 17 or 18, the coach asked me to go the first-team training ground. I was lucky to have that coach.
When you go to a club and always sit on the bench and look at the team, it is not easy.
I know I have a left foot that was probably gifted to me by God, or someone up there, and I can always rely on it.
I think Arsenal would be good for a German coach.
Mr. Wenger could have moved on to another club, I am sure, but instead chose to stay and build something over the long term. He lives and dies by his own ideas, and Arsenal is his baby.
Back home in Germany, football people think very highly of Arsene Wenger. They listen to what he has to say and admire his achievements.
For me, respect is important.
I am a family person; we are a big family, and I need my friends around me.
If I come on for 10 minutes and play well, I can't go home and tell everyone, 'I played a great 10 minutes.' I have to play the full 90.
I always say I have two hearts - one beats for Poland and the other for Germany.
I'm just as happy to be Polish as I am to be German.
I have a four-year-old son, and he is the most important thing in the world to me.
I am pleased for Poland as a country, that new motorways are being constructed, new businesses, new stadiums.
I had other interesting offers, but for me, it had to be a top club. When you look at Arsenal, with a fantastic manager, good environment, and never any bad press surrounding the club, they are playing attractive football and have a great stadium with great fans.
It is not a problem to sit on the bench: absolutely not. When you have three games in a week, and you don't play, though, you have to think about it.
When I choose a club, it's not for the money, language, or the weather - those things aren't important.
Spain and England have great leagues, and it would be nice to play there when the time comes.
Young boys and girls should be given the chance to play football.
Football makes me happy, and I want to spend as much time I can playing or contributing to it.
I can't express in words my gratitude towards Arsenal fans for all they have done for me in my years in London.
I've loved every minute playing for Arsenal, and I hope I have left my mark on the club and fans alike.
In football, you can't sadly just go looking for a club but have to see what comes.
When you are in the World Cup, you must focus on seven matches and not losing any.
Football in Japan is highly looked upon, even more than in the rest of Asia.
Argentina is not a bad team.
I've known Mesut for a long time now. I love to play with him, and I think he loves to play with me. We complement each other quite well.
Arsene Wenger is a good guy and a good coach.
I think when I play No. 10 or as a striker, I am in this position to score more goals, and I can shoot more.
I have played on the left for Koln sometimes and the national team; it is not something special.
When you are a footballer, you will not always play 90 minutes. Sometimes you are not happy, but this is not important for me.
When you are a big team, and you play away against a second or third-tier team, there is always pressure.
I am no longer 20 or 21 years old, so I cannot afford to sit around waiting for my chance. I am 29 years old, and I want to play, play, and play. I am not crazy; I don't want to sit in the stands.
I love the competition, going out there for 90 minutes, fighting your opponent. If you take this competition away from me, I am not happy.
If you can't do what you want to do in your life, then it is difficult.
When I went to Munich, I was perhaps a little too young.
My best position is in the middle, and if I am asked to play there, I can do it.