Lukas Podolski’s new Netflix documentary, POLDI, offers an unusually personal look at the former German World Cup winner, going far beyond his goals, trophies, and public image. Premiering on June 4, 2026, shortly after his final professional match for hometown club Gornik Zabrze, the roughly 90-minute film follows Podolski into his private life, family history, and post-career transition.
The documentary shows Podolski as a husband, father, son, and friend, with intimate scenes at the family kitchen table, in Poland, and around his late grandmother Helene, to whom the film is dedicated. His wife Monika appears publicly for the first time in the project and speaks openly about their relationship, including how they first met as schoolchildren at a ping-pong table.
One of the film’s most emotional storylines is Podolski’s candid discussion of the difficulties surrounding his return to Cologne from Bayern Munich in 2009. Although he was celebrated like a local hero, the pressure and constant public attention created strain at home. Monika describes how hard it was to share him with millions of fans, while Podolski admits there were periods when the couple barely spoke and lived apart. Both say they eventually realized they could not live without each other and found their way back together.
Podolski also opens up about the emotional toll of being separated from his son Louis, born in 2008, during his years as a national team player. He says he cried many times during that period, underscoring a more vulnerable side that fans rarely saw during his career. His parents also share their own history, including their escape from Poland, and Podolski reflects on giving his father an Audi A4 with his first professional earnings, an emotional gesture he remembers through tears.
At the same time, the documentary includes the playful, charismatic traits that made Podolski one of Germany’s most beloved football figures: his jokes, teasing, youthful mischief, and trademark humor. It also highlights his new ambitions after football, including his work as an entrepreneur, his plan to open 200 döner shops, and his role as owner of Gornik Zabrze.
Ultimately, POLDI presents Podolski at a turning point. The film captures the end of his football career and the challenge of building a new identity beyond the pitch. As his wife Monika says, he is in a phase where he must learn to let go. The documentary portrays that transition with warmth, honesty, and emotional depth, showing that there is much more to Lukas Podolski than the footballer the public has always known.
