Football
ESPN staff 7y

Galatasaray's Lukas Podolski to join Japanese side Vissel Kobe

Lukas Podolski has announced he will leave Galatasaray to join Japanese side Vissel Kobe at the end of the season.

Podolski, 31, joined Galatasaray from Arsenal in 2015 and has won the Turkish Cup and two Turkish Super Cups in two seasons with the club.

In a message posted on his official Instagram account, Podolski said: "I can confirm that at the end of this season I will join Vissel Kobe from the J-League in Japan.

"It's not a decision against Galatasaray, it's a decision I made for a new challenge, and I will explain more when the time is right. But right now my only focus is helping Galatasaray and our fantastic fans!"

Podolski won 129 caps for Germany, scoring 48 goals and winning the 2014 World Cup before retiring following Euro 2016, his seventh major international tournament.

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