Thomas Muller joked that Lukas Podolski's fairytale farewell to international football was plucked from a script too cheesy for his liking.
Podolski, playing his 130th and final game for Germany, scored a stunning winner in a celebratory 1-0 success over England in Dortmund on Wednesday.
The former Cologne and Bayern Munich forward was honoured with a pre-match presentation, a crowd mosaic and the apparent freedom to shoot from wherever he liked before that ploy came good 20 minutes from time as Podolski rocketed a brilliant goal into the top-right corner.
"You couldn't write a better script," Muller is quoted as saying by the German Football Association (DFB). "If I was the director, I would find it too cheesy. No one would believe it!
"Now it's about enjoying it all. Normally the stadium is empty 10 minutes after the final whistle, but everyone is still here to celebrate Poldi. It's outstanding.
"Poldi is a special one, a special kind. You do not make 130 appearances just like that. We will miss him at the coming tournaments."
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