Former Germany great Lukas Podolski is no longer ready to get up in the middle of the night to watch World Cup matches - unless his former team goes a long way.
The 2014 World Cup winner Podolski told Sport1 that the expanded tournament in the United States, Mexico and Canada does not carry the same prestige as previous sports events in the region.
Many World Cup matches are also in the European night due to the time difference and Podolski said "I’m out of that one.
"The only reason I used to get up in the middle of the night was for the [basketball team] Chicago Bulls or [boxer] Mike Tyson. I still remember that from my childhood," he said.
"I don’t do that anymore. One exception, of course, would be if Germany were playing in the knock-out stages and the match kicked off at three or four in the morning. Then I’d be watching.
"Otherwise, I don’t organise my daily routine around the tournament. I’ve got a family, we’re on holiday, and my children have had to do without me for a long time recently. My focus is now on the children, not on football."
Podolski, 41, won 130 Germany caps, scoring 49 goals. He ended his career last month at Gornik Zabrze in his birth country of Poland, having previously played for clubs including Bayern Munich, Arsenal and Galatasaray.
