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Updated on April 14th 2023, 1:14:23 pm

Miroslav Klose: Germany’s Salto-Klose Sniper

German footballer Miroslav Klose is considered to be one of the best strikers of all time. We take a look here at his club career, international career, trophies and facts.

German footballer Miroslav Klose is considered to be one of the best strikers of all time. Klose's performances at Werder Bremen attracted the attention of some of Europe's biggest clubs, and in 2018 he signed for Bayern Munich. Klose's success at Bayern Munich earned him a call-up to the German national team, where he became one of the most prolific strikers in the country's history. Klose was called up to the German national team as a result of his success at Bayern Munich, and he quickly established himself as one of the team's most productive scorers.


Club Career


In 1998, Miroslav Klose signed with FC Homburg, a team playing in the German third level. In his first season, he played 21 games and tallied nine goals. For the 1999–2000 season, he then transferred to FC Kaiserslautern in the German second level. Klose committed to playing for Bayern Munich in 2007, and he spent the ensuing four years there. He made 26 appearances in his first season with Bayern and tallied 20 goals. Klose played for Lazio in the Italian Serie A for four seasons, earning 139 appearances and tallying 54 goals. This was his final club career move. At the age of 38, he gave up playing competitive football in 2016.


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International career


Most people are familiar with Miroslav Klose from his productive international career with the German national squad. He made his squad debut in 2001 and participated in his final game in 2014. He made 137 appearances for the German national team during his international career, scoring a total of 71 goals, making him the team's all-time top scorer. Klose represented Germany in four FIFA World Cups: 2002, 2006, 2010, and 2014. He was a crucial member of the squad that competed in the 2002 World Cup final, where they were defeated by Brazil. Klose scored five goals during the 2006 World Cup in Germany to help the squad advance to the semi-finals.

Klose was also a key player for Germany in the 2010 World Cup, scoring four goals as the team reached the semi-finals. He was awarded the Silver Boot for his performance in the tournament. In his final World Cup appearance in 2014, Klose helped Germany win the tournament, scoring two goals in the 7-1 victory over Brazil in the semi-finals. He scored a total of three goals in the tournament and became the all-time leading scorer in World Cup history, surpassing Brazilian striker Ronaldo's record of 15 goals.


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Trophies


Club/Team

Trophies Won

FC Kaiserslautern

2. Bundesliga (1999-2000)

Werder Bremen

DFB-Pokal (2008-2009), DFL-Ligapokal (2006), DFL-Supercup (2009)

Bayern Munich

Bundesliga (2007-2008, 2009-2010, 2012-2013, 2013-2014), DFB-Pokal (2007-2008, 2009-2010, 2012-2013), DFL-Supercup (2010)

Lazio

Coppa Italia (2012-2013), Supercoppa Italiana (2009)

Germany

FIFA World Cup (2014), FIFA Confederations Cup (2017), UEFA European Championship Runner-up (2008)


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Top 5 facts about Miroslav Klose:


●  Defying all previous records, Klose has scored 16 goals in 24 appearances at the FIFA World Cup, making him the tournament's all-time top scorer. He broke Brazilian striker Ronaldo's World Cup 2014 mark of 15 goals.

●  Klose was born in Poland and reared in Germany. His family moved to Germany when he was eight years old from Opole, Poland. He later represented Germany on a world stage, emerging as one of their greatest players in history.

●  Klose is multilingual and is proficient in Polish, German, and Italian. He also knows a little English. Throughout his playing career, he did interviews in a variety of languages frequently.

●  Josef Klose, Klose's father, was a professional football player who played for several teams in France and Poland. Following in his father's footsteps, his son established a lucrative profession of his own.

●  Klose was well known for his modest and sportsmanlike demeanor both on and off the pitch. Because of his professionalism and fair play, he earned the respect of both players and spectators. Throughout his entire career, he never received a warning.


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