Miroslav Klose
Encyclopedia
Miroslav Josef Klose (ˈmɪʁoslaf ˈkloːzə; born Mirosław Marian Kloze miˈrɔswaf ˈklɔzɛ on 9 June 1978 in Opole
, Poland
) is a German
footballer who plays as a striker for Lazio
in the Serie A
. Since bursting onto the international stage at the 2002 World Cup
, he has become well known for his knack of scoring headers, front-flip goal celebrations, and decisive short passing.
Klose holds German nationality and has played 113 times and scored 63 goals for Germany
. With five goals, he was the top scorer and Golden Boot winner at the 2006 World Cup
in Germany
, the first player to win the award since reunification
. Klose also scored five goals in his debut World Cup, the 2002 World Cup
, all of which were headers. He scored four times in 2010 World Cup
, giving him a total of 14 World Cup goals and putting him joint second along with Gerd Müller
on the list of FIFA World Cup goalscorers.
Klose is also the only player to have scored five or more goals in consecutive World Cups, as well as the only player to have scored at least four in three different tournaments.
n city of Opole
, Poland
. Both of his parents were active in sports. His mother, Barbara Jeż, was a member of the Poland women's national handball team
. His father, Josef Klose, played professional football in Poland for Odra Opole
, before leaving then-communist Poland
in 1978 and moving to France to play for AJ Auxerre
. In 1985, Klose and his mother joined his father in Kusel
, a small town in the state of Rhineland-Palatinate
, Germany
. Klose's father is an ethnic German
and holds German nationality.
Klose himself said in an interview in 2008 to Przegląd Sportowy
that it would be best for him not to be called German or Polish, but European. As he stated in an interview to Der Spiegel
in 2007, his family at home speaks Polish to each other, with his twin sons Luan and Noah learning German
in Kindergarten. He has a Polish-born wife, Sylwia Klose.
and had worked in this profession until joining the professional team of FC Kaiserslautern
.
, he eventually joined the reserve team of FC Kaiserslautern
.
A year after joining the club, he made it into the first team. In his first 67 matches, Klose scored 33 goals. The 2002–03 season was a comparatively disappointing one as Klose found the back of the net a mere seven times.
On 2 March 2004, Klose signed a four–year contract with German Bundesliga
club Werder Bremen
for a fee of €5 million ($6.2 million). He made his league debut on 6 August 2004, as a substitute for Paraguay
an striker Nelson Valdez
in a 1–0 home win against Schalke 04
. On 29 August 2004, Klose scored his first goal, an equaliser, which Bremen lost 1–2 at home against Wolfsburg
. After a lacklustre start, Klose formed an impressive attacking triangle with French
midfielder Johan Micoud
and Croatia
n forward Ivan Klasnić
as well as, though less frequently, Paraguay
an forward Nelson Valdez
, scoring 15 goals in the Bundesliga
. In the 2005–06 season, he scored 25 goals, the highest that season, and registered 16 assists in just 26 games in the Bundesliga.
After his strong performance at the 2006 World Cup
, Klose was linked by newspapers with a move away from the Weserstadion
. European giants FC Barcelona
and Juventus
were listed among his potential suitors. Klose was also heavily linked with a move to Bayern Munich
, with Bayern president Franz Beckenbauer
an admirer of Klose.
On 7 June 2007, Klose confirmed that he would leave Werder Bremen for Bayern Munich either before the 2007–08 season or upon the expiration of his contract with Werder at the end of the 2007–08 season.
On 26 June 2007, club president Karl-Heinz Rummenigge
confirmed that Bayern Munich
had reached an agreement with Werder Bremen
regarding the transfer of the player. Klose completed his medical with Bayern on 28 June 2007 before signing a four-year contract.
Klose made his first competitive appearance for Bayern in a 4–1 victory against old team Werder Bremen in the first round of the DFB-Ligapokal
. After missing the semi-final victory over VfB Stuttgart
due to injury, Klose returned in the final against Schalke 04
, scoring his first competitive goal for Bayern to win the title.
Klose made his Bundesliga
debut in the game against Hansa Rostock on 11 August 2007 in which he scored two goals. The game ended 3–0 for Bayern Munich, with Klose's striking partner Luca Toni
scoring the third goal. In late September, he claimed his first hat-trick for the club in a 5–0 League success over Energie Cottbus.
After that bright start to his Bayern career, Klose struggled during the latter half of the Bundesliga season. His total of 20 goals in all competitions — with an impressive DFB Cup record — did, however, play a significant role in helping the club to a league and cup double.
Klose's second season at the club was a positive one. He finished as Bayern's top scorer in all competitions with 20 goals, a figure that could have been higher but for an injury sustained in March. Seven of his tally came in the Champions' League, making him the second-best goalscorer in that year's competition; only Lionel Messi
with nine scored more than Klose.
Klose sustained two injuries in the beginning of the 2010–11 season. After he had made a full recovery, he remained on the bench until late December when he appeared in a DFB-Pokal
match against VfB Stuttgart
. Klose came off the bench and scored twice.
On 6 June 2011, with his contract about to expire, Klose did not reach an agreement with Bayern Munich, thus leaving the club at the end of the 2010–11 season.
on 9 June 2011. Lazio is the first team he plays for outside Germany. Klose scored his first goal for Lazio in UEFA Europa League 2012 Play-offs. He also assisted four other goals. Lazio won that game 6–0 and won the play-offs by 9–1 aggregate against Rabotnicki
. On 9 September 2011, he made his league debut in a 2–2 draw against Milan
and scored a goal in the 12th minute, which was the first Serie A
goal of the season. Despite only being at the club for a few months his coach Edy Reja
has already underlined his importance to the team. On 16 October 2011, Klose scored in the 93rd minute to win the Rome derby 2–1 for Lazio. However, the occasion was tainted by a small section of radical Lazio fans
holding a sign adapted from a motto used by the Nazis. The sign read 'Klose Mit Uns', which means 'Klose with us' but was intended by those fans as praise for Klose. The Nazis used the motto 'God with us' and the Lazio fans' sign featured the 'S's in the same font as the logo of Hitler's SS. Miroslav has openly condemned the sign, adding 'politics should stay out of the stadium'.
Klose's consistency as a goal-scorer in his first Bundesliga season at Kaiserslautern earned him attention. In January 2001, the then coach of the Polish national team
, Jerzy Engel
, travelled to Germany to persuade Klose to choose to play for Poland. This request was declined by Klose, who said that "I have a German passport, and if things are still running this way, I have a chance to play for Rudi Völler
." Kloses hopes were justified, as he would soon score for Germany.
In an interview given to Przegląd Sportowy on 9 June 2008, Klose stated that the decision to play for Germany instead of Poland was not an easy one, and if Polish officials had been faster, he would be playing for Poland now. Furthermore, he added that he does not regret the choice, as with Germany he has won medals in the World Cup tournaments. The German national team has never lost a game in which Klose has scored.
against Albania
, in the 73rd minute coach Rudi Völler
put him in as a substitute. Two minutes from time he headed home the 2-1 winner for Germany and celebrated with a front-flip. Four days later in his second match Klose helped Germany temporarily lead their qualification group, he came on in the 67th minute and scored the 3-2 against Greece
in the 82nd minute, making it two crucial goals in only 33 minutes on the pitch. Two hat-trick
s against Israel
and Austria
in friendlies prior to the upcoming World Cup were enough to establish him in Germanys starting lineup for the tournament.
Klose came to international prominence at the 2002 World Cup
in Korea
-Japan
, because he scored five headed goals for Germany
, finishing joint second highest goal scorer along with Rivaldo
. He became the first player ever to score five headers in a World Cup
, and he celebrated
all of his goals with his trademark front-flip, earning him the nickname "Salto-Klose". His goal tally included a hat-trick
in Germany's 8–0 hammering of Saudi Arabia
, as well as one goal each against Ireland
and Cameroon
.
Klose also participated in Euro 2004 and came on as a substitute in two games, against Latvia
and the Czech Republic
, but was not completely fit, since he just recovered from a knee injury. He wasn't able to score and Germany went out in the first round.
team for the 2006 World Cup
. In the opening match against Costa Rica
, coinciding with his 28th birthday, Klose scored two goals, in the 17th and 61st minutes respectively. This led to Germany's 4–2 win over Costa Rica. He scored another two goals against Ecuador
on 20 June, putting him on top of the tournament top scorer list with four goals.
Klose also played a major part in Germany's 2–0 win over Sweden
in the first knockout round
, demonstrating his ability to provide assists as he set up strike partner Lukas Podolski
for both goals. Klose scored the equaliser against Argentina
in the quarter-final game played on 30 June 2006, with Germany going on to win 4–2 on penalties. This was his first headed goal in two years, three of the first four in the tournament were scored with his favoured right foot.
Klose is the first German since Gerd Müller
in the 1970s to become the top scorer at a World Cup. During the tournament, he formed a formidable strike partnership with Lukas Podolski, scoring eight goals between them as Germany topped the scoring charts with 14 goals in seven matches. Klose and team-mate Michael Ballack
became the only two All-Star Team Players of the 2006 World Cup to be in the previous All-Star Team of 2002.
in a 13–0 Euro 2008 qualifying win which took his international goal tally to 33, the same amount as his idol Fritz Walter
and to joint seventh in the list of all-time goalscorers for Germany.
He had a goal drought for a long time with the national team, causing speculation that he may be dropped from the starting line-up. But German coach Joachim Löw has denied this.
Another highlight in Klose's career came on 8 September 2007, as he captained Germany for the first time and celebrated this honour by scoring both of his country's goals in a 2–0 victory over Wales
. The next day, one of the headlines in the UEFA official website was "Captain Klose takes Germany closer (to qualifying)."
In the main tournament, Klose started the opening group game against Poland
and assisted Lukas Podolski
's two goals in a 2–0 victory. He played the remaining two group games against Croatia
and Austria
with no goals of his own. He finally broke his duck during the knockout stages
, scoring for Germany in quarter-final and semi-final against Portugal
and Turkey
, respectively. In both games he scored Germanys second goal, and both games were won by 3–2. He was unable, however, to score during the final
against Spain
, as they lost the match 1–0.
, a 4–0 victory. This goal put him level in World Cup goals with his former coach Jürgen Klinsmann
. Klose was given a red card in the 36th minute after receiving his second of two cautions in Germany's second first-round game against Serbia
, which Germany lost 1–0.
He opened the scoring in the Round of 16
match against England
on 27 June 2010 with his 12th World Cup goal, equalling Pelé
for fourth on the all time list, and also notching up his 50th international goal in his 99th international game, as Germany won the game 4–1. The assist to this goal came from young goalkeeper Manuel Neuer
straight from a goalkick.
Klose made his 100th international appearance in the quarter-final against Argentina
, becoming only the sixth German player to reach the landmark. He then scored the second and fourth goals against Argentina (Germany winning 4–0), pulling him level with Gerd Müller
's all-time German World Cup goalscoring record. Due to a back injury sustained in the semi-final against Spain
- Germany losing 0–1 against the upcoming champions. Klose was unable to play in Germanys 3-2 bronze medal winning match against Uruguay
. This deprived him of the chance to equal or surpass Ronaldo
's record number of goals in the World Cup finals - Klose has 14 goals, Ronaldo has 15.
, Turkey
, Kazakhstan
and Austria
. In only 6 caps during the qualification campaign
, he scored nine goals and provided two assists making him Europe's second most successful striker for this period behind Klaas-Jan Huntelaar. This leaves him with 21 assists and 63 goals for Germany, trailing Gerd Müller
's record by five.
Bayern Munich
* Includes Liga-Pokal and DFL-Supercup.
|-
|2002||17||12
|-
|2003||10||6
|-
|2004||11||5
|-
|2005||5||0
|-
|2006||17||13
|-
|2007||5||1
|-
|2008||15||7
|-
|2009||6||2
|-
|2010||12||10
|-
|2011||8||5
|-
!Total||113||63
|}
Opole
Opole is a city in southern Poland on the Oder River . It has a population of 125,992 and is the capital of the Upper Silesia, Opole Voivodeship and, also the seat of Opole County...
, Poland
Poland
Poland , officially the Republic of Poland , is a country in Central Europe bordered by Germany to the west; the Czech Republic and Slovakia to the south; Ukraine, Belarus and Lithuania to the east; and the Baltic Sea and Kaliningrad Oblast, a Russian exclave, to the north...
) is a German
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
footballer who plays as a striker for Lazio
S.S. Lazio
Società Sportiva Lazio, commonly referred to as Lazio, is a professional Italian football club based in Rome. The team, founded in 1900, play in the Serie A and have spent most of their history in the top tier of Italian football...
in the Serie A
Serie A
Serie A , now called Serie A TIM due to sponsorship by Telecom Italia, is a professional league competition for football clubs located at the top of the Italian football league system and has been operating for over eighty years since 1929. It had been organized by Lega Calcio until 2010, but a new...
. Since bursting onto the international stage at the 2002 World Cup
2002 FIFA World Cup
The 2002 FIFA World Cup was the 17th staging of the FIFA World Cup, held in South Korea and Japan from 31 May to 30 June. It was also the first World Cup held in Asia, and the last in which the golden goal rule was implemented. Brazil won the tournament for a record fifth time, beating Germany 2–0...
, he has become well known for his knack of scoring headers, front-flip goal celebrations, and decisive short passing.
Klose holds German nationality and has played 113 times and scored 63 goals for Germany
Germany national football team
The Germany national football team is the football team that has represented Germany in international competition since 1908. It is governed by the German Football Association , which was founded in 1900....
. With five goals, he was the top scorer and Golden Boot winner at the 2006 World Cup
2006 FIFA World Cup
The 2006 FIFA World Cup was the 18th FIFA World Cup, the quadrennial international football world championship tournament. It was held from 9 June to 9 July 2006 in Germany, which won the right to host the event in July 2000. Teams representing 198 national football associations from all six...
in Germany
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
, the first player to win the award since reunification
German reunification
German reunification was the process in 1990 in which the German Democratic Republic joined the Federal Republic of Germany , and when Berlin reunited into a single city, as provided by its then Grundgesetz constitution Article 23. The start of this process is commonly referred by Germans as die...
. Klose also scored five goals in his debut World Cup, the 2002 World Cup
2002 FIFA World Cup
The 2002 FIFA World Cup was the 17th staging of the FIFA World Cup, held in South Korea and Japan from 31 May to 30 June. It was also the first World Cup held in Asia, and the last in which the golden goal rule was implemented. Brazil won the tournament for a record fifth time, beating Germany 2–0...
, all of which were headers. He scored four times in 2010 World Cup
2010 FIFA World Cup
The 2010 FIFA World Cup was the 19th FIFA World Cup, the world championship for men's national association football teams. It took place in South Africa from 11 June to 11 July 2010...
, giving him a total of 14 World Cup goals and putting him joint second along with Gerd Müller
Gerd Müller
Gerhard "Gerd" Müller is a former German football player and one of the most prolific goalscorers of all time.With national records of 68 goals in 62 international appearances, 365 goals in 427 Bundesliga games and the international record of 66 goals in 74 European Club games, he was one of the...
on the list of FIFA World Cup goalscorers.
Klose is also the only player to have scored five or more goals in consecutive World Cups, as well as the only player to have scored at least four in three different tournaments.
Background
Klose was born in the SilesiaSilesia
Silesia is a historical region of Central Europe located mostly in Poland, with smaller parts also in the Czech Republic, and Germany.Silesia is rich in mineral and natural resources, and includes several important industrial areas. Silesia's largest city and historical capital is Wrocław...
n city of Opole
Opole
Opole is a city in southern Poland on the Oder River . It has a population of 125,992 and is the capital of the Upper Silesia, Opole Voivodeship and, also the seat of Opole County...
, Poland
Poland
Poland , officially the Republic of Poland , is a country in Central Europe bordered by Germany to the west; the Czech Republic and Slovakia to the south; Ukraine, Belarus and Lithuania to the east; and the Baltic Sea and Kaliningrad Oblast, a Russian exclave, to the north...
. Both of his parents were active in sports. His mother, Barbara Jeż, was a member of the Poland women's national handball team
Poland women's national handball team
The Poland women's national handball team is the national team of Poland. It is governed by the Poland Handball Federation and takes part in international team handball competitions.- Performance in World Championship :* 1957: 7th place* 1962: 7th place...
. His father, Josef Klose, played professional football in Poland for Odra Opole
Odra Opole
Odra Opole is a football club based in Opole, Poland, currently playing in the Polish First League...
, before leaving then-communist Poland
People's Republic of Poland
The People's Republic of Poland was the official name of Poland from 1952 to 1990. Although the Soviet Union took control of the country immediately after the liberation from Nazi Germany in 1944, the name of the state was not changed until eight years later...
in 1978 and moving to France to play for AJ Auxerre
AJ Auxerre
Association de la Jeunesse Auxerroise is a French association football club based in the commune of Auxerre in Burgundy. The club was founded in 1905 and currently play in Ligue 1, the top division of French football. Auxerre plays its home matches at the Stade l'Abbé-Deschamps on the banks of the...
. In 1985, Klose and his mother joined his father in Kusel
Kusel
Kusel is a municipality in Rhineland-Palatinate, Germany, capital of the district of Kusel. It is situated approx. 30 km north-west of Kaiserslautern....
, a small town in the state of Rhineland-Palatinate
Rhineland-Palatinate
Rhineland-Palatinate is one of the 16 states of the Federal Republic of Germany. It has an area of and about four million inhabitants. The capital is Mainz. English speakers also commonly refer to the state by its German name, Rheinland-Pfalz ....
, Germany
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
. Klose's father is an ethnic German
German minority in Poland
The registered German minority in Poland consists of 152,900 people, according to a 2002 census.The German language is used in certain areas in Opole Voivodeship , where most of the minority resides...
and holds German nationality.
Klose himself said in an interview in 2008 to Przegląd Sportowy
Przeglad Sportowy
Przeglad Sportowy is the oldest and largest Polish sports daily, founded in 1921 in Kraków. In 1926 it initiated an annual, popular plebiscite for the Polish Sportspersonality of the Year...
that it would be best for him not to be called German or Polish, but European. As he stated in an interview to Der Spiegel
Der Spiegel
Der Spiegel is a German weekly news magazine published in Hamburg. It is one of Europe's largest publications of its kind, with a weekly circulation of more than one million.-Overview:...
in 2007, his family at home speaks Polish to each other, with his twin sons Luan and Noah learning German
German language
German is a West Germanic language, related to and classified alongside English and Dutch. With an estimated 90 – 98 million native speakers, German is one of the world's major languages and is the most widely-spoken first language in the European Union....
in Kindergarten. He has a Polish-born wife, Sylwia Klose.
Football career
Klose learned his football at a village club, SG Blaubach-Diedelkopf, in the German seventh division. Klose had also successfully completed an apprenticeship to become a carpenterCarpenter
A carpenter is a skilled craftsperson who works with timber to construct, install and maintain buildings, furniture, and other objects. The work, known as carpentry, may involve manual labor and work outdoors....
and had worked in this profession until joining the professional team of FC Kaiserslautern
1. FC Kaiserslautern
1. Fußball-Club Kaiserslautern, also known as 1. FCK, FCK or simply Kaiserslautern, is a German association football club based in Kaiserslautern, Rhineland-Palatinate. On 2 June 1900, Germania 1896 and FG Kaiserslautern merged to create FC 1900...
.
Kaiserslautern
After a season at FC HomburgFC Homburg
FC 08 Homburg is a German association football club based in Homburg, Saarland. The club was founded on 15 June 1908 as Fussball Club Homburg by a group of seventeen young men at the local Hohenburg pub.- History :...
, he eventually joined the reserve team of FC Kaiserslautern
1. FC Kaiserslautern
1. Fußball-Club Kaiserslautern, also known as 1. FCK, FCK or simply Kaiserslautern, is a German association football club based in Kaiserslautern, Rhineland-Palatinate. On 2 June 1900, Germania 1896 and FG Kaiserslautern merged to create FC 1900...
.
A year after joining the club, he made it into the first team. In his first 67 matches, Klose scored 33 goals. The 2002–03 season was a comparatively disappointing one as Klose found the back of the net a mere seven times.
Werder Bremen
Fußball-Bundesliga
The Fußball-Bundesliga is a professional association football league in Germany. At the top of Germany's football league system, it is the country's primary football competition. It is contested by 18 teams and operates on a system of promotion and relegation with the 2. Bundesliga...
club Werder Bremen
SV Werder Bremen
SV Werder Bremen is a German sports club best known for its association football team playing in Bremen, in the northwest German federal state of the same name. The club was founded on 4 February 1899 as Fußballverein Werder by a group of sixteen vocational high school students who had won a prize...
for a fee of €5 million ($6.2 million). He made his league debut on 6 August 2004, as a substitute for Paraguay
Paraguay
Paraguay , officially the Republic of Paraguay , is a landlocked country in South America. It is bordered by Argentina to the south and southwest, Brazil to the east and northeast, and Bolivia to the northwest. Paraguay lies on both banks of the Paraguay River, which runs through the center of the...
an striker Nelson Valdez
Nelson Haedo Valdez
Nelson Antonio Haedo Valdez is a Paraguayan football striker who currently plays for Russian Premier League side Rubin Kazan and the Paraguayan national team.-Early life:...
in a 1–0 home win against Schalke 04
FC Schalke 04
Fußball-Club Gelsenkirchen-Schalke 04, commonly known as simply FC Schalke 04 or Schalke , is a German, association-football club originally from the Schalke district of Gelsenkirchen, North Rhine-Westphalia. Schalke has long been one of the most popular football teams in Germany, even though major...
. On 29 August 2004, Klose scored his first goal, an equaliser, which Bremen lost 1–2 at home against Wolfsburg
VfL Wolfsburg
VfL Wolfsburg is a professional German association football club based in Wolfsburg, Lower Saxony, who play in the Bundesliga football competition. Wolfsburg have won the Bundesliga once in their history, in the 2008–09 season, and were DFB-Pokal runners-up in 1995. The current head coach is Felix...
. After a lacklustre start, Klose formed an impressive attacking triangle with French
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
midfielder Johan Micoud
Johan Micoud
Johan Micoud is a retired French footballer who played mostly as an attacking midfielder.Left-footed, he was considered a skilled midfielder and a dead-ball expert; during a 16-year professional career, he played professionally, other than in his country, in Italy and Germany.Micoud gained nearly...
and Croatia
Croatia
Croatia , officially the Republic of Croatia , is a unitary democratic parliamentary republic in Europe at the crossroads of the Mitteleuropa, the Balkans, and the Mediterranean. Its capital and largest city is Zagreb. The country is divided into 20 counties and the city of Zagreb. Croatia covers ...
n forward Ivan Klasnić
Ivan Klasnic
Ivan Klasnić is a Croatian footballer who plays for Bolton Wanderers of the Premier League. He is a Croatian international. In 2007, Klasnić underwent a kidney transplant, and became the first player to participate in a major tournament after a transplant.-St. Pauli:Klasnić started his...
as well as, though less frequently, Paraguay
Paraguay
Paraguay , officially the Republic of Paraguay , is a landlocked country in South America. It is bordered by Argentina to the south and southwest, Brazil to the east and northeast, and Bolivia to the northwest. Paraguay lies on both banks of the Paraguay River, which runs through the center of the...
an forward Nelson Valdez
Nelson Haedo Valdez
Nelson Antonio Haedo Valdez is a Paraguayan football striker who currently plays for Russian Premier League side Rubin Kazan and the Paraguayan national team.-Early life:...
, scoring 15 goals in the Bundesliga
Fußball-Bundesliga
The Fußball-Bundesliga is a professional association football league in Germany. At the top of Germany's football league system, it is the country's primary football competition. It is contested by 18 teams and operates on a system of promotion and relegation with the 2. Bundesliga...
. In the 2005–06 season, he scored 25 goals, the highest that season, and registered 16 assists in just 26 games in the Bundesliga.
After his strong performance at the 2006 World Cup
2006 FIFA World Cup
The 2006 FIFA World Cup was the 18th FIFA World Cup, the quadrennial international football world championship tournament. It was held from 9 June to 9 July 2006 in Germany, which won the right to host the event in July 2000. Teams representing 198 national football associations from all six...
, Klose was linked by newspapers with a move away from the Weserstadion
Weserstadion
The Weserstadion is a multi-purpose stadium in Bremen, Germany. The stadium is scenically situated on the north bank of the Weser River and is surrounded by lush green parks . The city center is only about a kilometer away...
. European giants FC Barcelona
FC Barcelona
Futbol Club Barcelona , also known as Barcelona and familiarly as Barça, is a professional football club, based in Barcelona, Catalonia, Spain....
and Juventus
Juventus F.C.
Juventus Football Club S.p.A. , commonly referred to as Juventus and colloquially as Juve , are a professional Italian association football club based in Turin, Piedmont...
were listed among his potential suitors. Klose was also heavily linked with a move to Bayern Munich
FC Bayern Munich
FC Bayern Munich , is a German sports club based in Munich, Bavaria. It is best known for its professional football team, which is the most successful football club in Germany, having won 22 national titles and 15 cups....
, with Bayern president Franz Beckenbauer
Franz Beckenbauer
Franz Anton Beckenbauer is a German football coach, manager, and former player, nicknamed Der Kaiser because of his elegant style, his leadership, his first name "Franz" , and his dominance on the football pitch...
an admirer of Klose.
On 7 June 2007, Klose confirmed that he would leave Werder Bremen for Bayern Munich either before the 2007–08 season or upon the expiration of his contract with Werder at the end of the 2007–08 season.
Bayern Munich
Karl-Heinz Rummenigge
Karl-Heinz "Kalle" Rummenigge is a German former football player.He had his greatest career success with German club Bayern Munich, where he won the Intercontinental Cup, the European Cup, as well as two league titles and two domestic cups.A member of the German national team, Rummenigge won the...
confirmed that Bayern Munich
FC Bayern Munich
FC Bayern Munich , is a German sports club based in Munich, Bavaria. It is best known for its professional football team, which is the most successful football club in Germany, having won 22 national titles and 15 cups....
had reached an agreement with Werder Bremen
SV Werder Bremen
SV Werder Bremen is a German sports club best known for its association football team playing in Bremen, in the northwest German federal state of the same name. The club was founded on 4 February 1899 as Fußballverein Werder by a group of sixteen vocational high school students who had won a prize...
regarding the transfer of the player. Klose completed his medical with Bayern on 28 June 2007 before signing a four-year contract.
Klose made his first competitive appearance for Bayern in a 4–1 victory against old team Werder Bremen in the first round of the DFB-Ligapokal
DFB-Ligapokal
The DFB-Ligapokal, or German League Cup, was a German football competition that took place before the start of the Bundesliga season, featuring the top five teams of the previous Fußball-Bundesliga season and the winners of the DFB-Pokal in Germany...
. After missing the semi-final victory over VfB Stuttgart
VfB Stuttgart
Verein für Bewegungsspiele Stuttgart 1893 e. V., commonly known as VfB Stuttgart, is a German sports club based in Stuttgart, Baden-Württemberg. The club is best known for its football team, which has participated in all but two Bundesliga seasons...
due to injury, Klose returned in the final against Schalke 04
FC Schalke 04
Fußball-Club Gelsenkirchen-Schalke 04, commonly known as simply FC Schalke 04 or Schalke , is a German, association-football club originally from the Schalke district of Gelsenkirchen, North Rhine-Westphalia. Schalke has long been one of the most popular football teams in Germany, even though major...
, scoring his first competitive goal for Bayern to win the title.
Klose made his Bundesliga
Fußball-Bundesliga
The Fußball-Bundesliga is a professional association football league in Germany. At the top of Germany's football league system, it is the country's primary football competition. It is contested by 18 teams and operates on a system of promotion and relegation with the 2. Bundesliga...
debut in the game against Hansa Rostock on 11 August 2007 in which he scored two goals. The game ended 3–0 for Bayern Munich, with Klose's striking partner Luca Toni
Luca Toni
Luca Toni, Ufficiale OMRI is an Italian World Cup-winning footballer who currently plays for Serie A club Juventus. He has had successful spells at top clubs such as Palermo, Fiorentina, Bayern Munich, and Roma...
scoring the third goal. In late September, he claimed his first hat-trick for the club in a 5–0 League success over Energie Cottbus.
After that bright start to his Bayern career, Klose struggled during the latter half of the Bundesliga season. His total of 20 goals in all competitions — with an impressive DFB Cup record — did, however, play a significant role in helping the club to a league and cup double.
Klose's second season at the club was a positive one. He finished as Bayern's top scorer in all competitions with 20 goals, a figure that could have been higher but for an injury sustained in March. Seven of his tally came in the Champions' League, making him the second-best goalscorer in that year's competition; only Lionel Messi
Lionel Messi
Lionel Andrés "Leo" Messi is an Argentine footballer who plays for FC Barcelona and captains the Argentina national team, mainly as a striker. Messi received several Ballon d'Or and FIFA World Player of the Year nominations by the age of 21, and won in 2009 and 2010...
with nine scored more than Klose.
Klose sustained two injuries in the beginning of the 2010–11 season. After he had made a full recovery, he remained on the bench until late December when he appeared in a DFB-Pokal
DFB-Pokal
The DFB-Pokal or DFB Cup is a German knockout football cup competition held annually. 64 teams participate in the competition, including all clubs from the Bundesliga and the 2nd Bundesliga. It is considered the second most important national title in German football after the Bundesliga...
match against VfB Stuttgart
VfB Stuttgart
Verein für Bewegungsspiele Stuttgart 1893 e. V., commonly known as VfB Stuttgart, is a German sports club based in Stuttgart, Baden-Württemberg. The club is best known for its football team, which has participated in all but two Bundesliga seasons...
. Klose came off the bench and scored twice.
On 6 June 2011, with his contract about to expire, Klose did not reach an agreement with Bayern Munich, thus leaving the club at the end of the 2010–11 season.
Lazio
Klose signed a two-year contract with LazioS.S. Lazio
Società Sportiva Lazio, commonly referred to as Lazio, is a professional Italian football club based in Rome. The team, founded in 1900, play in the Serie A and have spent most of their history in the top tier of Italian football...
on 9 June 2011. Lazio is the first team he plays for outside Germany. Klose scored his first goal for Lazio in UEFA Europa League 2012 Play-offs. He also assisted four other goals. Lazio won that game 6–0 and won the play-offs by 9–1 aggregate against Rabotnicki
FK Rabotnicki
FK Rabotnički is a football club that plays at the Philip II Arena in Skopje, Republic of Macedonia. They currently compete in the Macedonian First League.-History:...
. On 9 September 2011, he made his league debut in a 2–2 draw against Milan
A.C. Milan
Associazione Calcio Milan, commonly referred to as A.C. Milan or simply Milan , is a professional Italian football club based in Milan, Lombardy, that plays in the Serie A. Milan was founded in 1899 by English lace-maker Herbert Kilpin and businessman Alfred Edwards among others...
and scored a goal in the 12th minute, which was the first Serie A
Serie A
Serie A , now called Serie A TIM due to sponsorship by Telecom Italia, is a professional league competition for football clubs located at the top of the Italian football league system and has been operating for over eighty years since 1929. It had been organized by Lega Calcio until 2010, but a new...
goal of the season. Despite only being at the club for a few months his coach Edy Reja
Edoardo Reja
Edoardo "Edy" Reja is an Italian football coach and former player, currently managing Lazio in the Italian Serie A. Born in Italy to Slovenian parents, Reja speaks Slovene and Italian. He is also fluent in Friulan....
has already underlined his importance to the team. On 16 October 2011, Klose scored in the 93rd minute to win the Rome derby 2–1 for Lazio. However, the occasion was tainted by a small section of radical Lazio fans
S.S. Lazio fans
This article is about the fans of Italian football club S.S. Lazio.-The beginning:The history of organized fan groups of S.S. Lazio, known in Italian as the Tifoseria Laziale began in the late 1960s, in which small groups of supporters filled the steps of Stadio Olimpico in Rome...
holding a sign adapted from a motto used by the Nazis. The sign read 'Klose Mit Uns', which means 'Klose with us' but was intended by those fans as praise for Klose. The Nazis used the motto 'God with us' and the Lazio fans' sign featured the 'S's in the same font as the logo of Hitler's SS. Miroslav has openly condemned the sign, adding 'politics should stay out of the stadium'.
International career
Poland national football team
The Poland national football team represents Poland in association football and is controlled by the Polish Football Association, the governing body for football in Poland...
, Jerzy Engel
Jerzy Engel
Władysław Jerzy Engel was a Polish footballer and coach. Engel began his career in football at an early age playing at local club Junak Wloclawek, before moving to Polonia Warsaw , Hutnik Warszawa and several other clubs.Engel, nicknamed "Jurek", began playing in midfield or attack before, at...
, travelled to Germany to persuade Klose to choose to play for Poland. This request was declined by Klose, who said that "I have a German passport, and if things are still running this way, I have a chance to play for Rudi Völler
Rudi Völler
Rudolf 'Rudi' Völler is a German former international football striker, and a former manager of the German national team...
." Kloses hopes were justified, as he would soon score for Germany.
In an interview given to Przegląd Sportowy on 9 June 2008, Klose stated that the decision to play for Germany instead of Poland was not an easy one, and if Polish officials had been faster, he would be playing for Poland now. Furthermore, he added that he does not regret the choice, as with Germany he has won medals in the World Cup tournaments. The German national team has never lost a game in which Klose has scored.
2002 World Cup
Klose's international debut came in march 21st in 2001 in a World Cup qualifier2002 FIFA World Cup qualification (UEFA)
Listed below are the dates and results for the 2002 FIFA World Cup qualification rounds for the European zone . For an overview of the qualification rounds, see the article 2002 FIFA World Cup qualification....
against Albania
Albania national football team
The Albania national association football team is the national association football team of Albania and is controlled by the Football Association of Albania...
, in the 73rd minute coach Rudi Völler
Rudi Völler
Rudolf 'Rudi' Völler is a German former international football striker, and a former manager of the German national team...
put him in as a substitute. Two minutes from time he headed home the 2-1 winner for Germany and celebrated with a front-flip. Four days later in his second match Klose helped Germany temporarily lead their qualification group, he came on in the 67th minute and scored the 3-2 against Greece
Greece national football team
The Greece national football team represents Greece in association football and is controlled by the Hellenic Football Federation, the governing body for football in Greece. Greece's home ground is Karaiskakis Stadium in Piraeus and their head coach is Fernando Santos...
in the 82nd minute, making it two crucial goals in only 33 minutes on the pitch. Two hat-trick
Hat-trick
A hat-trick or hat trick in sport is the achievement of a positive feat three times during a game, or other achievements based on threes. The term was first used in 1858 in cricket to describe HH Stephenson's feat of taking three wickets in three balls. A collection was held for Stephenson, and he...
s against Israel
Israel national football team
The Israel national football team is the national football team of Israel, controlled by the Israel Football Association .Israel National Football is the direct successor of the Eretz Yisrael National Team during British Mandate...
and Austria
Austria national football team
The Austria national football team is the association football team that represents the country of Austria in international competition and is controlled by the Austrian Football Association ....
in friendlies prior to the upcoming World Cup were enough to establish him in Germanys starting lineup for the tournament.
Klose came to international prominence at the 2002 World Cup
2002 FIFA World Cup
The 2002 FIFA World Cup was the 17th staging of the FIFA World Cup, held in South Korea and Japan from 31 May to 30 June. It was also the first World Cup held in Asia, and the last in which the golden goal rule was implemented. Brazil won the tournament for a record fifth time, beating Germany 2–0...
in Korea
South Korea
The Republic of Korea , , is a sovereign state in East Asia, located on the southern portion of the Korean Peninsula. It is neighbored by the People's Republic of China to the west, Japan to the east, North Korea to the north, and the East China Sea and Republic of China to the south...
-Japan
Japan
Japan is an island nation in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south...
, because he scored five headed goals for Germany
Germany national football team
The Germany national football team is the football team that has represented Germany in international competition since 1908. It is governed by the German Football Association , which was founded in 1900....
, finishing joint second highest goal scorer along with Rivaldo
Rivaldo
Rivaldo Vítor Borba Ferreira , commonly known simply as Rivaldo , is a Brazilian professional footballer who plays for São Paulo, on loan from Mogi Mirim, as an attacking midfielder and sometimes as a supporting striker.He most notably played five years with Spanish club FC Barcelona, with whom he...
. He became the first player ever to score five headers in a World Cup
FIFA World Cup
The FIFA World Cup, often simply the World Cup, is an international association football competition contested by the senior men's national teams of the members of Fédération Internationale de Football Association , the sport's global governing body...
, and he celebrated
Goal celebration
In football, a goal celebration is the practice of celebrating the scoring of a goal. The celebration may be performed by the goalscorer , his or her teammates, the manager or coaching staff and/or the supporters of the team...
all of his goals with his trademark front-flip, earning him the nickname "Salto-Klose". His goal tally included a hat-trick
Hat-trick
A hat-trick or hat trick in sport is the achievement of a positive feat three times during a game, or other achievements based on threes. The term was first used in 1858 in cricket to describe HH Stephenson's feat of taking three wickets in three balls. A collection was held for Stephenson, and he...
in Germany's 8–0 hammering of Saudi Arabia
Saudi Arabia national football team
Saudi Arabia national football team is the national team of Saudi Arabia and is controlled by the Saudi Arabia Football Federation...
, as well as one goal each against Ireland
Republic of Ireland national football team
The Republic of Ireland national football team represents Ireland in association football. It is run by the Football Association of Ireland and currently plays home fixtures at Aviva Stadium in Dublin, which opened in May 2010....
and Cameroon
Cameroon national football team
The Cameroon national football team, nicknamed Les Lions Indomptables , is controlled by the Fédération Camerounaise de Football and is Africa's most successful side in FIFA world cup; having qualified for the FIFA World Cup six times – in 1982, 1990, 1994, 1998, 2002 and 2010– more than any...
.
Klose also participated in Euro 2004 and came on as a substitute in two games, against Latvia
Latvia national football team
The Latvian national football team is controlled by the Latvian Football Federation, the governing body for football in Latvia and represents the country in international football competitions, such as the World Cup and the European Championships. So far, they have never qualified for a FIFA World...
and the Czech Republic
Czech Republic national football team
The Czech Republic national football team represents the Czech Republic in association football and is controlled by the Football Association of the Czech Republic, the governing body for football in the Czech Republic. Their current head coach is Michal Bílek...
, but was not completely fit, since he just recovered from a knee injury. He wasn't able to score and Germany went out in the first round.
2006 World Cup
Klose was named to his second successive World CupFIFA World Cup
The FIFA World Cup, often simply the World Cup, is an international association football competition contested by the senior men's national teams of the members of Fédération Internationale de Football Association , the sport's global governing body...
team for the 2006 World Cup
2006 FIFA World Cup
The 2006 FIFA World Cup was the 18th FIFA World Cup, the quadrennial international football world championship tournament. It was held from 9 June to 9 July 2006 in Germany, which won the right to host the event in July 2000. Teams representing 198 national football associations from all six...
. In the opening match against Costa Rica
Costa Rica national football team
The Costa Rica national football team, nicknamed La Sele, is the national team of Costa Rica and is controlled by the Federación Costarricense de Fútbol. Costa Rica is the third most successful team in CONCACAF after Mexico and the United States...
, coinciding with his 28th birthday, Klose scored two goals, in the 17th and 61st minutes respectively. This led to Germany's 4–2 win over Costa Rica. He scored another two goals against Ecuador
Ecuador national football team
The Ecuadorian national football team represents Ecuador in international football competitions and is controlled by the Ecuadorian Football Federation. They generally play official home matches at Estadio Olímpico Atahualpa in Quito, but often play friendlies in other stadiums around the country...
on 20 June, putting him on top of the tournament top scorer list with four goals.
Klose also played a major part in Germany's 2–0 win over Sweden
Sweden national football team
The Swedish national football team represents Sweden in association football and is controlled by the Swedish Football Association, the governing body for Football in Sweden. Sweden's home ground is Råsunda Stadium in Stockholms län and their head coach is Erik Hamrén. Sweden made their first...
in the first knockout round
2006 FIFA World Cup knockout stage
In the 2006 FIFA World Cup, the knockout stage was the second and final stage of the World Cup, following the group stage. The top two teams from each group advance to the knockout stage to compete in a single-elimination style tournament...
, demonstrating his ability to provide assists as he set up strike partner Lukas Podolski
Lukas Podolski
Lukas Josef Podolski ; born Łukasz Podolski ) on 4 June 1985 in Gliwice, Poland) is a German footballer who plays as a striker/winger for 1. FC Köln and for the German national team. He joined 1. FC Köln in 1995 where he broke into the first team in 2003 and made 81 appearances for the club before...
for both goals. Klose scored the equaliser against Argentina
Argentina national football team
The Argentina national football team represents Argentina in association football and is controlled by the Argentine Football Association , the governing body for football in Argentina. Argentina's home stadium is Estadio Monumental Antonio Vespucio Liberti and their head coach is Alejandro...
in the quarter-final game played on 30 June 2006, with Germany going on to win 4–2 on penalties. This was his first headed goal in two years, three of the first four in the tournament were scored with his favoured right foot.
Klose is the first German since Gerd Müller
Gerd Müller
Gerhard "Gerd" Müller is a former German football player and one of the most prolific goalscorers of all time.With national records of 68 goals in 62 international appearances, 365 goals in 427 Bundesliga games and the international record of 66 goals in 74 European Club games, he was one of the...
in the 1970s to become the top scorer at a World Cup. During the tournament, he formed a formidable strike partnership with Lukas Podolski, scoring eight goals between them as Germany topped the scoring charts with 14 goals in seven matches. Klose and team-mate Michael Ballack
Michael Ballack
Michael Ballack is a German professional footballer, who is currently playing for Bundesliga club Bayer Leverkusen. He is among the top goal scorers in the history of his international team. Ballack has worn the number 13 shirt for every team he has played for except for Kaiserslautern...
became the only two All-Star Team Players of the 2006 World Cup to be in the previous All-Star Team of 2002.
Euro 2008
On 6 September 2006, Klose scored two away goals against San MarinoSan Marino national football team
The San Marino national football team is the national football team of San Marino, controlled by the San Marino Football Federation...
in a 13–0 Euro 2008 qualifying win which took his international goal tally to 33, the same amount as his idol Fritz Walter
Fritz Walter
Friedrich "Fritz" Walter was a German footballer. In his time with the German national team, he won 61 caps and scored 33 goals.-Early club career:...
and to joint seventh in the list of all-time goalscorers for Germany.
He had a goal drought for a long time with the national team, causing speculation that he may be dropped from the starting line-up. But German coach Joachim Löw has denied this.
Another highlight in Klose's career came on 8 September 2007, as he captained Germany for the first time and celebrated this honour by scoring both of his country's goals in a 2–0 victory over Wales
Wales national football team
The Wales national football team represents Wales in international football. It is controlled by the Football Association of Wales , the governing body for football in Wales, and the third oldest national football association in the world. The team have only qualified for a major international...
. The next day, one of the headlines in the UEFA official website was "Captain Klose takes Germany closer (to qualifying)."
In the main tournament, Klose started the opening group game against Poland
Poland national football team
The Poland national football team represents Poland in association football and is controlled by the Polish Football Association, the governing body for football in Poland...
and assisted Lukas Podolski
Lukas Podolski
Lukas Josef Podolski ; born Łukasz Podolski ) on 4 June 1985 in Gliwice, Poland) is a German footballer who plays as a striker/winger for 1. FC Köln and for the German national team. He joined 1. FC Köln in 1995 where he broke into the first team in 2003 and made 81 appearances for the club before...
's two goals in a 2–0 victory. He played the remaining two group games against Croatia
Croatia national football team
The Croatia national football team represents Croatia in international football. The team is controlled by the Croatian Football Federation, the governing body for football in the country, and has been managed since 2006 by former player Slaven Bilić...
and Austria
Austria national football team
The Austria national football team is the association football team that represents the country of Austria in international competition and is controlled by the Austrian Football Association ....
with no goals of his own. He finally broke his duck during the knockout stages
UEFA Euro 2008 knockout stage
The knockout stage of the 2008 UEFA European Championships began with the quarter-finals on 19 June 2008, and was completed on 29 June 2008 with the final at Ernst Happel Stadion in Vienna....
, scoring for Germany in quarter-final and semi-final against Portugal
Portugal national football team
The Portugal national football team represents Portugal in association football and is controlled by the Portuguese Football Federation, the governing body for football in Portugal. Portugal's home ground is Estádio Nacional in Oeiras, and their head coach is Paulo Bento...
and Turkey
Turkey national football team
The Turkey national football team represents Turkey in association football and is controlled by the Turkish Football Federation, the governing body for football in Turkey. They are affiliated with UEFA...
, respectively. In both games he scored Germanys second goal, and both games were won by 3–2. He was unable, however, to score during the final
UEFA Euro 2008 Final
The UEFA Euro 2008 Final was a football match that took place on 29 June 2008 at the Ernst Happel Stadion in Vienna, Austria, to determine the winner of the UEFA Euro 2008. Spain defeated Germany 1–0 with a goal from Fernando Torres...
against Spain
Spain national football team
The Spain national football team represents Spain in international association football and is controlled by the Royal Spanish Football Federation, the governing body for football in Spain. The current head coach is Vicente del Bosque...
, as they lost the match 1–0.
2010 World Cup
Klose was selected in Germany's final 23-man squad, and for his third successive World Cup campaign. On 13 June, Klose scored the second goal against Australia in their opening group game2010 FIFA World Cup Group D
Group D of the 2010 FIFA World Cup began on 13 June and ended on 23 June 2010. The group consisted of Germany, Australia, Serbia and Ghana. Along with Group G, it was considered to be a group of death....
, a 4–0 victory. This goal put him level in World Cup goals with his former coach Jürgen Klinsmann
Jürgen Klinsmann
Jürgen Klinsmann is a German football manager and former player who is currently the coach of the United States Men's National Team. As a player, Klinsmann played for several prominent clubs in Europe and was part of the West German team that won the 1990 FIFA World Cup and the German one that...
. Klose was given a red card in the 36th minute after receiving his second of two cautions in Germany's second first-round game against Serbia
Serbia national football team
The Serbia national football team represents Serbia in association football and is controlled by the Football Association of Serbia, the governing body for football in Serbia. Serbia's home ground is Stadion Crvena Zvezda in Belgrade and their last head coach was Vladimir Petrović...
, which Germany lost 1–0.
He opened the scoring in the Round of 16
2010 FIFA World Cup knockout stage
The knockout stage of the 2010 FIFA World Cup was the second and final stage of the World Cup, following the group stage. It began on 26 June with the round of 16 matches, and ended on 11 July with the final match of the tournament held at Soccer City, Johannesburg, in which Spain beat the...
match against England
England national football team
The England national football team represents England in association football and is controlled by the Football Association, the governing body for football in England. England is the joint oldest national football team in the world, alongside Scotland, whom they played in the world's first...
on 27 June 2010 with his 12th World Cup goal, equalling Pelé
Pelé
However, Pelé has always maintained that those are mistakes, that he was actually named Edson and that he was born on 23 October 1940.), best known by his nickname Pelé , is a retired Brazilian footballer. He is widely regarded as one of the greatest football players of all time...
for fourth on the all time list, and also notching up his 50th international goal in his 99th international game, as Germany won the game 4–1. The assist to this goal came from young goalkeeper Manuel Neuer
Manuel Neuer
Manuel Neuer is a German footballer who plays as a goalkeeper for Bayern Munich and the German national football team.-Schalke 04:Neuer signed professional terms in 2005 after progressing through every age group at his hometown club. He made his Bundesliga debut when he came on to substitute the...
straight from a goalkick.
Klose made his 100th international appearance in the quarter-final against Argentina
Argentina national football team
The Argentina national football team represents Argentina in association football and is controlled by the Argentine Football Association , the governing body for football in Argentina. Argentina's home stadium is Estadio Monumental Antonio Vespucio Liberti and their head coach is Alejandro...
, becoming only the sixth German player to reach the landmark. He then scored the second and fourth goals against Argentina (Germany winning 4–0), pulling him level with Gerd Müller
Gerd Müller
Gerhard "Gerd" Müller is a former German football player and one of the most prolific goalscorers of all time.With national records of 68 goals in 62 international appearances, 365 goals in 427 Bundesliga games and the international record of 66 goals in 74 European Club games, he was one of the...
's all-time German World Cup goalscoring record. Due to a back injury sustained in the semi-final against Spain
Spain national football team
The Spain national football team represents Spain in international association football and is controlled by the Royal Spanish Football Federation, the governing body for football in Spain. The current head coach is Vicente del Bosque...
- Germany losing 0–1 against the upcoming champions. Klose was unable to play in Germanys 3-2 bronze medal winning match against Uruguay
Uruguay national football team
The Uruguayan national football team represents Uruguay in international association football and is controlled by the Uruguayan Football Association, the governing body for football in Uruguay. The current head coach is Óscar Tabárez...
. This deprived him of the chance to equal or surpass Ronaldo
Ronaldo
Ronaldo Luís Nazário de Lima , commonly known as Ronaldo, is a retired Brazilian footballer who last played for Corinthians. Ronaldo is widely considered to be the greatest 'pure' striker in the history of the modern game, and by some accounts, in the history of football. Ronaldo was one of the...
's record number of goals in the World Cup finals - Klose has 14 goals, Ronaldo has 15.
Euro 2012
For the Euro 2012 qualifiers, Klose has scored at least one goal in every single game he played, striking against all of Germanys opponents: Belgium, AzerbaijanAzerbaijan national football team
The Azerbaijan national football team is the national football team of Azerbaijan and is controlled by Association of Football Federations of Azerbaijan...
, Turkey
Turkey national football team
The Turkey national football team represents Turkey in association football and is controlled by the Turkish Football Federation, the governing body for football in Turkey. They are affiliated with UEFA...
, Kazakhstan
Kazakhstan national football team
The Kazakhstan national football team represents Kazakhstan in international men's association football and is directed by Football Federation of Kazakhstan. They split from the Soviet Union national football team after independence in 1991 and joined the Asian Football Confederation's Central and...
and Austria
Austria national football team
The Austria national football team is the association football team that represents the country of Austria in international competition and is controlled by the Austrian Football Association ....
. In only 6 caps during the qualification campaign
UEFA Euro 2012 qualifying
The qualifying competition for UEFA Euro 2012 is a series of parallel association football competitions held over 2010 and 2011 to decide the qualifiers for UEFA Euro 2012, to be held in Poland and Ukraine...
, he scored nine goals and provided two assists making him Europe's second most successful striker for this period behind Klaas-Jan Huntelaar. This leaves him with 21 assists and 63 goals for Germany, trailing Gerd Müller
Gerd Müller
Gerhard "Gerd" Müller is a former German football player and one of the most prolific goalscorers of all time.With national records of 68 goals in 62 international appearances, 365 goals in 427 Bundesliga games and the international record of 66 goals in 74 European Club games, he was one of the...
's record by five.
International goals
-
- Scores and results table. Germany's goal tally first:
| Goal | Date | Venue | Opponent | Score | Result | Competition |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | 24 March 2001 | BayArena BayArena The BayArena is a football stadium in Leverkusen, Germany, which has been the home ground of Bundesliga club Bayer Leverkusen since 1958.-History:... , Leverkusen Leverkusen Leverkusen is a city in North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany on the eastern bank of the Rhine. To the South, Leverkusen borders the city of Cologne and to the North is the state capital Düsseldorf.... , Germany Germany Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate... |
2–1 | 2–1 | 2002 FIFA World Cup qualifying 2002 FIFA World Cup qualification (UEFA) Listed below are the dates and results for the 2002 FIFA World Cup qualification rounds for the European zone . For an overview of the qualification rounds, see the article 2002 FIFA World Cup qualification.... |
|
| 2. | 28 March 2001 | Olympic Stadium Olympic Stadium (Athens) The Olympic Stadium "Spiros Louis" , is part of the Athens Olympic Sports Complex. It is named after the first modern Olympic marathon race winner in 1896, Spiros Louis.-History:... , Athens Athens Athens , is the capital and largest city of Greece. Athens dominates the Attica region and is one of the world's oldest cities, as its recorded history spans around 3,400 years. Classical Athens was a powerful city-state... , Greece Greece Greece , officially the Hellenic Republic , and historically Hellas or the Republic of Greece in English, is a country in southeastern Europe.... |
3–2 | 4–2 | 2002 FIFA World Cup qualifying | |
| 3. | 13 February 2002 | Fritz-Walter-Stadion, Kaiserslautern Kaiserslautern Kaiserslautern is a city in southwest Germany, located in the Bundesland of Rhineland-Palatinate at the edge of the Palatinate forest . The historic centre dates to the 9th century. It is from Paris, from Frankfurt am Main, and from Luxembourg.Kaiserslautern is home to 99,469 people... , Germany Germany Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate... |
1–1 | 7–1 | Friendly Exhibition game An exhibition game is a sporting event in which there is no competitive value of any significant kind to any competitor regardless of the outcome of the competition... |
|
| 4. | 13 February 2002 | Fritz-Walter-Stadion, Kaiserslautern, Germany | 2–1 | 7–1 | Friendly | |
| 5. | 13 February 2002 | Fritz-Walter-Stadion, Kaiserslautern, Germany | 4–1 | 7–1 | Friendly | |
| 6. | 18 May 2002 | BayArena BayArena The BayArena is a football stadium in Leverkusen, Germany, which has been the home ground of Bundesliga club Bayer Leverkusen since 1958.-History:... , Leverkusen Leverkusen Leverkusen is a city in North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany on the eastern bank of the Rhine. To the South, Leverkusen borders the city of Cologne and to the North is the state capital Düsseldorf.... , Germany Germany Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate... |
1–0 | 6–2 | Friendly | |
| 7. | 18 May 2002 | BayArena, Leverkusen, Germany | 2–0 | 6–2 | Friendly | |
| 8. | 18 May 2002 | BayArena, Leverkusen, Germany | 4–2 | 6–2 | Friendly | |
| 9. | 1 June 2002 | Sapporo Dome Sapporo Dome The is a stadium located in Toyohira-ku, Sapporo, Japan, and is primarily used for baseball and football. It is the home field of the baseball team Hokkaido Nippon Ham Fighters and the football club Consadole Sapporo.-History:... , Sapporo, Japan Japan Japan is an island nation in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south... |
1–0 | 8–0 | 2002 FIFA World Cup 2002 FIFA World Cup The 2002 FIFA World Cup was the 17th staging of the FIFA World Cup, held in South Korea and Japan from 31 May to 30 June. It was also the first World Cup held in Asia, and the last in which the golden goal rule was implemented. Brazil won the tournament for a record fifth time, beating Germany 2–0... |
|
| 10. | 1 June 2002 | Sapporo Dome, Sapporo, Japan | 2–0 | 8–0 | 2002 FIFA World Cup | |
| 11. | 1 June 2002 | Sapporo Dome, Sapporo, Japan | 5–0 | 8–0 | 2002 FIFA World Cup | |
| 12. | 5 June 2002 | Kashima Soccer Stadium, Kashima Kashima, Ibaraki is a port city located in Ibaraki Prefecture, Japan.As of October 1, 2010, the city has an estimated population of 66,249 and a population density of 708.02 persons per km². The total area is 93.57 km². Kashima was formerly a town in Kashima District and became a city after merging with the... , Japan Japan Japan is an island nation in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south... |
1–0 | 1–1 | 2002 FIFA World Cup | |
| 13. | 11 June 2002 | Shizuoka Stadium Shizuoka Stadium is a sports stadium used primarily for football. The stadium is in Fukuroi City, Shizuoka Prefecture, Japan, although the stadium itself is merely the centrepiece of the larger Ogasayama Sports Park which extends into neighbouring Kakegawa... , Shizuoka Shizuoka, Shizuoka is the capital city of Shizuoka Prefecture, Japan, and the prefecture's second-largest city in terms of both population and area. It became one of Japan's 19 "designated cities" in 2005.-Geography:... , Japan Japan Japan is an island nation in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south... |
2–0 | 2–0 | 2002 FIFA World Cup | |
| 14. | 16 October 2002 | AWD-Arena AWD-Arena The AWD-Arena is a football stadium in the district Calenberger Neustadt in Hanover, Lower Saxony, Germany, and competition venue of the German Bundesliga football club Hannover 96.... , Hannover, Germany Germany Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate... |
2–1 | 2–1 | UEFA Euro 2004 qualifying | |
| 15. | 11 June 2003 | Gundadalur Gundadalur Gundadalur is the name of an area in Tórshavn, Faroe Islands. It is home of different football fields and other sports facilities . The largest one is the National stadium Tórsvøllur, a multi-use stadium.... , Tórshavn Tórshavn Tórshavn is the capital and largest town of the Faroe Islands. It is located in the southern part on the east coast of Streymoy. To the north west of the town lies the high mountain Húsareyn, and to the southwest, the high Kirkjubøreyn... , Faroe Islands Faroe Islands The Faroe Islands are an island group situated between the Norwegian Sea and the North Atlantic Ocean, approximately halfway between Scotland and Iceland. The Faroe Islands are a self-governing territory within the Kingdom of Denmark, along with Denmark proper and Greenland... |
1–0 | 2–0 | UEFA Euro 2004 qualifying | |
| 16. | 18 February 2004 | Gradski stadion u Poljudu Gradski stadion u Poljudu Stadion Poljud is a multi-use stadium in the Croatian city of Split. It takes its name from the neighbourhood of Poljud, and is located on the northern side of the Split peninsula. its original name is "Gradski stadion u Poljudu" . The stadium was built for the 1979 Mediterranean Games and is the... , Split Split (city) Split is a Mediterranean city on the eastern shores of the Adriatic Sea, centered around the ancient Roman Palace of the Emperor Diocletian and its wide port bay. With a population of 178,192 citizens, and a metropolitan area numbering up to 467,899, Split is by far the largest Dalmatian city and... , Croatia Croatia Croatia , officially the Republic of Croatia , is a unitary democratic parliamentary republic in Europe at the crossroads of the Mitteleuropa, the Balkans, and the Mediterranean. Its capital and largest city is Zagreb. The country is divided into 20 counties and the city of Zagreb. Croatia covers ... |
1–0 | 2–1 | Friendly | |
| 17. | 17 November 2004 | Zentralstadion, Leipzig Leipzig Leipzig Leipzig has always been a trade city, situated during the time of the Holy Roman Empire at the intersection of the Via Regia and Via Imperii, two important trade routes. At one time, Leipzig was one of the major European centres of learning and culture in fields such as music and publishing... , Germany Germany Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate... |
1–0 | 3–0 | Friendly | |
| 18. | 17 November 2004 | Zentralstadion, Leipzig, Germany | 2–0 | 3–0 | Friendly | |
| 19. | 16 December 2004 | International Stadium Nissan Stadium The is a sports venue in Yokohama, Kanagawa Prefecture, Japan.The Yokohama City Office planned multi purpose about the rest place for flood by the Tsurumi River, which included the construction of the main stadium of major sport events - the 53rd National Sports Festival of Japan in Kanagawa... , Yokohama Yokohama is the capital city of Kanagawa Prefecture and the second largest city in Japan by population after Tokyo and most populous municipality of Japan. It lies on Tokyo Bay, south of Tokyo, in the Kantō region of the main island of Honshu... , Japan Japan Japan is an island nation in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south... |
1–0 | 3–0 | Friendly | |
| 20. | 16 December 2004 | International Stadium, Yokohama, Japan | 3–0 | 3–0 | Friendly | |
| 21. | 1 March 2006 | Signal Iduna Park, Dortmund Dortmund Dortmund is a city in Germany. It is located in the Bundesland of North Rhine-Westphalia, in the Ruhr area. Its population of 585,045 makes it the 7th largest city in Germany and the 34th largest in the European Union.... , Germany Germany Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate... |
3–0 | 4–1 | Friendly | |
| 22. | 27 May 2006 | Dreisamstadion Dreisamstadion Dreisamstadion is a multi-purpose stadium in Freiburg, Baden-Württemberg, Germany. It is currently used mostly for football matches and is the home stadium of Sport-Club Freiburg. The stadium holds 24,000 spectators and was built in 1953... , Freiburg Freiburg Freiburg im Breisgau is a city in Baden-Württemberg, Germany. In the extreme south-west of the country, it straddles the Dreisam river, at the foot of the Schlossberg. Historically, the city has acted as the hub of the Breisgau region on the western edge of the Black Forest in the Upper Rhine Plain... , Germany Germany Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate... |
1–0 | 7–0 | Friendly | |
| 23. | 27 May 2006 | Dreisamstadion, Freiburg, Germany | 4–0 | 7–0 | Friendly | |
| 24. | 30 May 2006 | BayArena BayArena The BayArena is a football stadium in Leverkusen, Germany, which has been the home ground of Bundesliga club Bayer Leverkusen since 1958.-History:... , Leverkusen Leverkusen Leverkusen is a city in North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany on the eastern bank of the Rhine. To the South, Leverkusen borders the city of Cologne and to the North is the state capital Düsseldorf.... , Germany Germany Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate... |
1–2 | 2–2 | Friendly | |
| 25. | 9 June 2006 | Allianz Arena Allianz Arena The Allianz Arena is a football stadium in the north of Munich, Bavaria, Germany. The two professional Munich football clubs FC Bayern Munich and TSV 1860 München have played their home games at Allianz Arena since the start of the 2005–06 season... , Munich Munich Munich The city's motto is "" . Before 2006, it was "Weltstadt mit Herz" . Its native name, , is derived from the Old High German Munichen, meaning "by the monks' place". The city's name derives from the monks of the Benedictine order who founded the city; hence the monk depicted on the city's coat... , Germany Germany Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate... |
2–1 | 4–2 | 2006 FIFA World Cup 2006 FIFA World Cup The 2006 FIFA World Cup was the 18th FIFA World Cup, the quadrennial international football world championship tournament. It was held from 9 June to 9 July 2006 in Germany, which won the right to host the event in July 2000. Teams representing 198 national football associations from all six... |
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| 26. | 9 June 2006 | Allianz Arena, Munich, Germany | 3–1 | 4–2 | 2006 FIFA World Cup | |
| 27. | 20 June 2006 | Olympic Stadium Olympic Stadium (Berlin) The Olympiastadion is a sports stadium in Berlin, Germany. There have been two stadiums on the site: the present facility, and one that is called the Deutsches Stadion which was built for the aborted 1916 Summer Olympics. Both were designed by members of the same family, the first by Otto March... , Berlin Berlin Berlin is the capital city of Germany and is one of the 16 states of Germany. With a population of 3.45 million people, Berlin is Germany's largest city. It is the second most populous city proper and the seventh most populous urban area in the European Union... , Germany Germany Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate... |
1–0 | 3–0 | 2006 FIFA World Cup | |
| 28. | 20 June 2006 | Olympic Stadium, Berlin, Germany | 2–0 | 3–0 | 2006 FIFA World Cup | |
| 29. | 30 June 2006 | Olympic Stadium Olympic Stadium (Berlin) The Olympiastadion is a sports stadium in Berlin, Germany. There have been two stadiums on the site: the present facility, and one that is called the Deutsches Stadion which was built for the aborted 1916 Summer Olympics. Both were designed by members of the same family, the first by Otto March... , Berlin Berlin Berlin is the capital city of Germany and is one of the 16 states of Germany. With a population of 3.45 million people, Berlin is Germany's largest city. It is the second most populous city proper and the seventh most populous urban area in the European Union... , Germany Germany Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate... |
1–1 | 1–1 (a.e.t.), 4–2 (pen. Penalty shootout (football) A penalty shoot-out, referred to as kicks from the penalty mark in the Laws of the Game, is the FIFA official term for a method used in association football to decide which team progresses to the next stage of a tournament following a tied game... ) |
2006 FIFA World Cup | |
| 30. | 16 August 2006 | Veltins-Arena Veltins-Arena Veltins-Arena is a football stadium in Gelsenkirchen, North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany. It opened in 2001, as the new home ground for German Bundesliga club Schalke 04.... , Gelsenkirchen Gelsenkirchen Gelsenkirchen is a city in North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany. It is located in the northern part of the Ruhr area. Its population in 2006 was c. 267,000.... , Germany Germany Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate... |
2–0 | 3–0 | Friendly | |
| 31. | 16 August 2006 | Veltins-Arena, Gelsenkirchen, Germany | 3–0 | 3–0 | Friendly | |
| 32. | 6 September 2006 | Stadio Olimpico Stadio Olimpico (San Marino) Stadio Olimpico is a multi-purpose stadium in Serravalle, San Marino. It is currently used mostly for football matches. It is the national stadium of San Marino, and is also used by the club San Marino Calcio, which plays in the Italian football league. The Stadio Olimpico was also used by... , Serravalle, San Marino San Marino San Marino, officially the Republic of San Marino , is a state situated on the Italian Peninsula on the eastern side of the Apennine Mountains. It is an enclave surrounded by Italy. Its size is just over with an estimated population of over 30,000. Its capital is the City of San Marino... |
3–0 | 13–0 | UEFA Euro 2008 qualifying | |
| 33. | 6 September 2006 | Stadio Olimpico, Serravalle, San Marino | 6–0 | 13–0 | UEFA Euro 2008 qualifying | |
| 34. | 8 September 2007 | Ninian Park Ninian Park Ninian Park was a football stadium in Leckwith, Cardiff, Wales. Until 2009, it was the home ground of Cardiff City F.C., who compete in the English Football League Championship... , Cardiff Cardiff Cardiff is the capital, largest city and most populous county of Wales and the 10th largest city in the United Kingdom. The city is Wales' chief commercial centre, the base for most national cultural and sporting institutions, the Welsh national media, and the seat of the National Assembly for... , Wales Wales Wales is a country that is part of the United Kingdom and the island of Great Britain, bordered by England to its east and the Atlantic Ocean and Irish Sea to its west. It has a population of three million, and a total area of 20,779 km²... |
1–0 | 2–0 | UEFA Euro 2008 qualifying | |
| 35. | 8 September 2007 | Ninian Park, Cardiff, Wales | 2–0 | 2–0 | UEFA Euro 2008 qualifying | |
| 36. | 17 November 2007 | AWD Arena, Hannover, Germany Germany Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate... |
2–0 | 4–0 | UEFA Euro 2008 qualifying | |
| 37. | 6 February 2008 | Ernst-Happel-Stadion, Vienna Vienna Vienna is the capital and largest city of the Republic of Austria and one of the nine states of Austria. Vienna is Austria's primary city, with a population of about 1.723 million , and is by far the largest city in Austria, as well as its cultural, economic, and political centre... , Austria Austria Austria , officially the Republic of Austria , is a landlocked country of roughly 8.4 million people in Central Europe. It is bordered by the Czech Republic and Germany to the north, Slovakia and Hungary to the east, Slovenia and Italy to the south, and Switzerland and Liechtenstein to the... |
2–0 | 3–0 | Friendly | |
| 38. | 26 March 2008 | St. Jakob-Park St. Jakob-Park ' is a Swiss sports stadium in Basel. It is the largest football venue in Switzerland and home to FC Basel. "Joggeli", as the venue is nicknamed by the locals, was originally built with a capacity of 33,433 seats. The capacity was increased to 42,500 for Euro 2008, which was hosted by Switzerland... , Basel Basel Basel or Basle In the national languages of Switzerland the city is also known as Bâle , Basilea and Basilea is Switzerland's third most populous city with about 166,000 inhabitants. Located where the Swiss, French and German borders meet, Basel also has suburbs in France and Germany... , Switzerland Switzerland Switzerland name of one of the Swiss cantons. ; ; ; or ), in its full name the Swiss Confederation , is a federal republic consisting of 26 cantons, with Bern as the seat of the federal authorities. The country is situated in Western Europe,Or Central Europe depending on the definition.... |
1–0 | 4–0 | Friendly | |
| 39. | 27 May 2008 | Fritz-Walter-Stadion, Kaiserslautern Kaiserslautern Kaiserslautern is a city in southwest Germany, located in the Bundesland of Rhineland-Palatinate at the edge of the Palatinate forest . The historic centre dates to the 9th century. It is from Paris, from Frankfurt am Main, and from Luxembourg.Kaiserslautern is home to 99,469 people... , Germany Germany Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate... |
1–0 | 2–2 | Friendly | |
| 40. | 19 June 2008 | St. Jakob-Park St. Jakob-Park ' is a Swiss sports stadium in Basel. It is the largest football venue in Switzerland and home to FC Basel. "Joggeli", as the venue is nicknamed by the locals, was originally built with a capacity of 33,433 seats. The capacity was increased to 42,500 for Euro 2008, which was hosted by Switzerland... , Basel Basel Basel or Basle In the national languages of Switzerland the city is also known as Bâle , Basilea and Basilea is Switzerland's third most populous city with about 166,000 inhabitants. Located where the Swiss, French and German borders meet, Basel also has suburbs in France and Germany... , Switzerland Switzerland Switzerland name of one of the Swiss cantons. ; ; ; or ), in its full name the Swiss Confederation , is a federal republic consisting of 26 cantons, with Bern as the seat of the federal authorities. The country is situated in Western Europe,Or Central Europe depending on the definition.... |
2–0 | 3–2 | UEFA Euro 2008 | |
| 41. | 25 June 2008 | St. Jakob-Park St. Jakob-Park ' is a Swiss sports stadium in Basel. It is the largest football venue in Switzerland and home to FC Basel. "Joggeli", as the venue is nicknamed by the locals, was originally built with a capacity of 33,433 seats. The capacity was increased to 42,500 for Euro 2008, which was hosted by Switzerland... , Basel Basel Basel or Basle In the national languages of Switzerland the city is also known as Bâle , Basilea and Basilea is Switzerland's third most populous city with about 166,000 inhabitants. Located where the Swiss, French and German borders meet, Basel also has suburbs in France and Germany... , Switzerland Switzerland Switzerland name of one of the Swiss cantons. ; ; ; or ), in its full name the Swiss Confederation , is a federal republic consisting of 26 cantons, with Bern as the seat of the federal authorities. The country is situated in Western Europe,Or Central Europe depending on the definition.... |
2–1 | 3–2 | UEFA Euro 2008 | |
| 42. | 10 September 2008 | Olympic Stadium Helsinki Olympic Stadium The Helsinki Olympic Stadium , located in the Töölö district about from the center of the Finnish capital Helsinki, is the largest stadium in the country, nowadays mainly used for hosting sports events and big concerts. The stadium is best known for being the center of activities in the 1952... , Helsinki Helsinki Helsinki is the capital and largest city in Finland. It is in the region of Uusimaa, located in southern Finland, on the shore of the Gulf of Finland, an arm of the Baltic Sea. The population of the city of Helsinki is , making it by far the most populous municipality in Finland. Helsinki is... , Finland Finland Finland , officially the Republic of Finland, is a Nordic country situated in the Fennoscandian region of Northern Europe. It is bordered by Sweden in the west, Norway in the north and Russia in the east, while Estonia lies to its south across the Gulf of Finland.Around 5.4 million people reside... |
1–1 | 3–3 | 2010 FIFA World Cup qualifying 2010 FIFA World Cup qualification (UEFA) The European zone of qualification for the 2010 FIFA World Cup saw 53 teams competing for 13 places at the finals. The qualification process started on 20 August 2008, after UEFA Euro 2008, and ended on 18 November 2009. The qualification process saw the first competitive matches of... |
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| 43. | 10 September 2008 | Olympic Stadium, Helsinki, Finland | 2–2 | 3–3 | 2010 FIFA World Cup qualifying | |
| 44. | 10 September 2008 | Olympic Stadium, Helsinki, Finland | 3–3 | 3–3 | 2010 FIFA World Cup qualifying | |
| 45. | 12 August 2009 | Tofik Bakhramov Stadium Tofik Bakhramov Stadium Tofiq Bahramov Stadium is a multi-purpose stadium in Baku, Azerbaijan. It is currently used mostly for football matches. It serves as the home ground of FK Baku and the Azerbaijan national football team and holds 30,000, making it the largest stadium in the country.- History :The Tofiq Bahramov... , Baku Baku Baku , sometimes spelled as Baki or Bakou, is the capital and largest city of Azerbaijan, as well as the largest city on the Caspian Sea and of the Caucasus region. It is located on the southern shore of the Absheron Peninsula, which projects into the Caspian Sea. The city consists of two principal... , Azerbaijan Azerbaijan Azerbaijan , officially the Republic of Azerbaijan is the largest country in the Caucasus region of Eurasia. Located at the crossroads of Western Asia and Eastern Europe, it is bounded by the Caspian Sea to the east, Russia to the north, Georgia to the northwest, Armenia to the west, and Iran to... |
2–0 | 2–0 | 2010 FIFA World Cup qualifying | |
| 46. | 9 September 2009 | AWD-Arena AWD-Arena The AWD-Arena is a football stadium in the district Calenberger Neustadt in Hanover, Lower Saxony, Germany, and competition venue of the German Bundesliga football club Hannover 96.... , Hanover Hanover Hanover or Hannover, on the river Leine, is the capital of the federal state of Lower Saxony , Germany and was once by personal union the family seat of the Hanoverian Kings of Great Britain, under their title as the dukes of Brunswick-Lüneburg... , Germany Germany Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate... |
2–0 | 4–0 | 2010 FIFA World Cup qualifying | |
| 47. | 9 September 2009 | AWD-Arena, Hanover, Germany | 3–0 | 4–0 | 2010 FIFA World Cup qualifying | |
| 48. | 10 October 2009 | Luzhniki Stadium Luzhniki Stadium The Grand Sports Arena of the Luzhniki Olympic Complex in Moscow, or briefly Luzhniki Stadium , is the biggest sports stadium in Russia. Its total seating capacity is 78,360 seats, all covered. The stadium is a part of the Luzhniki Olympic Complex, previously called the Central Lenin Stadium... , Moscow Moscow Moscow is the capital, the most populous city, and the most populous federal subject of Russia. The city is a major political, economic, cultural, scientific, religious, financial, educational, and transportation centre of Russia and the continent... , Russia Russia Russia or , officially known as both Russia and the Russian Federation , is a country in northern Eurasia. It is a federal semi-presidential republic, comprising 83 federal subjects... |
1–0 | 1–0 | 2010 FIFA World Cup qualifying | |
| 49. | 13 June 2010 | Moses Mabhida Stadium, Durban Durban Durban is the largest city in the South African province of KwaZulu-Natal and the third largest city in South Africa. It forms part of the eThekwini metropolitan municipality. Durban is famous for being the busiest port in South Africa. It is also seen as one of the major centres of tourism... , South Africa South Africa The Republic of South Africa is a country in southern Africa. Located at the southern tip of Africa, it is divided into nine provinces, with of coastline on the Atlantic and Indian oceans... |
2–0 | 4–0 | 2010 FIFA World Cup 2010 FIFA World Cup The 2010 FIFA World Cup was the 19th FIFA World Cup, the world championship for men's national association football teams. It took place in South Africa from 11 June to 11 July 2010... |
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| 50. | 27 June 2010 | Free State Stadium Free State Stadium The Free State Stadium , also known as Vodacom Park, is a stadium in Bloemfontein, South Africa, used mainly for rugby union and association football... , Bloemfontein Bloemfontein Bloemfontein is the capital city of the Free State Province of South Africa; and, as the judicial capital of the nation, one of South Africa's three national capitals – the other two being Cape Town, the legislative capital, and Pretoria, the administrative capital.Bloemfontein is popularly and... , South Africa South Africa The Republic of South Africa is a country in southern Africa. Located at the southern tip of Africa, it is divided into nine provinces, with of coastline on the Atlantic and Indian oceans... |
1–0 | 4–1 | 2010 FIFA World Cup | |
| 51. | 3 July 2010 | Cape Town Stadium, Cape Town Cape Town Cape Town is the second-most populous city in South Africa, and the provincial capital and primate city of the Western Cape. As the seat of the National Parliament, it is also the legislative capital of the country. It forms part of the City of Cape Town metropolitan municipality... , South Africa South Africa The Republic of South Africa is a country in southern Africa. Located at the southern tip of Africa, it is divided into nine provinces, with of coastline on the Atlantic and Indian oceans... |
2–0 | 4–0 | 2010 FIFA World Cup | |
| 52. | 3 July 2010 | Cape Town Stadium, Cape Town, South Africa | 4–0 | 4–0 | 2010 FIFA World Cup | |
| 53. | 3 September 2010 | King Baudouin Stadium King Baudouin Stadium The King Baudouin Stadium is a sports ground in north-west Brussels, Belgium. It was inaugurated on 23 August 1930 as the Stade du Jubilé or Jubelstadion in the presence of Prince Leopold. It was built to embellish the Heysel plateau in view of the Brussels International Exposition... , Brussels Brussels Brussels , officially the Brussels Region or Brussels-Capital Region , is the capital of Belgium and the de facto capital of the European Union... , Belgium Belgium Belgium , officially the Kingdom of Belgium, is a federal state in Western Europe. It is a founding member of the European Union and hosts the EU's headquarters, and those of several other major international organisations such as NATO.Belgium is also a member of, or affiliated to, many... |
1–0 | 1–0 | UEFA Euro 2012 qualifying UEFA Euro 2012 qualifying The qualifying competition for UEFA Euro 2012 is a series of parallel association football competitions held over 2010 and 2011 to decide the qualifiers for UEFA Euro 2012, to be held in Poland and Ukraine... |
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| 54. | 7 September 2010 | RheinEnergieStadion RheinEnergieStadion The RheinEnergieStadion is a football stadium in Cologne, North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany. It was built on the site of the two previous Müngersdorfer stadiums. It is the home of the local Bundesliga team, 1. FC Köln. The stadium was one of the 12 hosting the 2006 FIFA World Cup... , Cologne Cologne Cologne is Germany's fourth-largest city , and is the largest city both in the Germany Federal State of North Rhine-Westphalia and within the Rhine-Ruhr Metropolitan Area, one of the major European metropolitan areas with more than ten million inhabitants.Cologne is located on both sides of the... , Germany Germany Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate... |
3–0 | 6–1 | UEFA Euro 2012 qualifying | |
| 55. | 7 September 2010 | RheinEnergieStadion, Cologne, Germany | 6–1 | 6–1 | UEFA Euro 2012 qualifying | |
| 56. | 8 October 2010 | Olympic Stadium Olympic Stadium (Berlin) The Olympiastadion is a sports stadium in Berlin, Germany. There have been two stadiums on the site: the present facility, and one that is called the Deutsches Stadion which was built for the aborted 1916 Summer Olympics. Both were designed by members of the same family, the first by Otto March... , Berlin Berlin Berlin is the capital city of Germany and is one of the 16 states of Germany. With a population of 3.45 million people, Berlin is Germany's largest city. It is the second most populous city proper and the seventh most populous urban area in the European Union... , Germany Germany Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate... |
1–0 | 3–0 | UEFA Euro 2012 qualifying | |
| 57. | 8 October 2010 | Olympic Stadium, Berlin, Germany | 3–0 | 3–0 | UEFA Euro 2012 qualifying | |
| 58. | 12 October 2010 | Astana Arena, Astana Astana Astana , formerly known as Akmola , Tselinograd and Akmolinsk , is the capital and second largest city of Kazakhstan, with an officially estimated population of 708,794 as of 1 August 2010... , Kazakhstan Kazakhstan Kazakhstan , officially the Republic of Kazakhstan, is a transcontinental country in Central Asia and Eastern Europe. Ranked as the ninth largest country in the world, it is also the world's largest landlocked country; its territory of is greater than Western Europe... |
1–0 | 3–0 | UEFA Euro 2012 qualifying | |
| 59. | 9 February 2011 | Signal Iduna Park Westfalenstadion Westfalenstadion is an association football stadium in Dortmund, North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany. It is the home stadium of the Borussia Dortmund football team playing in the German Bundesliga.... , Dortmund Dortmund Dortmund is a city in Germany. It is located in the Bundesland of North Rhine-Westphalia, in the Ruhr area. Its population of 585,045 makes it the 7th largest city in Germany and the 34th largest in the European Union.... , Germany Germany Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate... |
1–0 | 1–1 | Friendly | |
| 60. | 26 March 2011 | Fritz-Walter-Stadion, Kaiserslautern Kaiserslautern Kaiserslautern is a city in southwest Germany, located in the Bundesland of Rhineland-Palatinate at the edge of the Palatinate forest . The historic centre dates to the 9th century. It is from Paris, from Frankfurt am Main, and from Luxembourg.Kaiserslautern is home to 99,469 people... , Germany Germany Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate... |
1–0 | 4–0 | UEFA Euro 2012 qualifying | |
| 61. | 26 March 2011 | Fritz-Walter-Stadion, Kaiserslautern, Germany | 4–0 | 4–0 | UEFA Euro 2012 qualifying | |
| 62. | 2 September 2011 | Veltins-Arena Veltins-Arena Veltins-Arena is a football stadium in Gelsenkirchen, North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany. It opened in 2001, as the new home ground for German Bundesliga club Schalke 04.... , Gelsenkirchen Gelsenkirchen Gelsenkirchen is a city in North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany. It is located in the northern part of the Ruhr area. Its population in 2006 was c. 267,000.... , Germany |
1–0 | 6–2 | UEFA Euro 2012 qualifying | |
| 63. | 15 November 2011 | Volksparkstadion, Hamburg Hamburg -History:The first historic name for the city was, according to Claudius Ptolemy's reports, Treva.But the city takes its modern name, Hamburg, from the first permanent building on the site, a castle whose construction was ordered by the Emperor Charlemagne in AD 808... , Germany |
2–0 | 3–0 | Friendly |
Club
Werder BremenSV Werder Bremen
SV Werder Bremen is a German sports club best known for its association football team playing in Bremen, in the northwest German federal state of the same name. The club was founded on 4 February 1899 as Fußballverein Werder by a group of sixteen vocational high school students who had won a prize...
- DFB-LigapokalDFB-LigapokalThe DFB-Ligapokal, or German League Cup, was a German football competition that took place before the start of the Bundesliga season, featuring the top five teams of the previous Fußball-Bundesliga season and the winners of the DFB-Pokal in Germany...
(1): 2006
Bayern Munich
FC Bayern Munich
FC Bayern Munich , is a German sports club based in Munich, Bavaria. It is best known for its professional football team, which is the most successful football club in Germany, having won 22 national titles and 15 cups....
- BundesligaFußball-BundesligaThe Fußball-Bundesliga is a professional association football league in Germany. At the top of Germany's football league system, it is the country's primary football competition. It is contested by 18 teams and operates on a system of promotion and relegation with the 2. Bundesliga...
(2): 2007–08, 2009–102009–10 Fußball-BundesligaThe 2009–10 Fußball-Bundesliga was the 47th season of the Fußball-Bundesliga, Germany's premier football league. The season commenced on 7 August 2009 with the traditional season opening match involving the defending champions VfL Wolfsburg and VfB Stuttgart. The last games were played on 8 May 2010... - UEFA Champions LeagueUEFA Champions LeagueThe UEFA Champions League, known simply the Champions League and originally known as the European Champion Clubs' Cup or European Cup, is an annual international club football competition organised by the Union of European Football Associations since 1955 for the top football clubs in Europe. It...
Runner-up: 2009–10 - DFB-PokalDFB-PokalThe DFB-Pokal or DFB Cup is a German knockout football cup competition held annually. 64 teams participate in the competition, including all clubs from the Bundesliga and the 2nd Bundesliga. It is considered the second most important national title in German football after the Bundesliga...
(2): 20082008 DFB-Pokal FinalThe 2007–08 DFB-Pokal season ended on April 19, 2008, with the final being played by thirteen-time winners Bayern München and two-time winners Borussia Dortmund. The final was played in front of 70,000 at Berlin's Olympiastadion...
, 20102010 DFB-Pokal FinalThe 2009–10 DFB-Pokal season came to a close on 15 May 2010 when Bayern Munich played defending champions Werder Bremen at the Olympiastadion in Berlin. Bayern thrashed Bremen 4-0 with goals from Robben, Olić, Ribéry, and Schweinsteiger. The title capped off a successful season, with Bayern... - DFB-LigapokalDFB-LigapokalThe DFB-Ligapokal, or German League Cup, was a German football competition that took place before the start of the Bundesliga season, featuring the top five teams of the previous Fußball-Bundesliga season and the winners of the DFB-Pokal in Germany...
(1): 2007 - DFB-SupercupDFB-SupercupThe DFL-Supercup is a match between the winner of the Bundesliga championship and the DFB-Pokal. In 1997, this was superseded by a league cup called DFB-Ligapokal. In 2008, although not officially sanctioned by the DFB, the match returned as the T-Home Supercup featuring Bundesliga champions FC...
(1): 2010
National team
GermanyGermany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
- FIFA World Cup2002 FIFA World CupThe 2002 FIFA World Cup was the 17th staging of the FIFA World Cup, held in South Korea and Japan from 31 May to 30 June. It was also the first World Cup held in Asia, and the last in which the golden goal rule was implemented. Brazil won the tournament for a record fifth time, beating Germany 2–0...
Runner-up: 2002 - FIFA World Cup2006 FIFA World CupThe 2006 FIFA World Cup was the 18th FIFA World Cup, the quadrennial international football world championship tournament. It was held from 9 June to 9 July 2006 in Germany, which won the right to host the event in July 2000. Teams representing 198 national football associations from all six...
3rd Place: 2006, 2010 - UEFA European Football ChampionshipUEFA European Football ChampionshipThe UEFA European Football Championship is the main football competition of the men's national football teams governed by UEFA . Held every four years since 1960, in the even-numbered year between World Cup tournaments, it was originally called the UEFA European Nations Cup, changing to the current...
Runner-up: 2008
Individual
- Bundesliga Top GoalscorerBundesliga top scorersThis is the list of Bundesliga top scorers season by season. Since 1966 a miniature artillery sponsored by the German football magazine kicker is awarded to the top scorer at the end of the season. It is formally named "kicker Torjägerkanone" . Gerd Müller holds the record for most goals in a...
(25 goals): 2006 - German Footballer of the YearGerman Footballer of the YearThe title Footballer of the Year has been awarded in Germany since 1960. In 1996 the title Women's Footballer of the Year was awarded for the first time. Both awards are determined by a poll of German football journalists from the Association of German Sports Journalists and the publication Kicker...
: 2006 - World Cup Silver ShoeFIFA World Cup awardsAt the end of each FIFA World Cup final tournament, several awards are attributed to the players and teams which have distinguished from the rest, in different aspects of the game.These are awards granted during the men's senior tournament...
: 2002 - World Cup Golden ShoeFIFA World Cup awardsAt the end of each FIFA World Cup final tournament, several awards are attributed to the players and teams which have distinguished from the rest, in different aspects of the game.These are awards granted during the men's senior tournament...
: 2006 - Selected for the All-star team in the 2002 and 2006 World Cups
Personal Records
- FIFA World Cup second all time top scorer along with Gerd MüllerGerd MüllerGerhard "Gerd" Müller is a former German football player and one of the most prolific goalscorers of all time.With national records of 68 goals in 62 international appearances, 365 goals in 427 Bundesliga games and the international record of 66 goals in 74 European Club games, he was one of the...
: 14 goals (5 in 2002, 5 in 2006, and 4 in 2010) - Only player to have scored at least 4 goals in 3 FIFA World CupFIFA World CupThe FIFA World Cup, often simply the World Cup, is an international association football competition contested by the senior men's national teams of the members of Fédération Internationale de Football Association , the sport's global governing body...
s - Scored at least 5 goals in 2 FIFA World CupFIFA World CupThe FIFA World Cup, often simply the World Cup, is an international association football competition contested by the senior men's national teams of the members of Fédération Internationale de Football Association , the sport's global governing body...
s, record shared only with Teófilo CubillasTeófilo CubillasTeófilo Juan Cubillas Arizaga is a Peruvian former footballer. He was selected as Peru's greatest ever player in an IFFHS poll, in which he was also included in the world's Top 50...
, only player to have scored 5 goals in 2 consecutive FIFA World CupFIFA World CupThe FIFA World Cup, often simply the World Cup, is an international association football competition contested by the senior men's national teams of the members of Fédération Internationale de Football Association , the sport's global governing body...
s - Germany's second all time top scorer: 63 goals
- Germany's second most capped player behind Lothar MatthäusLothar MatthäusLothar Herbert Matthäus , is a German football manager and former player.In 1990, he was named European Footballer of the Year and World Soccer Player of the Year after captaining West Germany to victory in the 1990 World Cup...
Club
| Club | Season | League | Cup | Europe UEFA The Union of European Football Associations , almost always referred to by its acronym UEFA is the administrative and controlling body for European association football, futsal and beach soccer.... |
Total | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | ||
| Lazio S.S. Lazio Società Sportiva Lazio, commonly referred to as Lazio, is a professional Italian football club based in Rome. The team, founded in 1900, play in the Serie A and have spent most of their history in the top tier of Italian football... |
11–12 | 10 | 6 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 2 | 12 | 8 |
| Total | 10 | 6 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 2 | 12 | 8 | |
| Bayern Munich FC Bayern Munich FC Bayern Munich , is a German sports club based in Munich, Bavaria. It is best known for its professional football team, which is the most successful football club in Germany, having won 22 national titles and 15 cups.... |
10–11 | 20 | 1 | 4 | 3 | 2 | 1 | 26 | 5 |
| 09–10 | 25 | 3 | 5 | 2 | 8 | 1 | 38 | 6 | |
| 08–09 | 26 | 10 | 4 | 3 | 8 | 7 | 38 | 20 | |
| 07–08 | 27 | 10 | 8 | 6 | 12 | 5 | 47 | 21 | |
| Total | 98 | 24 | 21 | 14 | 30 | 14 | 149 | 52 | |
| Werder Bremen SV Werder Bremen SV Werder Bremen is a German sports club best known for its association football team playing in Bremen, in the northwest German federal state of the same name. The club was founded on 4 February 1899 as Fußballverein Werder by a group of sixteen vocational high school students who had won a prize... |
06–07 | 31 | 13 | 3 | 0 | 13 | 2 | 47 | 15 |
| 05–06 | 26 | 25 | 5 | 2 | 9 | 4 | 40 | 31 | |
| 04–05 | 32 | 15 | 5 | 0 | 8 | 2 | 45 | 17 | |
| Total | 89 | 53 | 13 | 2 | 30 | 8 | 132 | 63 | |
| FC Kaiserslautern 1. FC Kaiserslautern 1. Fußball-Club Kaiserslautern, also known as 1. FCK, FCK or simply Kaiserslautern, is a German association football club based in Kaiserslautern, Rhineland-Palatinate. On 2 June 1900, Germania 1896 and FG Kaiserslautern merged to create FC 1900... |
03–04 | 26 | 10 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 1 | 29 | 12 |
| 02–03 | 32 | 9 | 4 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 36 | 13 | |
| 01–02 | 31 | 16 | 4 | 0 | |||||
| 35 | 16 | ||||||||
| 00–01 | 29 | 9 | 4 | 0 | 12 | 2 | 45 | 11 | |
| 99–00 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | |
| Total | 120 | 44 | 13 | 5 | 14 | 3 | 147 | 52 | |
| Career Totals | 316 | 126 | 47 | 21 | 76 | 27 | 439 | 174 | |
* Includes Liga-Pokal and DFL-Supercup.
International career statistics
|2001||7||2|-
|2002||17||12
|-
|2003||10||6
|-
|2004||11||5
|-
|2005||5||0
|-
|2006||17||13
|-
|2007||5||1
|-
|2008||15||7
|-
|2009||6||2
|-
|2010||12||10
|-
|2011||8||5
|-
!Total||113||63
|}
Trivia
- Klose celebrated his goals by performing the front-flip 7 times out of 14 goals he scored in the FIFA World CupFIFA World CupThe FIFA World Cup, often simply the World Cup, is an international association football competition contested by the senior men's national teams of the members of Fédération Internationale de Football Association , the sport's global governing body...
. (5 times in 2002, 1 time each in 2006 and 2010). - Despite playing as a central striker, Klose averaged over 10 assists every season throughout the 3 seasons he played for Werder Bremen.
- He participated in the song Hope by German Rockband Room77 together with fellow team-mates Mario GomezMario GómezMario Gómez García is a German footballer who plays as a striker for FC Bayern Munich in the German Bundesliga. Gómez joined Bayern after six years in Stuttgart. The fee was a record for a player transferred in the Bundesliga, estimated to be 30–35 million euro...
and Phillip Lahm.