Miroslav Klose facts for kids

Quick facts for kids
Miroslav Klose

Klose in 2016
Personal information
Full name	Miroslav Josef Klose
Date of birth	(1978-06-09) 9 June 1978 (age 47)
Place of birth	Opole, Poland
Height	1.84 m
Playing position	Striker
Club information
Current club	1. FC Nürnberg (manager)
Youth career
1987–1998	SG Blaubach-Diedelkopf
Senior career*
Years	Team	Apps†	(Gls)†
1998–1999	FC 08 Homburg II	15	(10)
1998–1999	FC 08 Homburg	18	(1)
1999–2001	1. FC Kaiserslautern II	50	(26)
1999–2004	1. FC Kaiserslautern	120	(44)
2004–2007	Werder Bremen	89	(53)
2007–2011	Bayern Munich	98	(24)
2011–2016	Lazio	139	(54)
Total		529	(212)
National team
2001–2014	Germany	137	(71)
Teams managed
2022–2023	Rheindorf Altach
2024–	1. FC Nürnberg
Honours Men's football Representing  Germany FIFA World Cup Winner 2014 Brazil Runner-up 2002 Korea/Japan Third 2006 Germany Third 2010 South Africa UEFA European Championship Runner-up 2008 Austria–Switzerland Third 2012 Poland–Ukraine
Senior club appearances and goals counted for the domestic league only. † Appearances (Goals).

Miroslav Josef "Miro" Klose (born 9 June 1978) is a German football manager and former player. He is currently the head coach of 1. FC Nürnberg. Klose was a fantastic striker. He is the all-time top scorer for the German national team. He also holds the record for the most goals scored in the FIFA World Cup with 16 goals. He achieved this amazing feat over four World Cup tournaments between 2002 and 2014.

Klose started his career at FC 08 Homburg. He then played in the Bundesliga for Kaiserslautern. He became one of the best scorers in the league with Werder Bremen. There, he was named the German Footballer of the Year in 2006. His great performances led him to join the famous club Bayern Munich in 2007. At Bayern, Klose won two league titles. In 2011, Klose moved to the Italian club Lazio. He won the 2012–13 Coppa Italia there and finished his playing career in 2016.

Klose is most famous for his time with the German national team. He was a key player when Germany won the 2014 World Cup. He had also finished second in 2002 and third in 2006 and 2010. He was a runner-up with Germany at UEFA Euro 2008 and third place at UEFA Euro 2012. Klose holds the record for the most goals in World Cup history. He scored five goals in his first World Cup in 2002. He won the Golden Boot in 2006 by scoring five more goals. He scored four goals in 2010 and two in 2014. In 2014, he broke Ronaldo's record of 15 goals. Klose retired from the national team in August 2014. This was shortly after Germany's big World Cup win.

Early Life and First Steps in Football

Klose was born in Opole, Poland. Both of his parents were professional athletes. His father, Josef Klose, was a professional footballer. His mother, Barbara Jeż, played for the Poland women's national handball team. In 1986, when Miroslav was eight, he moved to Kusel, West Germany. He only knew two German words at first. Klose developed his football skills with a local club, SG Blaubach-Diedelkopf. He also trained to be a carpenter.

Club Career Highlights

Klose playing for Werder Bremen in 2006

Starting Out: Kaiserslautern

Klose's professional journey began at age 20 in 1998. He joined the reserve team at FC Homburg. A year later, he moved to 1. FC Kaiserslautern. He played for their second team before making his first appearance in the Bundesliga in April 2000. In the 2001–02 season, he scored 16 goals. He was just two goals shy of being the top scorer.

Becoming a Star: Werder Bremen

In March 2004, Klose signed a four-year contract with Werder Bremen. He made his league debut on 6 August 2004. He scored his first goal for Bremen on 29 August 2004. On 7 June 2007, Klose announced he would leave Werder Bremen. He was ready for a new challenge.

Winning Trophies: Bayern Munich

Luca Toni and Klose playing for Bayern Munich against Hertha BSC in 2009

On 26 June 2007, Bayern Munich confirmed they had agreed to sign Klose. He signed a four-year contract. Klose won his first major club trophies with Bayern. They won the Bundesliga and the DFB-Pokal in his first season (2007–08). In 2010, he also won the 2010 DFL-Supercup, scoring a goal. Klose left Bayern Munich in May 2011.

Italian Adventure: Lazio

Klose's No.11 Lazio shirt

Klose signed a three-year contract with Italian club Lazio on 9 June 2011. He scored his first goal for Lazio in the 2011–12 UEFA Europa League play-offs. He also helped set up four other goals in that game. On 9 September 2011, he scored in his Serie A debut.

Fair Play Moment and Goals

On 16 October 2011, Klose scored a late goal to win the Rome derby against Roma. During his time at Lazio, Klose showed great sportsmanship. In a game against Napoli, he accidentally scored a goal with his hand. The referee didn't see it, but Klose told the referee what happened. The goal was then disallowed. This act of fair play earned him praise and an award. He said, "It was not a problem for me to answer 'yes'. There are many youngsters who watch football on TV and we are role models for them."

On 5 May 2013, Klose scored five goals in one game against Bologna. This was the first time a player scored five goals in a Serie A game since 1985. On 26 May, Klose won the Coppa Italia with Lazio. They beat their city rivals Roma 1–0 in the final.

Final Seasons at Lazio

Klose continued to be an important player for Lazio. In the 2014–15 season, he scored 13 goals in Serie A. He also provided 7 assists. On 15 May 2016, Klose scored his final goal for Lazio from a penalty. This was in his last game for the club. He finished his Lazio career as the club's seventh-highest all-time goalscorer. He also equaled Goran Pandev as the club's highest non-Italian goalscorer.

International Career for Germany

Klose on international duty for Germany at the 2006 FIFA World Cup

Klose's strong performances in the Bundesliga caught the attention of the German national team. He chose to play for Germany, even though he also had Polish roots. He later said it was not an easy choice.

2002 World Cup Debut

Klose made his international debut on 24 March 2001. He scored the winning goal in a 2–1 victory against Albania. Four days later, he scored again in his second match. Klose became famous at the 2002 World Cup in Korea–Japan. He scored five goals, all with his head! He was the joint second-highest goalscorer. He also became the first player to score five headers in a World Cup. He celebrated his goals with a cool front-flip, earning him the nickname "Salto-Klose."

Euro 2004 and 2006 World Cup

Klose played in UEFA Euro 2004, but he was recovering from an injury and didn't score. In the opening match of the 2006 World Cup in Germany, Klose scored two goals. He added two more goals in the final group game. Klose scored an important goal against Argentina in the quarter-finals. Germany won the game after a penalty shootout. With five goals, he was the top scorer of the tournament. He won the FIFA World Cup Golden Boot.

Euro 2008 and 2010 World Cup

At Euro 2008, Klose helped set up two goals in the first game. He scored in the quarter-final and semi-final matches. Germany reached the final but lost to Spain. Klose was part of Germany's team for the 2010 World Cup. He scored in their first match against Australia. He was sent off in the game against Serbia. Klose scored his 12th World Cup goal against England. This put him level with Pelé on the all-time list. He also scored his 50th international goal. Klose made his 100th international appearance in the quarter-final against Argentina. He scored two goals in that game, equaling Gerd Müller's German World Cup goalscoring record.

Euro 2012 and Record-Breaking 2014 World Cup

Klose before a match against Austria in 2012

During the Euro 2012 qualifiers, Klose scored in every game he played. He scored nine goals in just six games. At the tournament, Klose scored Germany's third goal in a 4–2 win against Greece.

Klose playing in the 2014 World Cup Final

Klose said the 2014 World Cup would be his last. On 6 June 2014, he scored his 69th international goal. This broke Gerd Müller's record and made him Germany's all-time top scorer. On 21 June 2014, Klose scored his 15th World Cup goal against Ghana. This tied him with the Brazilian player Ronaldo. He also became the third player to score in four different World Cups. On 8 July, Klose scored a record 16th World Cup goal against hosts Brazil in the semi-finals. This goal helped Germany win 7–1. Klose started in the World Cup final against Argentina. Germany won 1–0, earning their fourth World Cup title! Klose announced his retirement from international football a month later.

Life After Playing: Managerial Career

On 1 November 2016, Klose joined the coaching staff of the German national team. He said he was happy to return to the DFB. He had thought about becoming a coach for a while. On 11 May 2018, Bayern Munich named Klose as their coach for the U-17 team. On 7 May 2020, Klose became the first-team assistant manager under Hansi Flick. He left Bayern Munich in May 2021.

In June 2022, Klose became the head coach of Austrian club Rheindorf Altach. He left the club in March 2023. On 11 June 2024, 2. Bundesliga club 1. FC Nürnberg announced Klose as their new head coach.

Player Profile: Style and Sportsmanship

How Klose Played

Klose was a strong and powerful striker. He was especially known for his amazing ability to score with his head. He had great timing and could jump high. He was also a quick player with good movement in the penalty area. This helped him get free from defenders and score from crosses. Klose also had good technique and could hold the ball up for his teammates. He was smart on the field and could create chances for others. He was known for being dedicated and well-behaved.

Goal Celebrations

Earlier in his career, Klose was famous for his exciting goal celebrations. These included cool mid-air somersaults!

Fair Play and Honesty

Klose playing in a charity match in 2016. Klose is known for a strong sense of sportsmanship.

Throughout his career, Klose was known for his fair play and honesty. In 2005, while playing for Werder Bremen, Klose refused a penalty. He told the referee the decision was wrong. He later received a fair play award for this. He said, "For me, it was something you should always do. I would do it again – always."

In 2012, Klose scored a goal with his hand for Lazio. He immediately told the referee, who then disallowed the goal. The referee even shook his hand! Klose received another fair play award for this. He said, "We need to set an example." In 2016, he received the Sport Ethics Award for his honesty.

Personal Life

Miroslav Klose is married to Sylwia. They have twin sons named Luan and Noah. Klose has dual nationality, meaning he is a citizen of both Germany and Poland. At home, he and his wife speak Polish to their children. Klose is a Roman Catholic.

Career Statistics

Club

International

Klose playing against Greece at UEFA Euro 2012.

Managerial

Honours and Awards

Werder Bremen

• DFL-Ligapokal: 2006

Bayern Munich

• Bundesliga: 2007–08, 2009–10
• DFB-Pokal: 2007–08, 2009–10
• DFL-Ligapokal: 2007
• DFL-Supercup: 2010
• UEFA Champions League runner-up: 2009–10

Lazio

• Coppa Italia: 2012–13

Germany

• FIFA World Cup: 2014; runner-up: 2002; third place: 2006, 2010
• UEFA European Championship: runner-up: 2008; third place: 2012

Individual Awards

• FIFA World Cup Silver Shoe: 2002
• FIFA World Cup Golden Shoe: 2006
• FIFA World Cup All-Star Team: 2002, 2006
• Footballer of the Year in Germany: 2006
• Bundesliga Player of the Season: 2005–06
• Bundesliga top goalscorer: 2005–06 (25 goals)
• Bundesliga top assist provider: 2005–06, 2006–07
• VDV Bundesliga Player of the Season: 2005–06
• kicker Bundesliga Team of the Season: 2004–05, 2005–06
• UEFA awards 100 caps: 2011
• UEFA President's Award: 2023

Records

• FIFA World Cup all time top scorer (16 goals)
• Germany all time top scorer (71 goals)

See also

In Spanish: Miroslav Klose para niños

• List of top international men's football goalscorers by country
• List of men's footballers with 100 or more international caps
• List of men's footballers with 50 or more international goals