German · Opole, Poland · Born 9 June 1978The FIFA World Cup's all-time leading scorer with 16 goals — Germany's World Cup winner in 2014 and one of international football's most prolific strikers.
Miroslav Josef Klose was born in Opole, Poland in 1978 and began his career at Homburg (1999–2000) before Werder Bremen developed him (2004–2007). He won the Bundesliga at Bayern Munich (2007–2011) and a Champions League in 2013 on loan return. Lazio (2011–2016) was his final major club. He earned 137 Germany caps scoring 71 goals — the national record — and 16 World Cup goals across 4 tournaments — the all-time World Cup record. He won the Golden Boot at the 2006 World Cup. He scored 267 career goals and 102 assists in 612 appearances. His top speed of 32.1 km/h and 10.8 km per game reflect a centre-forward of considerable physical capability. He scored his record-breaking 16th World Cup goal against Brazil in the 2014 semi-final — a game Germany won 7-1. He is the only player to score 5+ goals at three consecutive World Cups (2002, 2006, 2010). He scored 24 goals in 61 World Cup qualifying matches for Germany. He is considered the finest pure penalty-box striker in German football history.
World Cup all-time leading goalscorer with 16 goals
How They Played
Clinical finisher with exceptional heading ability and intelligent movement in the box
Lasting Impact
Greatest World Cup goalscorer in history and prolific Bundesliga striker
Career Honours
- FIFA World Cup 2014
- Champions League 2013 (Bayern Munich)
- Bundesliga 3x (Bayern)
- DFB-Pokal 2x
- World Cup Golden Boot 2006
- World Cup all-time top scorer (16 goals)
| Club | Period | Apps | Goals | Shirt |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Homburg | 1998–1999 | — | 71 | #9 |
| Kaiserslautern | 1999–2004 | 153 | 56 | #9 |
| Werder Bremen | 2004–2007 | 121 | 49 | #9 |
| Lazio | 2011–2016 | 112 | 33 | #9 |
| Bayern Munich | 2007–2011 | 98 | 24 | — |
 Germany | — | 137 | 71 | — |
German Athletes