Living Legends: Miroslav Klose Took An Unlikely Road From Unknown To World Cup Record-Breaker
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SBI Soccer
3 Yrs Ago
At a time where teenagers are becoming full-blown stars and high-profile transfer targets, it’s hard to imagine the idea of a 20-year-old player emerging from the fifth division of professional soccer to become one of the game’s greatest-ever players, but that is exactly what Miroslav Klose did.
Nobody lucky enough to watch Klose play for FC 08 Homburg in 1998 could have envisioned that just four years later he would be scoring five goals at the World Cup, much less that he would go on to score more World Cup goals than anyone in history.
Never the flashiest or most outspoken player, what Klose lacked in an outgoing personality he made up for with a dangerous combination of athleticism, skill and intelligence that helped him develop into the kind of complete striker that made scoring goals look easy.
Klose scored a record 16 World Cup goals, spread out of four different tournaments, with his two goals against Brazil in the famous 7-1 semifinal thrashing at the 2014 World Cup helping him pass Brazilian legend Ronaldo for the career record.
It is the kind of record Klose could only dream of when he was a 21-year-old making his Bundesliga debut for Kaiserslautern in 2000. At that time he was an unknown, not a hotshot prospect or someone expected to develop into one of the best strikers in the game.
Klose’s breakout season came in 2001-2002, when he rattled off an impressive 16 goals to finish second in the Bundesliga, helping him earn a place on the 2002 German World Cup team. He scored five goals in that tournament — all headers — to finish second to Ronaldo in total goals as he helped Germany reach the final, where the Germans lost to Brazil.
That tournament helped propel Klose into superstardom, with his nose for goal and acrobatic summersault goal celebration helping raise his profile. Continued success in the Bundesliga with Kaiserslautern and Werder Bremen followed, as his all-around game helped him lead the league in assists in 2006 and 2007, eventually helping him earn a move to Bayern Munich in 2007.
Klose’s four-year run at Bayern produced two Bundesliga titles and two DFB Pokals, but he didn’t have the sort of individual impact expected when he arrived, and left on a free transfer to Serie A side Lazio, where he went on to enjoy the most successful run of his club career.
Klose scored 15 or more goals in all competition in three of his first four seasons with the Rome club, helping Lazio win the 2013 Coppa Italia. Klose’s game continued to evolve, and the player who was once known for his aerial dominance became more known for his ability to combine with teammates and beat teams with his passing and intelligent runs.
Klose finished his international career as Germany’s all-time leading scorer with 71, and he ended his career in perfect fashion, as part of Germany’s World Cup-winning team in 2014, starting in the final against Argentina. He wasn’t able to add to his record goal tally that day, but having the chance to celebrate the ultimate victory, and cap his international career with a World Cup triumph was more than enough.
Klose retired two years later, in 2016, and has since been working to pass on his knowledge as a coach. On Thursday, Bayern announced that Klose will join Bayern’s first-team coaching staff after having coached Bayern’s U-17 program.
Now Klose will have the chance to impart his wisdom to players who can only dream of having the kind of career Klose was able to enjoy, a career that had very humble beginnings, and one that came with the storybook ending it deserved.