An honest pro who shuns the trappings of stardom, Miroslav Klose has always let actions speak louder than words. The kind of player who can remain quite for long periods but then suddenly explode onto the scene with a vital goal, Klose has an exceptional strike rate for his country, especially at FIFA World Cup™ finals.
The Bayern Munich striker, who turns 32 a couple of days ahead of the 2010 tournament, remains a minor mystery to many observers. One of the game’s late developers, Klose started out in senior football with lower league amateurs SG Blaubach/Diedelkopf, only to ascend the career ladder with amazing alacrity. Nowadays, he only has the legendary Gerd Müller and former GDR striker Joachim Streich ahead of him in the all-time Germany scoring chart. He finished on five goals at both the 2002 FIFA World Cup Korea/Japan and the 2006 finals on home soil.
Klose can operate as a classic target man, specialising in dragging defences out of position. Acknowledged as a genuinely superb header of the ball, he boasts a classic poacher’s instinct on the big occasion, largely explaining his proud record at major tournaments. The one caveat is fitness, the player himself admitting to a need to be in perfect condition in order to play to his potential.