The World Cup has graced a plethora of remarkable strikers since its creation in 1930, from every corner of the globe. Some of these strikers went on to lift the trophy, such as the iconic Pel\u00e9. Others, such as Cameroon’s Roger Milla, never even advanced as far as the semi finals, yet still managed to stamp their authority in the limited games that they played. Gerd M\u00fcller held the title of all time top goal scorer for 32 years, finally being usurped by Ronaldo, who himself possessed the record for World Cup top goal scorer for eight years. This record was beaten in the Brazilian city of Belo Horizonte by German poacher Miroslav Klose in the 7-1 demolition of Brazil in 2014.<\/p>\n
It is Mr Klose that this article revolves around. Born in Poland, few could have foreseen the epic rise to stardom that Klose endured. He didn’t move to Germany until he was eight years old, at which point he could allegedly speak only two words of German – “ja<\/em>” and “danke<\/em>” – yes, and thanks. You could have been excused for thinking that the two words were shoot and score, however!<\/p>\n Klose’s stock rose during his time with FC Kaiserslautern. His first couple seasons were fairly mediocre, as is so often the way with a young striker. In 2001\/02, however, something happened. Miroslav scored. Then he scored again. And again, and again, not stopping until he had the attention of German national team coach Rudi V\u00f6ller. It was in 2001 that Klose got his international debut, and it was with Kaiserslautern that he was called up to the Korea\/Japan World Cup in 2002.<\/p>\n Over the next decade and a half Klose went on to play for Werden Bremen, Bayern Munich and Serie A outfit Lazio. He became a regular in the Germany side under managers Rudi V\u00f6ller, J\u00fcrgen Klinsmann and Joachim L\u00f6w. He has played at every major international tournament available to him since his debut, scoring in all but Euro 2004, where he was a bit part player as a result of a knee injury.<\/p>\n Miroslav Klose may not be a scorer of the sublime goals, the majority of his strikes coming from inside the box. He was capable of finishing with either his left foot, his right foot, or his head. It was this triple threat which made him such a nightmare for defenders, and which helped earn his World Cup legacy. I could tell you in more detail of his career, highlighting his club accolades, noting his admirable Fifa Fair Play awards and such like, but I am not going to do that. Instead, I am going to recount his goals, all sixteen of them, in detail. Regardless of the level of opposition, Klose was capable of finishing coolly in high pressure situations in the biggest competition in the world, so without further ado, it’s time to immerse yourself in the goals of a true finisher.<\/p>\n Miroslav Klose’s first World Cup goal was in fact the first of a hat trick that he scored against a woeful Saudi Arabian team in Sapporo. Michael Ballack received the football on the left side, near the oppositions corner flag. He cut back and crossed the ball into the box and a dangerously hard to defend height. The ball floated close to Carsten Jancker, who attempted the most bizarre of bicycle kicks. He totally missed the ball, although this did cause confusion amongst the Saudi defence. The ball bounced close to a young Miroslav Klose, who evaded Hussein Sulimani’s marking and leapt awkwardly to throw himself at the ball. He powered his header into the ground and over the goalkeeper to give Germany a one nil lead. The opener was only twenty minutes in and opened the floodgates for Die Mannschaft.<\/p>\n It can be debated whether Klose’s first World Cup goal was scored through luck or skill, but his second was pure striking prowess. Again, Ballack received the ball down the left flank, easily coasted past Abdullah Al-Waked and crossed the ball high towards the penalty spot. Klose climbed high in the air, over centre back Abdullah Zubromawi and bulleted his header into the bottom right corner. Klose sped off in celebration, elated at scoring his second just five minutes after his first, and unleashed his trademark celebration; a run followed by a forward summersault. Magnificent.<\/p>\n Klose’s hat trick made it 5-0 to his adopted nation, this being his third header of his World Cup goal haul, 70 minutes in. Bernd Schneider whipped in the cross after carrying the ball down the right flank, towards the by-line. Miroslav found space between both centre halves and jumped to meet the ball. This was the easiest of the three goals, though it would probably have been saved by a better keeper, or certainly a keeper who wasn’t as demoralised as Saudi Arabia’s Mohammed Al-Deayea. The ball fizzed off Klose’s head and landed right in front of the goalkeeper, before bouncing up and into the back of the net. For someone who had been in the national team for less than a year, this hat trick was one way to become a fan favourite!<\/p>\n Michael Ballack turned provider to Miroslav Klose’s fourth goal of the World Cup after nineteen minutes in the Kashima Soccer Stadium. From over 40 yards out, Ballack lobbed the ball over the Irish midfield and defence. Klose outpaced Ian Harte, who at the time turned out for Leeds United. The forward met the ball with precision timing, his head touching the ball around the penalty spot. He thumped it towards goal, the football bouncing just in front of Shay Given and then under the Irishman, much to the dismay of the well travelled green army. Ireland rescued a point courtesy of a late Robbie Keane goal, and the defence did well to keep Keane at bay for the remainder of the match.<\/p>\n Klose scored his fifth goal of Korea\/Japan against their African opponents late on in the second half, his goal being his fifth header of the tournament. This was a must win game for both sides, each sitting on four points. It was a fiercely contested match which saw sixteen yellow cards (and two reds), though very few of them appeared to be worthy of the booking. Through the refereeing display, there was some football played. Michael Ballack once again assisted Klose, collecting a pass on the right corner of the box and crossing in to Klose to head beyond Alioum Boukar. There were calls of offside from the Cameroonian players, though replays showed he was fractionally on. This was the last goal Klose scored in the 2002 World Cup as Germany wound up being beaten finalists against Brazil.<\/p>\n At his second World Cup, this time on home soil, it took Klose just seventeen minutes to reopen his account. Not only did he score, but he scored with his feet, his left foot, to be precise. Bernd Schneider held possession of the ball on the right flank near the by-line, fizzing a low pass back to a young Bastian Schweinsteiger. Basti hit a fake shot, splitting the defence before driving further into the box. The then-winger hit a low pass towards the back post which was met by the left foot of Klose, unmarked, into an empty net.<\/p>\n Klose got Germany’s third of the day and his second just after the hour mark, using his right foot to notch his seventh It took Miroslav only four minutes to get the opener against Germany’s South American opponents. A ball into the box from a Bernd Schneider free kick caused chaos with Ecuador unable to sufficiently clear their lines. Per Mertesacker hooked the ball across the six yard box, over everybody and nearly out of play. The pass, if it was a pass, was recovered by Bastian Schweinsteiger, who sprinted to retain possession and knock a first time pass back to Klose. Klose hit the pass first time into the overly exposed left side of the goal to put Germany one up in their final group match.<\/p>\n Klose made it 2-0 to the Germans on the day, and it was a combination of sublime team work mixed with catastrophic defending which got the poacher his goal. Bastian Schweinsteiger and Torsten Frings combined to dispossess the Ecuadorian midfield. Schweinsteiger passed to Ballack, with the soon-to-be Chelsea midfielder rekindling his 2002 love affair with Miroslav Klose by assisting him for a goal. The ball fell neatly between centre half Giovanny Espinoza and the goalkeeper, Cristian Mora. Despite an arm on the back from Espinoza, Klose managed to nudge the ball round Mora and slot into the empty net in a move which sealed first place for Germany in Group A.<\/p>\n After going a goal down to Roberto Ayala at the beginning of the second half, Miroslav Klose managed to equalise with a bullet header with ten minutes to go of regulation time. Michael Ballack whipped in a fast cross towards the edge of the penalty box. This was met by Tim Borowski who flicked his header over the defenders and into the path of the Polish born striker. Klose stayed ahead of Juan Pablo Sor\u00edn and low beyond the outstretched arms of champion Scrabble surname Roberto Abbondanzieri. Argentina played some stunning football in that World Cup but were undone by a penalty shoot out, which resulted in a mass brawl in the middle of the field upon completion. This was Klose’s last goal of World Cup 2006, with Germany making it all the way to the semi finals, where Italy defeated them in a thrilling extra time period. This also marked Klose’s tenth World Cup goal.<\/p>\n Germany opened his World Cup 2010 account with a trademark header, outpacing the defender to reach the ball first. Philipp Lahm received the ball from a Thomas M\u00fcller throw-in on the right side of the pitch, 40 yards from goal. Klose started his run on the edge of the D, sprinting to the penalty spot. The ball was placed expertly between Lucas Neill and Mark Schwarzer, with neither able to deal with the ball. Klose actually turned away from the ball in fear of being punched in the head by Schwarzer, but the ball struck the striker on the head and dropped into the net.<\/p>\nGermany 8-0 Saudi Arabia (1-0) Korea\/Japan 2002<\/strong><\/h3>\n
Germany 8-0 Saudi Arabia (2-0) Korea\/Japan 2002<\/strong><\/h3>\n
Germany 8-0 Saudi Arabia (5-0) Korea\/Japan 2002<\/strong><\/h3>\n
Germany 1-1 Republic of Ireland (1-0) Korea\/Japan 2002<\/strong><\/h3>\n
Cameroon 0-2 Germany (0-2) Korea\/Japan 2002<\/strong><\/h3>\n
Germany 4-2 Costa Rica (2-1) Germany 2006<\/strong><\/h3>\n
Germany 4-2 Costa Rica (3-1) Germany 2006<\/strong><\/h3>\n
\nWorld Cup goal. The two-footed full back Philipp Lahm<\/a> put the ball into the box, crossing from the left side. His cross took a deflection off the head of a Costa Rican defender, taking the sting out of the ball. It floated to the back post where Miroslav Klose threw his body at the ball. His header was initially saved my Jos\u00e9 Porras in the Costa Rican goal. Porras could only parry the ball back into the six yard box, causing a battle between Klose and centre back and captain of Costa Rica, Luis Mar\u00edn. Mar\u00edn was close to hooking the ball to safety, but was also very near to conceding a penalty. The reaction time of Klose was commendable and he managed to stab the ball into the back of the net.<\/p>\nEcuador 0-3 Germany (0-1) Germany 2006<\/strong><\/h3>\n
Ecuador 0-3 Germany (0-2) Germany 2006<\/strong><\/h3>\n
Germany 1-1 Argentina (1-1) Germany 2006<\/strong><\/h3>\n
Germany 4-0 Australia (2-0) South Africa 2010<\/strong><\/h3>\n