Miroslav Klose
Poland-born Germany striker Miroslav Klose will be looking to roll back the years at Euro 2012, as the evergreen veteran aims to claim his first major title.
- Agence France-Presse
- Updated: May 25, 2012 03:54 PM IST
Full name: Miroslav Josef Klose
Date of birth: 9 June 1978 (age 33)
Place of birth: Opole, Poland
Playing position: Striker
Current club: Lazio (Italy)
Poland-born Germany striker Miroslav Klose will be looking to roll back the years at Euro 2012, as the evergreen veteran aims to claim his first major title.
Klose turns 34 on June 9 when Germany open their Group B campaign against Portugal in Lviv and German fans will be hoping to see him perform a few more of his famous front-flip goal celebrations during the month-long tournament.
With 63 goals in 114 appearances for his country, Klose is just five short of Gerd Mueller's all-time record of 68 goals for Germany, the last of which sealed a 2-1 win over Holland in the 1974 World Cup final.
Lazio's Klose has repeatedly said his main motivation this June is to see Germany realise their potential, rather than passing Mueller's mark, by winning the Euro 2012 final in Kiev on July 1.
"Without a doubt, this team has the quality to go far," he insisted with the authority of a seasoned professional preparing for his sixth major tournament.
He is the only player to score five goals or more in consecutive World Cups (in 2002 and 2006) and with 14 World Cup goals, he is second only to Brazil's Ronaldo, who with 15 is the competition's all-time top scorer.
Having made his debut in 2001, Klose has yet to lift a major title, despite playing in the 2002 World Cup final, the Euro 2008 final and also twice reaching World Cup semi-finals in 2006 and 2010.
A hard-working striker who can thanklessly harass goalkeepers and defenders for 90 minutes before popping up in the right place to score the winner, he was top-scorer in Germany's flawless qualifying campaign with nine goals.
Klose's experience and work ethic has made him first-choice for Germany coach Joachim Loew and only 1990 World Cup winner Lothar Matthaeus, with 150 appearances, has played more games for Germany.
Since taking charge in 2006, Loew has always relied on Klose, especially four years ago at the last European Championships and the 2010 South African World Cup, when Bayern Munich striker Mario Gomez struggled for form.
At Euro 2012, Klose could find himself playing in front of Germany's rising star midfielders 19-year-old Mario Goetze and 22-year-old Marco Reus but the ex-Bremen and Bayern player says he enjoys being a role model.
"It is important to me that I demonstrate how a professional footballer should conduct themselves," said Klose.
"I've never been the type to enjoy disco nights, my focus was and is always on football."
Klose shuns the limelight and his dedication to fitness has kept him in shape, but he admits time is starting to catch up with him.
"The physical recovery from stress takes longer at my age: three games a week, I could manage fairly easily at 23 -- these days that is quite taxing physically for me," he said.
One thing has remained constant since he started his career in 1998 -- his pre-match ritual.
"It calms me down. I'm superstitious, for example, I always pull on my right boot first and always run onto the pitch from the right," he said.
Having been born in the south Poland city of Opole, Klose has always targeted a place at Euro 2012, to be co-hosted by the Ukraine and Poland, but says he will play on as long as he is selected.