Miroslav Klose

Birthday:

1978/06/08

Full name:

Miroslav Klose

Place of Birth:

Opole, Poland

Height:

5ft 11.5in (1.82 m)

Weight:

Position:

Striker, Forward

Nickname(s):

Klose, Miro, The Ice Man, SaltoKlose

Wife / girlfriend:

Sylvia Klose

Lives in:

Munich, Germany

Club information

Current club:

FC Bayern Munich

Previous clubs:

SV Werder Bremen
FC Kaiserslautern
FC Homburg

National team:

Germany

Youth clubs:

Facts & Background

1 About Miroslav Klose
2 Klose's Background
3 Club Football
4 International Football
- 4.1 International Goals
5 Awards and Honours
- 5.1 Personal Awards
- 5.2 Career Statistics
6 Personal Info
- 6.1 Wife / Girlfriend
7 Sponsors
8 Important Miroslav Klose Links
9 References

About Miroslav Klose

Miroslav Klose has become a world-renowned goal scorer, receiving the Golden Shoe for the 2006 FIFA World Cup. Beginning his career in the Bundesliga with Kaiserslautern and then moving to Werder Bremen, Klose now wears the red and white #18 of Bayern Munich. With his quick foot skills and intuition on the field he has proven to be a lethal weapon on the field, scoring numerous goals in single games. He is known for his aerial ability to direct a ball in with his head, and the celebration that comes after, with full front flips. He is the first ever player to represent the unified German team as the top scorer in the World Cup. His success in goal scoring in UEFA EURO 2008 has helped put the German national team in the finals.

Klose's Background

Although many think Klose was born in Germany, he actually was born in Opole, Poland on June 9, 1978 as Miroslav Klose. His natural ability and fierceness for athletics grew much due to his athletic family. His father Jozef Kloze played soccer professionally in France and Poland, playing also on the Poland National team. His mother Barbara Jez played handball, and was a part of the Poland National Handball Team.

During the Soviet take over of Poland Klose and his family escaped the communist country for France in 1981. Then in 1987 they moved to Kusel, Germany. Klose’s fanter Jozef had German relatives, giving the Kloses the legal ability to rebuild their lives there. It is here that Miro Klose began his time playing soccer hoping to make new friends and feel less like a stranger in his new home. There was a club called Blaubach Diedelkopf that Klose trained with. He eventually joined the club F.C. Homburg, in the fifth tier of the German League as a jumpstart to a phenomenal career.

Club Football

F.C. Homburg Klose played here for one year before transferring to Kaiserslautern.

SV Werder Bremen

Klose joined Werder for €5 million, and began to establish himself with team-mate Johan Micoud, a French midfielder. He got off to a rather sluggish start, but after the first season in Bundesliga he had scored 15 goals. Klose, a quiet but very fierce man slowly established himself as an accomplished striker in Germany. He has a more slender frame than most players, but his height makes him a weapon with his head. His footwork is quick and his speed makes defenders work much harder to defeat the stellar forward.

During the 2005-2006 season, Klose scored 25 goals and had 16 assists. This was the most goals scored during that season. This led him into FIFA World Cup 2006, where his performance was also phenomenal. It became rumor that Klose would be transferring to another team, perhaps the renowned Barcelona in Spain, or Juventus in Italy. Klose transferred to neither but he did find a possible home at Bayern Munich where he could stay in Germany.

Bayern Munich

Klose secured this possibility by confirming his departure from Werder for Bayern Munich on June 7, 2007. After a few weeks of negotiation, on June 26, Werder Bremen confirmed an agreement had been made with Bayern Munich. Klose would be sold to Munich for €15 million. Klose then solidified the agreement, signing a four year contract. Also signed to the soon to be international powerhouse was Frenchman Ribery and Italian Luca Toni.

His first official appearance for the team was during the DFB Liga-Pokal where he played, none other than, his former squad Werder Bremen, demolishing them 4-1. A minor injury left Klose on the bench for the semi finals of the tournament against VfB Stuttgart. Recovered, Klose jumped into the Final match where he scored his first goal for Bayer Munich against Schalke 04, gaining Bayern Munich the championship.

On August 11, 2007 Klose played his first Bundesliga match against Hansa Rostock and scored not one, but two goals. His partner in the front Luca Toni also scored, leaving the match a 3-0 victory. He has been scoring many goals during the 2007-2008 season with 8 recorded as the matches progress. In October 2007 during the UEFA Champions League, he scored two goals in a match against Red Star Belgrade, securing a victory in a vital match.

International Football

Klose was pulled onto the national team after his significant efforts as a goal scorer. His first appearance was on March 24, 2001 against Albania as a 73rd minute substitute. Klose proved himself as an international competitor scoring the second of two goals that would give Germany the victory and alleviate them from a humiliating draw at home.

Klose participated in the 2002 FIFA World Cup where he performed spectacular, scoring five goals for his country and all were headers. Three of these goals were part of a hat trick in an 8-0 victory over Saudi Arabia. This is where his front flip, in celebration of his goals became his trademark. He did numerous flips during the cup after sinking his ball into the opponents net, giving him the nickname “Salto-Klose.” Germany made it to the finals of a cup but lost in a heartbreaking 2-0 knockout by Brazil. Klose concluded the tournament as one of the top scorers and headed into his next cup.

The 2006 FIFA World Cup Klose continued his goal scoring, blasting two into the net in his first match against Costa Rica. Then on June 20 in a match against Ecuador he was able to score two more goals, giving him 4 total and the first spot as top goal scorer for the tournament. In the next match against Sweden, Klose did not score either of the 2 German goals, but in true Klose fashion he assisted both goals. On June 30, 2006 Klose played the hero scoring an equalizing goal against powerhouse Argentina. The game went on to penalty kicks where Germany took the victory 4-2. Previous to Klose’s spectacular performances, Gerd Muller of West Germany was the last German to hold the record for top scorer in the tournament. Klose is also was lifted to higher regards, as the first World Cup finals top scorer to represent a unified Germany. Altogether Klose was able to score 10 goals in the 2006 FIFA World Cup. Ronaldo, the offensive weapon of the Brazilian national team is keeping Klose from the record of all time leading goal scorer in the World Cup by only six goals. The 2010 FIFA World Cup in South Africa may prove to be Klose’s opportunity to take this priceless record.

For his performance in the 2006 FIFA World Cup he was added again to the All Star Team, only his fellow team-mate Michael Ballack and himself were on both this all star team and that of the 2002 World Cup. On September 8, 2007 Klose was honoured to captain the German team for the first time and scored both of the goals of the 2-0 victory over Wales. Klose may captain the team in the next FIFA World Cup.

International Goals

Date	Team	Competition	Goals Scored

Awards and Honours

Werder Bremen • Bundesliga Runer Up 2006 • DFB Liga Pokal Runner Up 2004 • DFB Liga Pokal Champion 2006

FC Bayern Munich • DFB Liga Pokal Champion 2007 German National Team • FIFA 2002 World Cup Runner Up • FIFA 2006 World Cup 3rd Place

Personal Awards 2002 World Cup Silver Shoe 2005-2006 Bundesliga Top Goal Scorer 2006 World Cup Golden Shoe 2006 German Footballer of the Year

Personal Awards

Previous Winner	Award	Year	Successor

Career Statistics

Team	Season	Domestic League			Domestic Cups			International			Total
Team	Season	M	G	A	M	G	A	M	G	A	M	G	A

	Total

M = Matches, G = Goals, A = Assists

Personal Info

K lose is married to Sylvia Klose. They have two twins together, Noah and Luau.

As a young man Klose was apprenticing to become a carpenter. He worked with this craft until he was officially signed with Kaiserslauten. From then on soccer has been his career. He is a calm man and loves fishing and playing tennis in his spare time.

Klose is also known among other players as being just and fair in his play. Where many others would fake the fall or take the penalty Klose often makes the play fair. He was awarded with the Fair Play trophy by sports journalists. While playing with Werder he was fouled by Bielefeld goalkeeper and given a penalty kick. Klose knowing he had not been fouled let the referee know and the call was revoked. He is admired by his fellow players for this.