Miroslav Klose profile

Germany's top scorer at the 2002 World Cup, Miroslav Klose will look to form a productive partnership with young hot shot Lukas Podolski.

Klose appears to have fended off the threat of other Bundesliga strikers to lead Jurgen Klinsmann's line on home soil.

"He is a great forward, he's very good in the air, very agile and a most dangerous player in the penalty box."
Oliver Bierhoff

Like Podolski, Klose was born in Poland, where his mother played handball for the national team, while his father played football for French outfit Auxerre.

He made the big breakthrough in Germany with Kaiserslautern and made his debut during the 1999/2000 season.

The following campaign saw Klose come to the fore and he was called into the Germany squad in early 2001.

His international debut could not have started in better fashion as Klose grabbed the winner in a World Cup qualifier against Albania after coming off the bench.

A fruitful 2001/02 season ensured Klose was Germany's first choice hit-man for the World Cup in the Far East and he rose to the challenge by scoring five goals.

He struck a hat-trick in the opening game against Saudi Arabia, and also netted against Republic of Ireland and Cameroon as Germany finished runners-up.

But Klose slipped out of Rudi Voller's chosen XI for Euro 2004, having to be content with two substitute appearances due to Kevin Kuranyi being preferred up front.

That summer, Klose also quit Kaiserslautern as he joined Werder Bremen in a ‚é¼5 million (£3.5 million) deal. In his debut season, he scored 15 goals for the club.

Klose has improved markedly on that tally in the season leading up to the World Cup as he has been averaging around a goal a game for Bremen and has played in the UEFA Champions League for the second year in a row.

With over 50 caps, and over 20 goals, for his country, Klose will be a key figure for Germany, where his aerial threat will unnerve opposition defences.