One of the most prolific goal scorers in international football, a World Cup winner and Germany’s all-time top goalscorer, Miroslav Klose celebrates his 42nd birthday on June 09, 2020 (Tuesday). Klose retired from international football in 2014 shortly after lifting the World Cup with Germany after beating Argentina in the final. But even in retirement, it was pure ecstasy for the striker who bid adieu to international football with a record 16 World Cup goals to his name, the pride of being Germany top goal-scorer (71) and their second-most capped player. Miroslav Klose Appointed Bayern Munich Assistant Coach on One-Year Deal, to Join Hansi Flick’s Staff in June.

Yet football wasn’t everything to Klose when he started. Of course, his father Josef was a professional footballer and played Odra Opole in Poland before moving to France to play for Auxerre. Athleticism ran in the family as Klose’s mother also represented the Poland national handball team. He was passionate about football but was also a trained carpenter and practised it until the age of 20 before making a switch to FC Homburg and from there to FC Kaiserslautern, a year later. That move kick-started his football career and by 2000, Klose was playing in the Bundesliga.

He went to play for German clubs Werder Bremen and Bayern Munich before making a switch to Serie A with Lazio in 2011. He won two league titles and two domestic cups with Bayern and also lifted the Coppa Italia in 2012-13. By the time, Klose was done with club football in 2016, he was Lazio top-scoring non-Italian player and the club’s seventh-highest all-time goal scorer. Take a look at some interesting facts about Miroslav Klose on his 42nd birthday.

  • Miroslav Klose was born in Silesian City of Opole, Poland on June 9, 1978

  • Klose’s father Josef was a professional footballer while his mother Barbara played handball for Poland women’s national team

  • Miroslav Klose represented Germany but is not a German. He was born in Poland and lived in France, where his father played, before moving to Germany at the age of 8

  • Before starting as a professional footballer, Klose was a trained carpenter and worked as one until he was 20

  • Miroslav Klose became the first and only Lazio player to score five in a single Serie A goals match when Lazio thrashed Bologna 6-0 in 2013.

  • He is the only player to appear in four or more FIFA World Cup semi-finals

  • Klose also is the only player to have four or more World Cup medals

  • With 71 international goals, Klose is Germany’s all-time record top goalscorer

  • He is also Germany’s second-most capped international (136) after Lothar Matthaus, who has 150 international appearances for Die Mannschaft

  • Miroslav Klose was Germany’s lucky mascot and they never lost a game in which he scored

  • Klose is also the all-time leading goal scorer in men’s FIFA World Cup with 16 goals to his name

  • Miroslav Klose is one of only three players to score in four different editions of the World Cup. Pele and Germany’s Uwe Seeler are the other two

After his retirement from football in 2016, Klose became part of the coaching staff in the Germany national football team. He served as a member of the coaching staff before being appointed as the head coach of Bayern Munich’s U-17 team on a two-year contract in 2018. He is set to join Bayern Munich senior team as an assistant to manager Hansi Flick when his tenure with the under-17 team expires in late June.

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Jun 09, 2020 09:00 AM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).