Miroslav Klose was the ultimate international goalscorer, holding the record as the World Cup’s all-time leading marksman across four tournaments with Germany. A tall, unselfish centre-forward with an outstanding aerial game and impeccable timing, he built his reputation on movement, teamwork and reliability rather than flamboyance.
His club career took in productive spells at Werder Bremen, Bayern Munich and Lazio, but it was in the national shirt that he became immortal, crowning a long and steady career by lifting the World Cup in 2014.