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As the greatest player in the history of the game, Lionel Messi has yet another record to his name, and it's no ordinary statistic.

The Argentine legend became the all-time leading goal scorer in FIFA World Cup history after his brace against Austria in the group stage of the 2026 tournament brought him to 18 career goals on football's biggest stage.

Before Messi, another man held the record. While he was never regarded with the same legendary status, he nonetheless earned his own place among the greatest players in international football history.

The Sporting News takes a look at Miroslav Klose, the man whose record fell this summer at the feet of the world's most iconic superstar.

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Who is Miroslav Klose?

Miroslav Klose was born in 1978 in Poland to Polish parents of German descent. He moved to West Germany when he was eight years old, spending his youth years at SG Blaubach-Diedelkopf just outside his hometown of Kusel.

He then moved to former Bundesliga club FC Homburg, making his senior debut at the age of 20. He then moved to Kaiserslautern in 1999, bursting onto the scene in his first two Bundesliga seasons, scoring nine goals in his first campaign and then 16 in his second, the latter of which saw him finish two goals behind the top scorer.

Klose moved to Werder Bremen in 2004, spending three seasons there, including the 2005/06 campaign when he scored 25 league goals to win the Golden Boot, four more than Dimitar Berbatov. That caught the eye of Bayern Munich, and he joined the Bavarian giants in the summer of 2007. Although he won two league titles with the club, Klose wasn't terribly successful at Bayern, never scoring more than 10 goals in a single season.

To finish his career, he moved to Serie A side Lazio in 2011, spending five seasons there and rediscovering his goalscoring form. Klose hit double-digit league goals in three of his five seasons in Italy, winning the Coppa Italia in 2013.

Miroslav Klose World Cup record

While Miroslav Klose had a successful club career, it was with the German national team where Klose became an international icon.

Debuting in 2001 at 23 years old, Klose would go on to make 137 international appearances for Die Mannschaft, scoring an astonishing 71 goals to finish as the leading goal scorer in national team history.

On his way, Klose would establish himself in FIFA World Cup lore. In 2002, Klose made his World Cup debut, scoring a hat-trick in his first-ever appearance at the tournament as Germany trounced Saudi Arabia 8-0 to being their tournament. He bagged five total goals that tournament as Germany reached the final, losing 2-0 to Brazil.

Four years later he was back, as Germany would reach the semifinals, with Klose scoring five more goals to bring his career tally at the competition to 10. After reaching the finals of the Euros in 2008, Germany would again make the semifinals of a World Cup in 2010, with Klose logging four more goals to bring his career mark to 14.

Finally, Klose would set the record in his swansong, scoring two more goals as Germany would win the 2014 World Cup title in Brazil, sending the aging star off into retirement with a world championship and an all-time record of 16 career goals.

Miroslav Klose World Cup goals

Kyle Bonn

Kyle Bonn is a Syracuse University broadcast journalism graduate with over a decade of experience covering soccer globally. Kyle specializes in soccer tactics and betting, with a degree in data analytics. Kyle also does TV broadcasts for Wake Forest soccer, and has had previous stops with NBC Soccer and IMG College. When not covering the game, he has long enjoyed loyalty to the New York Giants, Yankees, and Fulham. Kyle enjoys playing racquetball and video games when not watching or covering sports.

Source: Sporting News