Miroslav Klose netted against Brazil in the semifinals on Tuesday to become the all-time leading World Cup goalscorer with 16.
Klose, 36, had already pulled level with Brazilian legend Ronaldo when he scored in the 71st minute of Germany’s clash with Ghana and went one better in the semis in Belo Horizonte.
The striker — who became the first player to ever appear in four World Cup semifinals — put Joachim Low’s side into a 2-0 lead with a 23rd-minute strike.
Klose’s 15th goal came in his 20th World Cup appearance against Ghana and, after failing to score against the USA or make an appearance against Algeria in the round of 16, his 16th goal came in his 23rd, and he has scored at four consecutive tournaments — only the third player to achieve that feat after Brazil legend Pele and West Germany’s Uwe Seeler.
“One strike is not enough for me. I need to add more,” Klose said before breaking the record. “I’ve got brutal mind, always prepare for everything. I don’t take any offence [when not starting], I know that I can always help the team, in whatever way. I am ready, you already saw that against Ghana.”
In 2002, Klose scored five goals, all of them headers as an ageing Germany side progressed to the final. He added another five on home soil in 2006, where he also won the Golden Boot, before netting four more in South Africa in 2010.
