Football player feature of the day Miroslav Klose Germany caps: 137 goals: 71 position: Striker club: S.S. Lazio (ITA) 2010 World Cup[edit] Klose was selected in Germanys final 23-man squad, and for his third successive World Cup campaign. On 13 June, Klose scored the second goal against Australia in their opening group game, a 4–0 victory. This goal put him level in World Cup goals with his former coach Jürgen Klinsmann.[62] He opened the scoring in the Round of 16 match against England on 27 June 2010 with his 12th World Cup goal, equalling Pelé for fourth on the all time list, and also notching up his 50th international goal in his 99th international game, as Germany won the game 4–1.[63] Klose made his 100th international appearance in the quarter-final match against Argentina, becoming only the sixth German player to reach the landmark. He then scored the second and fourth goals against Argentina (Germany winning 4–0), pulling him level with Gerd Müllers all-time German World Cup goalscoring record.[64] Euro 2012[edit] During the Euro 2012 qualifiers, Klose scored at least one goal in every single game he played, striking against all of Germanys opponents: Belgium, Azerbaijan, Turkey, Kazakhstan, and Austria. Gaining only six caps during the qualification campaign, he scored nine goals and provided two assists, making him Europes second-most-successful striker for this period, behind Klaas-Jan Huntelaar who scored 12 times in eight matches.[65] At the end of the qualifying campaign he had achieved 21 assists and 63 goals while playing for Germany, trailing Gerd Müllers German goalscoring record by five (albeit playing almost twice as many internationals compared to Müller).[66] 2014 World Cup[edit] Klose celebrating his record-breaking 16th World Cup goal, with Thomas Müller Klose said that the 2014 World Cup will be his last one for Germany, stating that he would like one more shot at trying to win the World Cup with Germany.[67][68][69] On 6 June 2014, in Germanys final friendly before the World Cup against Armenia, Klose scored his 69th international goal, thus breaking Gerd Müllers record of 68 goals and becoming Germanys record goalscorer.[70] He scored his record-equalling 15th World Cup goal in Germanys 2–2 draw against Ghana on 21 June 2014.[71] This tied him with the Brazilian player Ronaldo, who also scored 15 World Cup goals.[72] With this goal Klose furthermore became the third player in history to score in four different World Cups. On 8 July 2014, Klose scored a record 16th World Cup goal in the 23rd minute against Brazil in the semi-finals, his second goal of the 2014 World Cup. That goal gave Germany a 2–0 lead, en route to a 7–1 win over World Cup host Brazil, and Klose surpassed Ronaldos previous record of 15 World Cup goals.[73] Klose set another record by becoming the first player to appear in four World Cup semi-finals. The German national team has never lost a game in which Klose has scored. Football player feature of the day (retired) Philipp Lahm Germany caps: 113 goals: 5 position: Full back / Defensive midfielder club: FC Bayern Munich (GER) He is renowned for his pace, dribbling and precise tackling abilities as well as his small stature, giving him the nickname the Magic Dwarf. 2010 World Cup Lahm was ever present during Germanys 2010 World Cup qualifying campaign and was the only player to play every single minute. Following the withdrawal of regular captain Michael Ballack from the 2010 FIFA World Cup squad due to injury, Lahm was chosen to captain the team at the upcoming tournament.[35][36] On 13 June 2010, he captained the German National Team in the opening game of the 2010 FIFA World Cup against Australia, becoming the youngest player to captain a German side in a World Cup tournament. Lahms captaincy would later become permanent, when coach Joachim Löw announced Ballack would not be considered to play for Germany anymore. Euro 2012 Captain Lahms solid defending helped Germany win all ten qualification matches for UEFA Euro 2012, and he also provided one assist each for Mesut Özil and Mario Gómez. He was an ever-present in the German defence that attracted praise from a variety of sources. Lahm scored the opening goal in their 4–2 victory over Greece in the quarter-finals. 2014 World Cup[edit] On 6 September 2013, Lahm was awarded his 100th cap for the German national team in a 3–0 win over Austria during qualification for the 2014 World Cup.[39] On 16 June 2014, Lahm started for Germany in central midfield in their first match of the 2014 FIFA World Cup, a 4–0 defeat of Portugal in Salvador,[40] and remained in the position for the other two group games and the round of 16 match against Algeria. Lahm reverted to right back for the quarter-final against France, and remained there in Germanys 7–1 defeat of Brazil in the semi-final. On 11 July 2014, Lahm was named on the 10-man shortlist for FIFAs Golden Ball award for the tournaments best player.[41] On 13 July 2014, Lahm led Germany to a World Cup victory, a 1–0 win against Argentina in the final, the fourth time Germany have won the competition and the first for a reunified Germany.[42] Fritz Walter, Franz Beckenbauer, and Lothar Matthäus had won as West Germany.[43] On 18 July 2014, Lahm, at the age of 30,[43] announced his retirement from international football.[31][43] He had scored five goals[31] in 113 appearances. #FootballGermany
Posted on: Mon, 21 Jul 2014 03:21:49 +0000
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