Miroslav Klose[]
Miroslav Klose (born Mirosław Marian Kloze on 9 June 1978 in Opole, Poland) is at least 90 percent Polish but that doesn't stop him representing Germany at international level where he scores far more often than he should be able to.
Despicable mercenary[]
Like frequent international strike partners Oliver Neuville and Lukas Podolski, Klose is an international mercenary. Born in Poland, Miroslav's father was a Polish footballer and his mother represented Poland at handball. The budding striker grew up in Poland and the native language of the Klose household was Polish.
However, Miroslav showed few scruples at helping Germany vanquish his native country in World Cup 2006 and Euro 2008.
In post-match interviews, Klose mumbled something about being 'European'. The amoral glory-hunter would then later admit that if Polish officials had approached him earlier he would have worn the Poland shirt.
Success despite apparent lack of ability[]
Klose is something of an enigma as a player. To the naked eye, the functional hitman is decidedly average, yet his Bundesliga statistics are pretty impressive.
This trend is exaggerated at World Cups where Klose usually wins the Golden Boot but spends most of his time standing on the edge of the box with a tired expression like he's waiting for a bus.