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Latium Lazio
—  Region of Italy  —
Flag Coat of arms
Country	Italy
Capital	Rome
Government
• President	Renata Polverini (PdL)
Area
• Total	17,236 km2 (6,655 sq mi)
Population (31-01-2011)
• Total	5,732,212
• Density	330/km2 (860/sq mi)
Time zone	CET (UTC+1)
• Summer (DST)	CEST (UTC+2)
GDP/ Nominal	€ 174.1[1] billion (2008)
GDP per capita	€ 30,800[2] (2008)
NUTS Region	ITE
Website	www.regione.lazio.it

Lazio (pronounced [ˈlattsjo], Latin: Latium) is one of the 20 administrative regions of Italy, situated in the central peninsular section of the country. With about 5.7 million residents and a GDP of more than 170 billion euros, Lazio is the third most populated and the second richest region of Italy. It includes Rome, capital and largest city of Italy.

Geography[link]

Relief map of Lazio.

Panorama of the Roman Campagna.

Lazio comprises a land area of 17,236 km² (6,655 sq mi) and it has borders with Tuscany, Umbria, and Marche to the north, Abruzzo and Molise to the east, Campania to the south, and the Tyrrhenian Sea to the west. The region is mainly flat and hilly, with small mountainous areas in the most eastern and southern districts.

The coast of Lazio is mainly composed of sandy beaches, punctuated by the headlands of Circeo (541 m) and Gaeta (171 m). The Pontine Islands, which are part of Lazio, lie opposite the southern coast. Behind the coastal strip, to the north, lies the Maremma Laziale (the continuation of Tuscan Maremma), a costal plain interrupted at Civitavecchia by the Tolfa Mountains (616 m). The central section of the region is occupied by the Roman Campagna, a vast alluvial plain surrounding the city of Rome, with an area of approximately 2,100 km² (811 sq mi). The southern districts are characterized by the flatlands of Agro Pontino, a once swampy and malarial area, that was reclaimed over the centuries.

The Preapennines of Latium, marked by the Tiber valley and the Liri with the Sacco tributary, include on the right of the Tiber, three groups of mountains of volcanic origin: the Volsini, Cimini and Sabatini, whose largest former craters are occupied by the Bolsena, Vico and Bracciano lakes. To the south of the Tiber, other mountain groups form part of the Preapennines: the Alban Hills, also of volcanic origin, and the calcareous Lepini, Ausoni and Aurunci Mountains. The Apennines of Latium are a continuation of the Apennines of Abruzzo: the Reatini Mountains with Terminillo (2,213 m), Mounts Sabini, Prenestini, Simbruini and Ernici which continue east of the Liri into the Mainarde Mountains. The highest peak is Mount Gorzano (2,458 m) on the border with Abruzzo.

History[link]

See also: History of Italy

The Appian Way (Via Appia), a road connecting Ancient Rome to the southern parts of Italy, remains usable even today.

The Italian word Lazio descends from the Latin word Latium. The name of the region also survives in the tribal designation of the ancient population of Latins, Latini in the Latin language spoken by them and passed on to the city-state of Ancient Rome. Although the demography of ancient Rome was multi-ethnic, including, for example, Etruscans and other Italics besides the Latini, the latter were the dominant constituent. In Roman mythology, the tribe of the Latini took their name from king Latinus. Apart from the mythical derivation of Lazio given by the ancients as the place where Jupiter "lay hid" from his father seeking to kill him, a major modern etymology is that Lazio comes from the Latin word "latus", meaning "wide", expressing the idea of "flat land" meaning the Roman Campagna. Much of Lazio is in fact flat or rolling. The lands originally inhabited by the Latini were extended into the territories of the Samnites, the Marsi, the Hernici, the Aequi, the Aurunci and the Volsci, all surrounding Italic tribes. This larger territory was still called Latium, but it was divided into Latium adiectum or Latium Novum, the added lands or New Latium, and Latium Vetus, or Old Latium, the older, smaller region. The northern border of Lazio was the Tiber river, which divided it from Etruria.

The emperor Augustus officially united almost all of present-day Italy into a single geo-political entity, Italia, dividing it into eleven regions. Lazio – together with the present region of Campania immediately to the southeast of Lazio and the seat of Neapolis – became Region I.

After the Gothic War (535-554) and the Byzantine conquest, this region regained its freedom, because the "Roman Duchy" became the property of the Eastern Emperor. However the long wars against the barbarian Longobards weakened the region, which was seized by the Roman Bishop who already had several properties in those territories.

The strengthening of the religious and ecclesiastical aristocracy led to continuous power struggles between lords and the Roman bishop until the middle of the 16th century. Innocent III tried to strengthen his own territorial power, wishing to assert his authority in the provincial administrations of Tuscia, Campagna and Marittima through the Church's representatives, in order to reduce the power of the Colonna family. Other popes tried to do the same.

During the period when the papacy resided in Avignon, France (1309–1377), the feudal lords' power increased due to the absence of the Pope from Rome. Small communes, and Rome above all, opposed the lords' increasing power, and with Cola di Rienzo, they tried to present themselves as antagonists of the ecclesiastical power. However, between 1353 and 1367, the papacy regained control of Lazio and the rest of the Papal States.

From the middle of the 16th century, the papacy politically unified Lazio with the Papal States^{[citation needed]}, so that these territories became provincial administrations of St. Peter's estate; governors in Viterbo, in Marittima and Campagna, and in Frosinone administered them for the papacy.

After the short-lived Roman Republic (18th century), the region's annexation to France by Napoleon Bonaparte in February 1798, Lazio became again part of the Papal States in October 1799.

On 20 September 1870 the capture of Rome, during the reign of Pope Pius IX, and France's defeat at Sedan, completed Italian unification, and Lazio was incorporated into the Kingdom of Italy.

Economy[link]

Agriculture, crafts, animal husbandry and fishery are the main traditional sources of income. Agriculture is characterized by the cultivation of wine grapes, fruit, vegetables and olives.

Industrial development in Lazio is limited to the areas south of Rome. Communications and - above all - the setting of the border of the Cassa del Mezzogiorno some kilometers south of Rome, have influenced the position of industry, favouring the areas with the best links to Rome and those near the Autostrada del Sole (motorway), especially around Frosinone. Firms are often small to medium in size and operate in the building and building materials (Rome, Civitavecchia), paper (Sora), petrochemical (Gaeta, Rome), textile (Frosinone), engineering (Rieti, Anagni), automobile (Cassino), electronic and electrotechnical (Viterbo) sectors.

Approximately 73% of the working population are employed in the services sector; this is a considerable proportion, but is justified by the presence of Rome, which is the core of public administration, banking, tourism, insurance and other sectors. Many national and multinational corporations, public and private, have their headquarters in Rome (ENI, Enel, Finmeccanica, Alitalia, RAI).

Lazio's limited industrial sector and highly developed service industries allowed the region to well outperform the Italian economy in 2009. The trend is set to continue over the next few years - the region's economy being among the most dynamic in Italy. This year the economy is predicted to grow by 1.3-1.5%, while in 2011 it is expected to expand by between 2-2.2%. These are the fastest rates in Italy and compare to national figures of between 0.8%-1.1% in 2010 and 1.1%-1.3% in 2011.

Demographics[link]

With a population of about 5.7 million, Lazio is the third most populated region of Italy. The overall population density in the region is 332 inhabitants per km². However, the population density widely ranges from almost 800 inhabitants per km² in the highly urbanized Province of Rome to less than 60 inhabitants per km² in the mountainous and rural Province of Rieti. As of January 2010, the Italian national institute of statistics ISTAT estimated that 497,940 foreign-born immigrants live in Lazio, equal to 8.8% of the total regional population.^[3]

Government and politics[link]

Rome is center-left politically oriented by tradition, while the rest of Lazio is center-right oriented. In the 2008 general election, Lazio gave 44.2% of its vote to the centre-right coalition, while the centre-left block took 41.4% of vote.

Administrative divisions[link]

Lazio is divided into five provinces:

See also[link]

• Geography of Italy
• Regions of Italy
• Administrative divisions of Italy

References[link]

External links[link]

Wikimedia Commons has media related to: Lazio

• Official Touristic Site of the Regione Lazio (English)
• Official Site of the Regione Lazio (Italian)
• "Lazio". italy-weather-and-maps.com. 2002. http://www.italy-weather-and-maps.com/maps/italy/lazio.gif. 

Coordinates: 41°54′N 12°43′E / 41.9°N 12.717°E / 41.9; 12.717

v t e Lazio Provinces Frosinone Latina Rieti Rome Viterbo Lakes Lake Albano Lake Bolsena Lake Bracciano Lago di Canterno Lago di Caprolace Lago di Fondi Lago di Giulianello Lake Martignano Lake Mezzano Lago dei Monaci Lake Nemi Lago di Posta Fibreno Lago di Rascino Lago di Sabaudia Lago del Salto Lago del Turano Lake Vico Mountains Seven hills of Rome Alban Hills Aurunci Mountains Monti Ausoni Monte Cavo Cimini Hills Monti Ernici Monte Gorzano Monti della Laga Monti Lepini Monti della Meta Monte Petrella Monti Prenestini Monti Sabatini Monte Soratte Monte Terminillo Monti della Tolfa Monti Volsini Monte Cassino Monte Abate Monte Altino Monte Appiolo Maschio dell'Ariano Maschio di Lariano Monte Artemisio Monte Autore Monte Carbonaro Monte Cefalo Cima del Redentore (monti Aurunci) Circeo Monte Crispi Monte Dragone Monte Faggeto Monte Fammera Mont Fogliano Monte Fusco Monte Guadagnolo Monte Lauro in Gaeta Monte Lauzo Le Rave Fosche Monte Livata Mainarde Maschio delle Faete Meta (monte) Monna Monte Caira Monte Cervello Monte Revole Monte Sorgenze Monte Trina Monte Val de' Varri - Monte Faito - Monte San Nicola Monte di Cambio Monte le Pezze Parco regionale urbano Monte Orlando Monte Orso Monte Pizzuto Monte Ruazzo Geographic areas Castelli Romani Ciociaria Pontine marshes Roman Campagna Sabina Tiber Tuscia Politics and government Elections in Lazio List of Presidents of Lazio Ancient Lazio Etruscans Latium Latium adiectum Latial culture Latins (Italic tribe) Sabines Volsci Aequi

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Francesco Lodi (born March 23, 1984 in Naples) is an Italian footballer, who plays for Calcio Catania in the Italian Serie A.

Club career[link]

Empoli F.C.[link]

He started his career as part of Empoli youth system, being later promoted to the first team in 2003. His senior debut came during the 2003-2004 Serie A season. During the winter transfer market, Empoli opted to loan the player out to Vicenza Calcio, In the Italian Serie B, for the player to gain regular playing time. Lodi went on to make 11 appreances for the biancorossi, before returning to Empoli for the 2004-2005 Serie B season, following their relegation. In his first full season with the Tuscan side, Lodi made 27 league appearances, scoring 6 goals, helping earn instant promotion back to the Serie A. Lodi remained with Empoli, his first full season in the Serie A. The midfielder made just 17 appearances however, and failed to hold down first team football. He scored no goals.

Loan to Frosinone[link]

For the 2006-2007 Lega Calcio season, Empoli loaned the 22 year old to Serie B side Frosinone Calcio. Lodi instantly earned a starting role with the club, making 40 appearances, out of a possible 42, scoring 11 goals during the season. Despite his form, Empoli opted to keep the player at the Latium-based club, where Lodi would continue his form. Lodi went on to make 41 appearances for the second division side and scored a very impressive 20 goals as a midfielder.

Return to Empoli[link]

Following Empoli's relegation from Serie A, the loan was not re-newed and the player spent the 2008-2009 Serie B season with Empoli. He again performed with high standards, making 41 appearances and scoring 13 goals in league play. His form over 3 seasons, led to interest from a host of Serie A clubs, including Udinese Calcio, Atalanta B.C., and Chievo Verona. At the start of the 2009-10 season, Lodi scored 3 goals in the first 3 games of Empoli's season, and finally, he joined Udinese Calcio on loan for the remainder of the 2009-10 Serie A season.

Udinese Calcio[link]

On August 28, 2010, Lodi officially joined Udinese Calcio on loan from Empoli. During the season, Lodi found first team football hard to come by, do to the presences of established midfielders such as Alexis Sanchez, Mauricio Isla, Gökhan Inler, and Kwadwo Asamoah. Lodi went on to make 19 league appearances, scoring 1 goal. Udinese did not use the option to purchase the player outright, and hence he returned to Empoli on June 30, 2010.

Return to Frosinone[link]

Following his Serie A|top flight experience with Udinese, Lodi returned to Empoli but was instantly sold to Frosinone Calcio on a co-ownership deal. In his return to Frosinone, Lodi returned immediately to first team football, making 23 appearances (out of a possible 23), and scoring 7 goals prior to the January transfer market, in which he again transferred clubs.

Calcio Catania[link]

On January 31, 2011, Empoli bought Lodi's contract outright from Frosinone, and then immediately sold him on a co-ownership deal to Catania Calcio for the remainder of the 2010–11 season. Catania was also given the option to buy the player's contract on a full basis and can exercise this deal in June 2011.^[1] His first two appearances for the Sicilian side were very low key, however on February 13, 2011, Lodi scored two fantastic freekicks in a comeback 3-2 victory for Catania, against U.S. Lecce. Lodi was also the scorer of a stunning freeckick against Juventus in the 96th minute of play, ending the game in a draw for Catania. In June 2011, Catania utilized their option to buy out Lodi's contract on a full basis. He has continued his impressive form throughout the 2011-12 Serie A campaign, appearing in all 23 of their league fixtures and scoring 7 goals.

International career[link]

Although he played well for the Italian U-19 team, Lodi made his Italy U-21 debut against Croatia in a friendly match, August 15, 2006, at age of 22. He missed major events like the UEFA U-21 Championship 2006.

His late call-up to U-21 side was due to competition from highly talented players such as Palladino, Pazzini and Bianchi, Pepe.

Due to the UEFA U-21 Championship 2007 age limit change, new coach Pierluigi Casiraghi called him up as senior member of the squad.

Honours and awards[link]

• 2003 UEFA U-19 Championship

References[link]

External links[link]

• (Italian) Official Player Profile at calciocatania.it
• (Italian) Profile at Football.it

Miroslav Klose

Personal information
Full name	Miroslav Josef Klose[1]
Date of birth	(1978-06-09) 9 June 1978 (age 34)[2]
Place of birth	Opole, Poland
Height	1.84 m (6 ft 0 in)[3]
Playing position	Striker
Club information
Current club	Lazio
Number	25
Youth career
1987–1998	SG Blaubach-Diedelkopf
Senior career*
Years	Team	Apps†	(Gls)†
1998–1999	FC Homburg	18	(1)
1999–2004	1. FC Kaiserslautern	120	(44)
1999–2000	→ 1. FC Kaiserslautern II	49	(25)
2004–2007	Werder Bremen	89	(53)
2007–2011	Bayern Munich	98	(24)
2011–	Lazio	25	(13)
National team‡
2001–	Germany	116	(63)
Honours 1. FC Kaiserslautern Runner-up DFB-Pokal 2003 Werder Bremen Winner DFL-Ligapokal 2006 Bayern Munich Winner DFL-Ligapokal 2007 Winner Bundesliga 2008 Winner DFB-Pokal 2008 Winner Bundesliga 2010 Winner DFB-Pokal 2010 Runner-up UEFA Champions League 2010 Winner DFL-Supercup 2010  Germany Runner-up FIFA World Cup 2002 Third FIFA World Cup 2006 Runner-up European Championship 2008 Third FIFA World Cup 2010
* Senior club appearances and goals counted for the domestic league only and correct as of 17:45, 21 March 2012 (UTC). † Appearances (Goals). ‡ National team caps and goals correct as of 20:13, 31 May 2012 (UTC)

Miroslav Josef Klose (German pronunciation: [ˈmɪʁoslaf ˈkloːzə] ( listen)) (Mirosław Marian Kloze IPA: [miˈrɔswaf ˈklɔzɛ]) (born 9 June 1978)^[4] is a German footballer who plays as a striker for Lazio in the Serie A. Since bursting onto the international stage at the 2002 World Cup, he has become well known for his knack of scoring headers, front-flip goal celebrations, and decisive short passing.

Klose holds German nationality^[5] and has played 113 times and scored 63 goals for Germany. With five goals, he was the top scorer and Golden Boot winner at the 2006 World Cup in Germany, the first German player to win the award since reunification. Klose also scored five goals in his debut World Cup, the 2002 World Cup, all of which were headers. He scored four times in 2010 World Cup, giving him a total of 14 World Cup goals and putting him joint second along with Gerd Müller on the list of FIFA World Cup goalscorers.

Klose is also the only player to have scored five or more goals in consecutive World Cups, as well as the only player to have scored at least four in three different tournaments.

Biography[link]

Background[link]

Klose was born in the Silesian city of Opole, Poland. Both of his parents were active in sports.^[6] His mother, Barbara Jeż, was a member of the Poland women's national handball team. His father, Josef Klose, played professional football in Poland for Odra Opole, before leaving then-communist Poland in 1978 and moving to France to play for AJ Auxerre. In 1985, Klose and his mother joined his father in Kusel, a small town in the state of Rhineland-Palatinate, Germany. Klose's father is an ethnic German and holds German nationality.^[5] The family spoke Polish at home — when Klose arrived in Germany he knew only two words of German.^[7]

Klose himself said in an interview in 2008 to Przegląd Sportowy that it would be best for him not to be called German or Polish, but European.^[8] As he stated in an interview to Der Spiegel in 2007, his family at home speaks Polish to each other, with his twin sons Luan and Noah^[9] learning German in Kindergarten.^[10] He has a Polish-born wife, Sylwia Klose.^[11]

Football career[link]

Klose learned his football at a village club, SG Blaubach-Diedelkopf, in the German seventh division. Klose had also successfully completed an apprenticeship to become a carpenter and had worked in this profession until joining the professional team of FC Kaiserslautern.

Club career[link]

Kaiserslautern[link]

After a season at FC Homburg, he eventually joined the reserve team of FC Kaiserslautern.

A year after joining the club, he made it into the first team. In his first 67 matches, Klose scored 33 goals. The 2002–03 season was a comparatively disappointing one as Klose found the back of the net a mere seven times.

Werder Bremen[link]

This section requires expansion.

Miroslav Klose at Werder Bremen

On 2 March 2004, Klose signed a four–year contract with German Bundesliga club Werder Bremen for a fee of €5 million ($6.2 million).^[12][13] He made his league debut on 6 August 2004, as a substitute for Paraguayan striker Nelson Valdez in a 1–0 home win against Schalke 04.^[14][15] On 29 August 2004, Klose scored his first goal, an equaliser, which Bremen lost 1–2 at home against Wolfsburg.^[16][17] After a lacklustre start, Klose formed an impressive attacking triangle with French midfielder Johan Micoud and Croatian forward Ivan Klasnić as well as, though less frequently, Paraguayan forward Nelson Valdez, scoring 15 goals in the Bundesliga. In the 2005–06 season, he scored 25 goals, the highest that season, and registered 16 assists in just 26 games in the Bundesliga.

After his strong performance at the 2006 World Cup, Klose was linked by newspapers with a move away from the Weserstadion. European giants FC Barcelona and Juventus were listed among his potential suitors. Klose was also heavily linked with a move to Bayern Munich, with Bayern president Franz Beckenbauer an admirer of Klose.

On 7 June 2007, Klose confirmed that he would leave Werder Bremen for Bayern Munich either before the 2007–08 season or upon the expiration of his contract with Werder at the end of the 2007–08 season.^[18]

Bayern Munich[link]

Luca Toni and Miroslav Klose (18), Olympiastadion, Hertha BSC vs. Bayern Munich, 2009

On 26 June 2007, club president Karl-Heinz Rummenigge confirmed that Bayern Munich had reached an agreement with Werder Bremen regarding the transfer of the player. Klose completed his medical with Bayern on 28 June 2007 before signing a four-year contract.

Klose made his first competitive appearance for Bayern in a 4–1 victory against old team Werder Bremen in the first round of the DFB-Ligapokal. After missing the semi-final victory over VfB Stuttgart due to injury, Klose returned in the final against Schalke 04, scoring his first competitive goal for Bayern to win the title.

Klose made his Bundesliga debut in the game against Hansa Rostock on 11 August 2007 in which he scored two goals. The game ended 3–0 for Bayern Munich, with Klose's striking partner Luca Toni scoring the third goal. In late September, he claimed his first hat-trick for the club in a 5–0 League success over Energie Cottbus.

After that bright start to his Bayern career, Klose struggled during the latter half of the Bundesliga season. His total of 20 goals in all competitions — with an impressive DFB Cup record — did, however, play a significant role in helping the club to a league and cup double.

Klose's second season at the club was a positive one. He finished as Bayern's top scorer in all competitions with 20 goals, a figure that could have been higher but for an injury sustained in March. Seven of his tally came in the Champions' League, making him the second-best goalscorer in that year's competition; only Lionel Messi with nine scored more than Klose.

Klose sustained two injuries in the beginning of the 2010–11 season. After he had made a full recovery, he remained on the bench until late December when he appeared in a DFB-Pokal match against VfB Stuttgart. Klose came off the bench and scored twice.

On 6 June 2011, with his contract about to expire, Klose did not reach an agreement with Bayern Munich, thus leaving the club at the end of the 2010–11 season.^[19]

Lazio[link]

Klose signed a two-year contract with Lazio on 9 June 2011.^[20] Klose scored his first goal for Lazio in UEFA Europa League 2012 Play-offs. He also assisted four other goals. Lazio won that game 6–0 and won the play-offs by 9–1 aggregate against Rabotnicki.^[21] On 9 September 2011, he made his league debut in a 2–2 draw against Milan and scored a goal in the 12th minute, which was the first Serie A goal of the season. Despite only being at the club for a few months his coach Edy Reja has already underlined his importance to the team.^[22] On 16 October 2011, Klose scored in the 93rd minute to win the Rome derby 2–1 for Lazio. However, the occasion was tainted by a small section of radical Lazio fans holding a sign adapted from a motto used by the Nazis. The sign read 'Klose Mit Uns', which means 'Klose with us'. It was intended by those fans as praise for Klose; however, the Nazis used the motto 'God with us' and the Lazio fans' sign featured the 'S's in the same font as the logo of Hitler's SS. Klose has explicitly condemned the sign, adding 'politics should stay out of the stadium'.^[23][24][25]

On 10 December 2011, Klose scored twice and assisted one for Lazio in an away game against Lecce, including an 87-minute goal that gave Lazio a 2–3 victory.^[26] He was prolific in the first half of the season and mid-way through the second until a thigh injury ruled him out for about seven weeks. He returned to action in an away game to Atalanta coming on as a substitute. He has scored 16 goals in all competition for the Biancocelesti.

International career[link]

Miroslav Klose during the 2006 FIFA World Cup

Klose's consistency as a goal-scorer in his first Bundesliga season at Kaiserslautern earned him attention. In January 2001, the then coach of the Polish national team, Jerzy Engel, travelled to Germany to persuade Klose to choose to play for Poland. This request was declined by Klose, who said that "I have a German passport, and if things are still running this way, I have a chance to play for Rudi Völler." Klose's hopes were justified, as he would soon score for Germany.^[27]

In an interview given to Przegląd Sportowy on 9 June 2008, Klose stated that the decision to play for Germany instead of Poland was not an easy one, and if Polish officials had been faster, he would be playing for Poland now. Furthermore, he added that he does not regret the choice, as with Germany he has won medals in the World Cup tournaments.^[8] The German national team has never lost a game in which Klose has scored.

2002 World Cup[link]

Klose's international debut came in march 21st in 2001 in a World Cup qualifier against Albania, in the 73rd minute coach Rudi Völler put him in as a substitute. Two minutes from time he headed home the 2–1 winner for Germany and celebrated with a front-flip.^[28] Four days later in his second match Klose helped Germany temporarily lead their qualification group, he came on in the 67th minute and scored the 3–2 against Greece in the 82nd minute, making it two crucial goals in only 33 minutes on the pitch. Two hat-tricks against Israel and Austria in friendlies prior to the upcoming World Cup were enough to establish him in Germanys starting lineup for the tournament.

Klose came to international prominence at the 2002 World Cup in Korea-Japan, because he scored five headed goals for Germany, finishing joint second highest goal scorer along with Rivaldo. He became the first player ever to score five headers in a World Cup, and he celebrated all of his goals with his trademark front-flip, earning him the nickname "Salto-Klose". His goal tally included a hat-trick in Germany's 8–0 hammering of Saudi Arabia, as well as one goal each against Ireland and Cameroon.^[29]

Klose also participated in Euro 2004 and came on as a substitute in two games, against Latvia and the Czech Republic, but was not completely fit, since he just recovered from a knee injury. He wasn't able to score and Germany went out in the first round.^[30]

2006 World Cup[link]

Miroslav Klose playing in the 2006 World Cup

Klose was named to his second successive World Cup team for the 2006 World Cup. In the opening match against Costa Rica, coinciding with his 28th birthday, Klose scored two goals, in the 17th and 61st minutes respectively. This led to Germany's 4–2 win over Costa Rica. He scored another two goals against Ecuador on 20 June, putting him on top of the tournament top scorer list with four goals.

Klose also played a major part in Germany's 2–0 win over Sweden in the first knockout round, demonstrating his ability to provide assists as he set up strike partner Lukas Podolski for both goals. Klose scored the equaliser against Argentina in the quarter-final game played on 30 June 2006, with Germany going on to win 4–2 on penalties. This was his first headed goal in two years, three of the first four in the tournament were scored with his favoured right foot.

Klose is the first German since Gerd Müller in the 1970s to become the top scorer at a World Cup. During the tournament, he formed a formidable strike partnership with Lukas Podolski, scoring eight goals between them as Germany topped the scoring charts with 14 goals in seven matches. Klose and team-mate Michael Ballack became the only two All-Star Team Players of the 2006 World Cup to be in the previous All-Star Team of 2002.

Euro 2008[link]

On 6 September 2006, Klose scored two away goals against San Marino in a 13–0 Euro 2008 qualifying win which took his international goal tally to 33, the same amount as his idol Fritz Walter and to joint seventh in the list of all-time goalscorers for Germany.

He had a goal drought for a long time with the national team, causing speculation that he may be dropped from the starting line-up. But German coach Joachim Löw has denied this.

Another highlight in Klose's career came on 8 September 2007, as he captained Germany for the first time and celebrated this honour by scoring both of his country's goals in a 2–0 victory over Wales. The next day, one of the headlines in the UEFA official website was "Captain Klose takes Germany closer (to qualifying)."

In the main tournament, Klose started the opening group game against Poland and assisted Lukas Podolski's two goals in a 2–0 victory. He played the remaining two group games against Croatia and Austria with no goals of his own. He finally broke his duck during the knockout stages, scoring for Germany in quarter-final and semi-final against Portugal and Turkey, respectively. In both games he scored Germanys second goal, and both games were won by 3–2. He was unable, however, to score during the final against Spain, as they lost the match 1–0.^[31][32]

2010 World Cup[link]

Klose was selected in Germany's 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.^[33] Klose was given a red card in the 36th minute after receiving his second of two cautions in Germany's second first-round game against Serbia, which Germany lost 1–0.

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.^[34] The assist to this goal came from young goalkeeper Manuel Neuer straight from a goalkick.

Klose made his 100th international appearance in the quarter-final 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 Müller's all-time German World Cup goalscoring record.^[35] Due to a back injury sustained in the semi-final against Spain – Germany losing 0–1 against the upcoming champions. Klose was unable to play in Germanys 3–2 bronze medal winning match against Uruguay. This deprived him of the chance to equal or surpass Ronaldo's record number of goals in the World Cup finals – Klose has 14 goals, Ronaldo has 15.

Euro 2012[link]

During the Euro 2012 qualifiers, Klose has 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 Europe's second most successful striker for this period behind Klaas-Jan Huntelaar who scored 12 times in eight matches. ^[36] At the end of the qualifying campaign he had achieved 21 assists and 63 goal while playing for Germany, trailing Gerd Müller's German goalscoring record by five and playing almost twice as many international games for Germany compared to Müller.^[37] He has been named in Germany's squad for the tournament.

International goals[link]

Scores and results table. Germany's goal tally first:

Goal	Date	Venue	Opponent	Score	Result	Competition
1.	24 March 2001	BayArena, Leverkusen, Germany	Albania	2–1	2–1	2002 FIFA World Cup qualifying
2.	28 March 2001	Olympic Stadium, Athens, Greece	Greece	3–2	4–2	2002 FIFA World Cup qualifying
3.	13 February 2002	Fritz-Walter-Stadion, Kaiserslautern, Germany	Israel	1–1	7–1	Friendly
4.	13 February 2002	Fritz-Walter-Stadion, Kaiserslautern, Germany	Israel	2–1	7–1	Friendly
5.	13 February 2002	Fritz-Walter-Stadion, Kaiserslautern, Germany	Israel	4–1	7–1	Friendly
6.	18 May 2002	BayArena, Leverkusen, Germany	Austria	1–0	6–2	Friendly
7.	18 May 2002	BayArena, Leverkusen, Germany	Austria	2–0	6–2	Friendly
8.	18 May 2002	BayArena, Leverkusen, Germany	Austria	4–2	6–2	Friendly
9.	1 June 2002	Sapporo Dome, Sapporo, Japan	Saudi Arabia	1–0	8–0	2002 FIFA World Cup
10.	1 June 2002	Sapporo Dome, Sapporo, Japan	Saudi Arabia	2–0	8–0	2002 FIFA World Cup
11.	1 June 2002	Sapporo Dome, Sapporo, Japan	Saudi Arabia	5–0	8–0	2002 FIFA World Cup
12.	5 June 2002	Kashima Soccer Stadium, Kashima, Japan	Republic of Ireland	1–0	1–1	2002 FIFA World Cup
13.	11 June 2002	Shizuoka Stadium, Shizuoka, Japan	Cameroon	2–0	2–0	2002 FIFA World Cup
14.	16 October 2002	AWD-Arena, Hannover, Germany	Faroe Islands	2–1	2–1	UEFA Euro 2004 qualifying
15.	11 June 2003	Gundadalur, Tórshavn, Faroe Islands	Faroe Islands	1–0	2–0	UEFA Euro 2004 qualifying
16.	18 February 2004	Gradski stadion u Poljudu, Split, Croatia	Croatia	1–0	2–1	Friendly
17.	17 November 2004	Zentralstadion, Leipzig, Germany	Cameroon	1–0	3–0	Friendly
18.	17 November 2004	Zentralstadion, Leipzig, Germany	Cameroon	2–0	3–0	Friendly
19.	16 December 2004	International Stadium, Yokohama, Japan	Japan	1–0	3–0	Friendly
20.	16 December 2004	International Stadium, Yokohama, Japan	Japan	3–0	3–0	Friendly
21.	1 March 2006	Signal Iduna Park, Dortmund, Germany	United States	3–0	4–1	Friendly
22.	27 May 2006	Dreisamstadion, Freiburg, Germany	Luxembourg	1–0	7–0	Friendly
23.	27 May 2006	Dreisamstadion, Freiburg, Germany	Luxembourg	4–0	7–0	Friendly
24.	30 May 2006	BayArena, Leverkusen, Germany	Japan	1–2	2–2	Friendly
25.	9 June 2006	Allianz Arena, Munich, Germany	Costa Rica	2–1	4–2	2006 FIFA World Cup
26.	9 June 2006	Allianz Arena, Munich, Germany	Costa Rica	3–1	4–2	2006 FIFA World Cup
27.	20 June 2006	Olympic Stadium, Berlin, Germany	Ecuador	1–0	3–0	2006 FIFA World Cup
28.	20 June 2006	Olympic Stadium, Berlin, Germany	Ecuador	2–0	3–0	2006 FIFA World Cup
29.	30 June 2006	Olympic Stadium, Berlin, Germany	Argentina	1–1	1–1 (a.e.t.), 4–2 (pen.)	2006 FIFA World Cup
30.	16 August 2006	Veltins-Arena, Gelsenkirchen, Germany	Sweden	2–0	3–0	Friendly
31.	16 August 2006	Veltins-Arena, Gelsenkirchen, Germany	Sweden	3–0	3–0	Friendly
32.	6 September 2006	Stadio Olimpico, Serravalle, San Marino	San Marino	3–0	13–0	UEFA Euro 2008 qualifying
33.	6 September 2006	Stadio Olimpico, Serravalle, San Marino	San Marino	6–0	13–0	UEFA Euro 2008 qualifying
34.	8 September 2007	Ninian Park, Cardiff, Wales	Wales	1–0	2–0	UEFA Euro 2008 qualifying
35.	8 September 2007	Ninian Park, Cardiff, Wales	Wales	2–0	2–0	UEFA Euro 2008 qualifying
36.	17 November 2007	AWD Arena, Hannover, Germany	Cyprus	2–0	4–0	UEFA Euro 2008 qualifying
37.	6 February 2008	Ernst-Happel-Stadion, Vienna, Austria	Austria	2–0	3–0	Friendly
38.	26 March 2008	St. Jakob-Park, Basel, Switzerland	Switzerland	1–0	4–0	Friendly
39.	27 May 2008	Fritz-Walter-Stadion, Kaiserslautern, Germany	Belarus	1–0	2–2	Friendly
40.	19 June 2008	St. Jakob-Park, Basel, Switzerland	Portugal	2–0	3–2	UEFA Euro 2008
41.	25 June 2008	St. Jakob-Park, Basel, Switzerland	Turkey	2–1	3–2	UEFA Euro 2008
42.	10 September 2008	Olympic Stadium, Helsinki, Finland	Finland	1–1	3–3	2010 FIFA World Cup qualifying
43.	10 September 2008	Olympic Stadium, Helsinki, Finland	Finland	2–2	3–3	2010 FIFA World Cup qualifying
44.	10 September 2008	Olympic Stadium, Helsinki, Finland	Finland	3–3	3–3	2010 FIFA World Cup qualifying
45.	12 August 2009	Tofik Bakhramov Stadium, Baku, Azerbaijan	Azerbaijan	2–0	2–0	2010 FIFA World Cup qualifying
46.	9 September 2009	AWD-Arena, Hanover, Germany	Azerbaijan	2–0	4–0	2010 FIFA World Cup qualifying
47.	9 September 2009	AWD-Arena, Hanover, Germany	Azerbaijan	3–0	4–0	2010 FIFA World Cup qualifying
48.	10 October 2009	Luzhniki Stadium, Moscow, Russia	Russia	1–0	1–0	2010 FIFA World Cup qualifying
49.	13 June 2010	Moses Mabhida Stadium, Durban, South Africa	Australia	2–0	4–0	2010 FIFA World Cup
50.	27 June 2010	Free State Stadium, Bloemfontein, South Africa	England	1–0	4–1	2010 FIFA World Cup
51.	3 July 2010	Cape Town Stadium, Cape Town, South Africa	Argentina	2–0	4–0	2010 FIFA World Cup
52.	3 July 2010	Cape Town Stadium, Cape Town, South Africa	Argentina	4–0	4–0	2010 FIFA World Cup
53.	3 September 2010	King Baudouin Stadium, Brussels, Belgium	Belgium	1–0	1–0	UEFA Euro 2012 qualifying
54.	7 September 2010	RheinEnergieStadion, Cologne, Germany	Azerbaijan	3–0	6–1	UEFA Euro 2012 qualifying
55.	7 September 2010	RheinEnergieStadion, Cologne, Germany	Azerbaijan	6–1	6–1	UEFA Euro 2012 qualifying
56.	8 October 2010	Olympic Stadium, Berlin, Germany	Turkey	1–0	3–0	UEFA Euro 2012 qualifying
57.	8 October 2010	Olympic Stadium, Berlin, Germany	Turkey	3–0	3–0	UEFA Euro 2012 qualifying
58.	12 October 2010	Astana Arena, Astana, Kazakhstan	Kazakhstan	1–0	3–0	UEFA Euro 2012 qualifying
59.	9 February 2011	Signal Iduna Park, Dortmund, Germany	Italy	1–0	1–1	Friendly
60.	26 March 2011	Fritz-Walter-Stadion, Kaiserslautern, Germany	Kazakhstan	1–0	4–0	UEFA Euro 2012 qualifying
61.	26 March 2011	Fritz-Walter-Stadion, Kaiserslautern, Germany	Kazakhstan	4–0	4–0	UEFA Euro 2012 qualifying
62.	2 September 2011	Veltins-Arena, Gelsenkirchen, Germany	Austria	1–0	6–2	UEFA Euro 2012 qualifying
63.	15 November 2011	Volksparkstadion, Hamburg, Germany	Netherlands	2–0	3–0	Friendly