Coordinates	40°37′29″N73°57′8″N
name	Mario
series	''Mario'' franchise
firstgame	''Donkey Kong'' (1981)
years active	1981 - present
creator	Shigeru Miyamoto
artist	Shigeru Miyamoto (''Donkey Kong'')Yōichi Kotabe (''Super Mario Bros.'' series)Shigefumi Hino (''Super Mario World'')
voiceactor	Video games:Ronald B. Ruben (''Mario Teaches Typing'')Marc Graue (''Hotel Mario'')Charles Martinet (video games, 1995-present) Television:Peter Cullen (''Saturday Supercade'')"Captain" Lou Albano (''The Super Mario Bros. Super Show!'')Walker Boone (''The Adventures of Super Mario Bros. 3'', ''Super Mario World'' TV series)
japanactor	Tōru Furuya (Original video animations and Satellaview games)Takeshi Aono (''Mario Paint'' commercial)Kōsei Tomita (Japanese dub of the ''Super Mario Bros.'' film) Charles Martinet (video games, 1995-present)
liveactor	"Captain" Lou Albano (''The Super Mario Bros. Super Show!'')Bob Hoskins (''Super Mario Bros.'' film)Gorō Inagaki (2003 "Hot Mario" commercial)Takashi Okamura (2005-2006 "Hot Mario Bros." commercials) }}

is a fictional character in the ''Mario'' video game franchise by Nintendo, created by Japanese video game designer Shigeru Miyamoto. Serving as Nintendo's mascot and the titular protagonist of the series, Mario has appeared in over 200 video games since his creation. Though originally only appearing in platform games, starting with ''Donkey Kong'', Mario currently appears in varied video game genres such as racing, puzzle, party, role-playing, fighting, and sports.

Mario is depicted as a short, pudgy, Italian-American plumber who lives in the Mushroom Kingdom. He repeatedly stops the turtle-like villain Bowser's numerous plans to kidnap Princess Peach, destroy him and take over the kingdom. Mario also has other enemies and rivals, including Donkey Kong and Wario. Since 1995, he has been voiced by Charles Martinet.

As Nintendo's mascot, Mario is said to be the most famous character in video game history. ''Mario'' games, as a whole, have sold more than 210 million units, making the ''Mario'' franchise the best-selling video game franchise of all time. Outside of the platform series, he has appeared in video games of other genres, including the ''Mario Kart'' racing series, sports games, such as the ''Mario Tennis'' and ''Mario Golf'' series, role-playing video games such as ''Paper Mario'' and ''Super Mario RPG'', and educational games, such as ''Mario is Missing!'' and ''Mario's Time Machine''. He has inspired television shows, film, comics, and a line of licensed merchandise.

Concept and creation

Shigeru Miyamoto created Mario while developing ''Donkey Kong'' in an attempt to produce a best-selling video game for Nintendo; previous titles like ''Sheriff'' had not achieved the same success as titles like ''Pac-Man''. Originally, Miyamoto wanted to create a video game that used the characters Popeye, Bluto, and Olive Oyl. At the time, however, Miyamoto was unable to acquire a license to use the characters (and would not until 1982), so he ended up making Jumpman (later known as Mario), Donkey Kong, and Pauline. In the early stages of ''Donkey Kong'', Mario was unable to jump, and the focus was to escape a maze. However, Miyamoto enabled Mario to jump, saying "If you had a barrel rolling towards you, what would you do?"

Miyamoto originally named the character "Mr. Video", and he was to be used in every video game Miyamoto developed. According to a widely circulated story, during localization of ''Donkey Kong'' for North American audiences, Nintendo of America's warehouse landlord Mario Segale confronted its then-president Minoru Arakawa, demanding back rent. Following a heated argument in which the Nintendo employees eventually convinced Segale he would be paid, they opted to name the character in the game Mario after him.

Miyamoto commented that if he had named Mario "Mr. Video", Mario likely would have "disappeared off the face of the Earth." By Miyamoto's own account, Mario's profession was chosen to fit with the game design. Since Donkey Kong was set on a construction site, Mario was made into a carpenter. When he appeared again in ''Mario Bros.'', it was decided he should be a plumber, since a lot of the game is played in underground settings. Mario's character design, particularly his large nose, draws on western influences; once he became a plumber, Miyamoto decided to "put him in New York" and make him Italian, lightheartedly attributing Mario's nationality to his mustache. Other sources have Mario's profession chosen to be carpenter in an effort to depict the character as an ordinary hard worker, and make it easier for players to identify with him. After a colleague suggested that Mario more closely resembled a plumber, Miyamoto changed Mario's profession accordingly and developed ''Mario Bros.'', featuring the character in the sewers of New York City.

Due to the graphical limitations of arcade hardware at the time, Miyamoto clothed the character in red overalls and a blue shirt to contrast against each other and the background. A cap was added to let Miyamoto avoid drawing the character's hairstyle, forehead, and eyebrows, as well as to circumvent the issue of animating his hair as he jumped. To make him appear human onscreen despite his small size, Mario was given distinct features, prominently a large nose and a mustache, which avoided the need to draw a mouth and facial expressions on the small onscreen character.

Miyamoto developed Mario with the idea of using him as a "go to" character that could be put into any title as needed, albeit in cameo appearances, as at the time Miyamoto was not expecting Mario to become popular. To this end, he originally called the character "Mr. Video", comparing his intent to have Mario appear in later games to the cameos done by Alfred Hitchcock within Hitchcock's films. Over time, Mario's appearance has become more defined; both a red "M" in a white circle on the front of his hat and gold buttons on his overalls have been added. Miyamoto attributed this process to the different development teams and artists for each game as well as advances in technology as time has gone on. Nintendo has never revealed Mario's full name, stating only that it was not "Mario Mario" despite the implication of the ''Mario Bros.'' series' title, its use in the film, and information given in the Prima official Guidebook to ''Mario and Luigi: Superstar Saga''.

Appearances

1981–1990

Mario debuted as "Jumpman" in the arcade game ''Donkey Kong'' in 1981. He is shown as a carpenter that has a pet ape. The carpenter mistreats the ape, so Donkey Kong escapes and kidnaps Jumpman's girlfriend, originally known as the Lady, but later named Pauline. The player must take the role of Jumpman and rescue the girl. The character was later renamed "Mario" in the 1982 arcade game ''Donkey Kong Junior'', the only game in which he has ever been portrayed as an antagonist. In the 1983 arcade game ''Mario Bros.'', Mario and his younger brother Luigi are portrayed as Italian-American plumbers who have to defeat creatures that have been coming from the sewers below New York. Their surname was "Mario", resulting in Mario's full name being first given here as "Mario Mario".

In ''Super Mario Bros.'' for the Nintendo Entertainment System, Mario saves Princess Toadstool (later known as Princess Peach) of the Mushroom Kingdom from King Koopa. To save Princess Toadstool, Mario conquers the eight worlds of the Mushroom Kingdom by going to the castle in each to defeat a minion of King Koopa. To reach each castle, Mario battles through three sub-worlds by defeating King Koopa's henchmen. If Mario successfully fights his way through the castle and defeats the minion, he frees a Mushroom Retainer. Inside the eighth castle, Mario has a final fight with King Koopa and frees Princess Toadstool. In ''Super Mario Bros. 2'', the player could choose between Mario, Luigi, Toad, or Princess Peach. Each character possesses unique abilities (Luigi has stronger jumping ability, Toad can dig the fastest, and Peach can float), with Mario being the most well-rounded. In ''Super Mario Bros. 3'', Mario quests to save the rulers of seven kingdoms from Bowser and his children, the Koopalings, and Mario travels across eight worlds to restore order to the Mushroom World and to rescue Princess Peach. Mario is introduced to new power-ups that augment his abilities.

1989–1995

In ''Super Mario Land'' an alien named Tatanga appears, hypnotizes the inhabitants of an area called Sarasaland, and kidnaps its ruler, Princess Daisy. Mario then sets out to rescue her from Tatanga, traveling through the four geographical areas of Sarasaland and defeating Tatanga's minions along the way. He finally corners Tatanga in the skies of the Chai kingdom, bringing down Tatanga's alien warship and rescuing Daisy. In ''Super Mario World'', Mario and Luigi take Princess Peach for a vacation in Dinosaur World sometime after the events of ''Super Mario Bros. 3''; during the vacation, Peach is kidnapped by Bowser. Mario and Luigi meet the Yoshis, dinosaurs that live in Dinosaur World, and they help rescue Peach by allowing Mario and Luigi to ride them. In ''Super Mario Land 2: 6 Golden Coins'', whose events take place immediately after the original ''Super Mario Land'', Mario's evil counterpart Wario has put an evil spell over Mario Land while Mario was away in Sarasaland, renaming the area Wario Land. The inhabitants are now brainwashed into thinking that Wario is their master and Mario is their enemy. Wario's motive behind this sudden attack was to take control over Mario's castle in order to have one of his own. To stop Wario, Mario finds the 6 Golden Coins throughout Mario Land and regains access to his castle. In ''Super Mario World 2: Yoshi's Island'', a stork carries Baby Mario and Baby Luigi across the sea, but the evil Magikoopa Kamek steals Baby Luigi, and Baby Mario falls onto an island called Yoshi's Island, home to Yoshis. After Mario meets the Yoshis, the group journeys through the game's six worlds to rescue Baby Luigi and the stork from Baby Bowser and Kamek.

1996–2002

Mario made his 3D debut in ''Super Mario 64''. Princess Peach sends Mario a letter inviting him to join her at her castle for cake; however, when he arrives, Mario discovers that Bowser has invaded the castle and imprisoned the princess and her servants within it using the castle's 120 Power Stars. Many of the castle's paintings are portals to other worlds, in which Bowser's minions guard the stars. Mario explores the castle and these other worlds to recover the stars. He gains access to more painting portals as he recovers more stars, and he traverses three obstacle courses that lead him to battles with Bowser. Defeating Bowser the first two times earns Mario keys that open new levels of the castle, while the final battle releases Peach, who rewards Mario by baking the cake that she promised him.

In ''Super Mario Sunshine'', Mario, Toadsworth, and Princess Peach take a vacation to Isle Delfino, a tropical island. A person resembling Mario, known as "Shadow Mario", vandalizes and pollutes the entire island using a magic paintbrush. The vandalism has also caused the Shine Sprites to flee from the island's main city, Delfino Plaza, and blanket the island in darkness. Blamed for the mess, Mario is arrested by the island authorities and ordered to clean up Isle Delfino. Mario is equipped with FLUDD, a robotic hosing device invented by Professor E. Gadd, which he uses to clean up the pollution and collect the Shine Sprites. Meanwhile, Peach is kidnapped by Shadow Mario, who reveals himself to be Bowser Jr., one of Bowser's children. Mario eventually confronts Bowser and Bowser Jr. and rescues the princess. With the island cleaned up, Mario and Peach begin their vacation.

2006–present

Mario went to 2.5D in ''New Super Mario Bros.'' While Mario and Peach take a walk together through the Mushroom Kingdom, Bowser Jr. kidnaps Peach and flees. Mario gives chase, venturing through eight worlds. Mario eventually catches up, defeating both Bowser and Bowser Jr. and rescuing Peach. In ''Super Mario Galaxy'', Mario is invited by Princess Peach to the centennial Star Festival in the Mushroom Kingdom. Upon arrival, Bowser invades the kingdom and rips Peach's castle from its foundations and lifts it into outer space. After failing to prevent the princess from being kidnapped, Mario meets star-like creatures called Lumas and their companion, Rosalina. Rosalina tells Mario that Bowser has stolen the Power Stars, the source of power for Rosalina's mobile observatory, and has taken Peach to the center of the universe. Mario then travels to various galaxies to reclaim the Power Stars to restore power to the observatory and reclaim Princess Peach. In ''New Super Mario Bros. Wii'', another 2.5D game, Mario, Luigi, and two Toads are attending Princess Peach's birthday party when Bowser Jr. and the other seven Koopalings ambush the princess and kidnap her. Mario, Luigi, and the two Toads chase after them across eight worlds, defeating each Koopaling as they progress. The quartet eventually confronts Bowser, defeating him and reclaiming the princess. In ''Super Mario Galaxy 2'', Bowser, who has transformed himself into a giant using the Power Stars, attacks the Mushroom Kingdom and abducts Peach, taking her to the center of the universe. With the help of the Lumas, Mario pilots Starship Mario, a mobile planet in the shape of his head, in order to travel to various galaxies and gather the Power Stars, used to fuel the ship. After multiple battles against both Bowser and Bowser Jr., Mario eventually arrives at Bowser's lair at the center of the universe, where he defeats him and rescues the princess.

Other ''Mario'' games

''Mario'' games of other genres include various Game & Watch games; ''Mario Pinball Land'', a pinball game for the Game Boy Advance; various educational games; and the ''Dr. Mario'' puzzle games, (with ''Dr. Mario'' itself first released in 1990). In these games, Dr. Mario throws vitamins that the player must align to destroy the viruses that populate the playing field. 1996's ''Super Mario RPG: Legend of the Seven Stars'' for the Super Nintendo Entertainment System is the first ''Mario'' role-playing game; six games have followed, including three in the ''Paper Mario'' series (''Paper Mario'' for the Nintendo 64, ''Paper Mario: The Thousand-Year Door'' for the Nintendo GameCube, and ''Super Paper Mario'' for the Wii) and three in the ''Mario & Luigi'' series (''Mario & Luigi: Superstar Saga'' for the Game Boy Advance and ''Mario & Luigi: Partners in Time'' and ''Mario & Luigi: Bowser's Inside Story'' for the Nintendo DS).

Several other sub-series of ''Mario'' video games, especially those inspired from sports, have been released. The ''Mario Kart'' franchise, which began with ''Super Mario Kart'' for the Super Nintendo Entertainment System, is currently the most successful and longest-running kart racing franchise. Other ''Mario'' sports games include the Camelot-developed series ''Mario Golf'' and ''Mario Tennis'', and, respectively, the baseball and soccer games ''Mario Superstar Baseball'' and ''Super Mario Strikers''. In 1999, the Hudson-developed ''Mario Party'' series began on the Nintendo 64. The games revolve around a set of mini-games and are playable with up to four players. ''Mario & Sonic at the Olympic Games'', released for both Nintendo DS and Wii, is a collection of twenty-four events based on the Olympic Games, in which characters from Sega's ''Sonic the Hedgehog'' series compete with ''Mario'' characters. This was followed in 2009 by ''Mario & Sonic at the Olympic Winter Games'' on both systems, based on the 2010 Winter Olympics. Two more sport games for the Wii was released on 2011, ''Mario Sports Mix'' and the third Mario & Sonic game, ''Mario & Sonic at the London 2012 Olympic Games'' while the latter was be released for the Nintendo 3DS on February 2012.

In other media

Apart from his platformer and spinoff-game appearances, Mario has made guest appearances in non-Mario games, such as ''Mike Tyson's Punch-Out!!'', where Mario is a referee. Mario has also appeared as a playable character in ''NBA Street V3'' and ''SSX on Tour'', both by Electronic Arts. He makes cameo appearances in both ''The Legend of Zelda: A Link to the Past'' and ''The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time'' as a portrait, and in ''Metal Gear Solid: The Twin Snakes'', he appears as a small statue.

Mario has appeared in every game of the ''Super Smash Bros.'' series and has retained his balanced abilities even when fighting characters from other series. The game also includes other Mario characters, items, and stages. Mario's alter egos Dr. Mario and Metal Mario have made series appearances as well.

''The Super Mario Bros. Super Show!'' television series and the live-action film ''Super Mario Bros.'', both based on the video game series, brought Mario into the TV and film entertainment realms. The television show starred "Captain" Lou Albano as Mario, and the film starred Bob Hoskins as Mario Mario, a plumber who finds himself in an alternate universe (in which dinosaurs rule) where he must save the Earth from invasion. Outside the original games, television shows, and film, Mario has influenced the creation of a line of licensed merchandise and has appeared in popular culture. The Nintendo Comics System series, along with the Nintendo Adventure Books, were created due to Mario as well.

Characteristics

Mario was originally portrayed as a two-dimensional sprite, but in later games, he is shown as a three-dimensional, polygonal model. He is depicted as a portly plumber who lives in the fictional land of the Mushroom Kingdom with Luigi, his younger, taller brother. In the television series and film, Mario and Luigi are originally from Brooklyn, New York. Little is known of Mario's childhood, though the infant version of Mario, Baby Mario, first appeared in 1995 in ''Super Mario World 2: Yoshi's Island'', and has often appeared in Nintendo sports games since that time. Baby Mario has a major role along with Baby Luigi in ''Mario & Luigi: Partners in Time'' and appears in ''Yoshi's Island DS''. He (along with the adult Mario) is voiced by Charles Martinet.

Occupation and hobbies

Mario's occupation is plumbing, though in the original ''Donkey Kong'' games he is a carpenter. Mario has had several other occupations: in the ''Dr. Mario'' series of puzzle games, which debuted in 1990, Mario is portrayed as a medical physician named "Dr. Mario"; in the Game Boy game ''Mario's Picross'', Mario is an archaeologist; and in ''Mario vs. Donkey Kong 2: March of the Minis'', Mario is the president of a profitable toy-making company. Mario usually saves Princess Peach and the Mushroom Kingdom and purges antagonists, such as Bowser, from various areas. Mario has gained fame in the Mushroom Kingdom due to his heroic deeds, as shown in ''Mario & Luigi: Superstar Saga'', where the brothers are referred to as "superstars".

Relationships

Since his first game, Mario has usually had the role of saving the damsel in distress. Originally, he had to rescue his girlfriend Pauline in ''Donkey Kong'' from Donkey Kong. Pauline was soon replaced by a new damsel in distress, Princess Peach, in ''Super Mario Bros.'', but returned in the Game Boy remake of ''Donkey Kong'' in 1994, and in ''Mario vs. Donkey Kong 2: March of the Minis'' in 2006, although the character is now described as "Mario's friend". Mario has rescued Princess Peach multiple times since ''Super Mario Bros.'' In a role reversal, Peach rescues Mario in ''Super Princess Peach''. Mario rescued Princess Daisy of Sarasaraland in ''Super Mario Land'', but Luigi seems to be more linked to her. In ''Super Smash Bros. Melee'', the text explaining Daisy's trophy states that "after her appearance in ''Mario Golf'', gossips portrayed her as Luigi's answer to Mario's Peach".

Luigi is Mario's younger brother. He is a companion in the ''Mario'' games, and the character whom the second player controls in two-player sessions of many of the video games, though he occasionally rescues Mario, as seen in ''Mario is Missing!'' and ''Luigi's Mansion''. ''Super Mario Land 2: 6 Golden Coins'' for the Game Boy saw the arrival of Wario, Mario's greedy counterpart, who is often Mario's antagonist or an antihero. Yoshi is presumed to be a dinosaur, though his species is named Yoshi. They vary in color, but the original Yoshi is green. Yoshi serves as Mario's mount in games such as ''Super Mario World'', and is depicted as a more sentient creature in games like ''Super Mario Kart'' and ''Yoshi's Island''.

Abilities

During the development of ''Donkey Kong'', Mario was known as Jumpman. Jumping—both to access places and as an offensive move—is a common gameplay element in ''Mario'' games, especially the ''Super Mario Bros.'' series. By the time ''Super Mario RPG: Legend of the Seven Stars'' was released, jumping became such a signature act of Mario that the player was often tasked with jumping to prove to NPCs that he was Mario. Mario's most commonly portrayed form of attack is jumping to stomp on the heads of enemies, first used in ''Super Mario Bros.'' This jump-stomp move may entirely crush smaller enemies on the stage, and usually deals damage to larger ones, sometimes causing secondary effects. This attack often enables Mario to knock the turtle-like Koopa Troopas into or out of their shells, which can be used as weapons. Subsequent games have elaborated on Mario's jumping-related abilities. ''Super Mario World'' added the ability to spin-jump, which allows Mario to break blocks beneath him. The Game Boy version of ''Donkey Kong'' allowed Mario to jump higher with consecutive jumps, and perform a back-flip. In ''Super Mario 64'', Mario gains new jumping abilities, such as a sideways somersault, a ground pound, and the "Wall Jump", which propels him upwards by kicking off walls.

Power-ups

Mario uses items, which give him various powers. The first power-up Mario uses is the Hammer in ''Donkey Kong''.

''Super Mario Bros.'' introduced the basic three power-ups that have become staples for the series, especially the 2D games —- the Super Mushroom, which causes Mario to grow larger; the Fire Flower, which allows Mario to throw fireballs; and the Starman, which gives Mario temporary invincibility. These powers have appeared regularly throughout the series. Throughout the series' history, there have been several kinds of Mushroom power-ups, including the 1-Up Mushroom, which gives Mario an extra life; the Poison Mushroom, which causes Mario to either shrink or die; the Mega Mushroom, which causes Mario to grow very large; and the Mini Mushroom, which causes Mario to shrink.

A reoccurring power-up throughout the series is an item that gives Mario the ability of flight. The first of this type was introduced in ''Super Mario Bros. 3'': One power-up, which gives Mario a raccoon suit, is called the Super Leaf, while another is called the Tanooki Suit (a translation of Tanuki) and grants Mario the ability to fly or turn into a statue. In ''Super Mario World'', an item called the Cape Feather was introduced that gave Mario a cape. In ''Super Mario Land 2: 6 Golden Coins'', a carrot was available that gave Mario rabbit ears that allowed him to fly, and in ''Super Mario 64'', Mario could acquire an item called the Wing Cap, which temporarily gave him the ability of flight. ''Super Mario Sunshine'' introduces a pump-water spraying device named "F.L.U.D.D.", which abilities included spraying water and hovering.

''Super Mario Galaxy'' introduced new power-ups, including the Bee Mushroom, which turned Mario into a bee and allowed him to fly temporarily; the Ghost Mushroom, which turned Mario into a ghost, allowing him to float and pass through walls; the Spring Mushroom, which encased Mario in a spring, allowing him to jump higher; and the Ice Flower, which allowed the player to temporarily walk on water and lava without sinking or taking damage. ''Super Mario Galaxy 2'' introduced even more power ups alongside those introduced in ''Super Mario Galaxy'', including the Cloud Flower which allows Mario to create platforms in midair and Rock Mario, which transforms Mario into a boulder that could be used to break through barriers.

''New Super Mario Bros. Wii'' updated the Ice Flower, which then allowed Mario to shoot ice balls that temporally froze enemies; and also introduced the Propeller Suit, which allows him to fly; as well as the Penguin Suit, which allows Mario to easily traverse ice and swim through water in addition to shooting ice balls.

Reception and legacy

As Nintendo's mascot, Mario is considered by some to be the most famous video game character in history, and has been called an icon of the gaming industry. The ''Mario'' series of video games has sold more than 200 million copies (210 million as of 2009), making it the best-selling video game franchise of all time. Mario was one of the first video game character inductees at the Walk of Game in 2005, alongside Link and Sonic the Hedgehog. Mario was the first video game character to be honored with a wax figure in the legendary Hollywood Wax Museum in 2003. In the 1990s, a national survey found that Mario was more recognizable to American children than Mickey Mouse; in fact, Mario has been called the "most recognisable" figure in the gaming industry.

Since his creation, Mario has established himself as a pop culture icon, and has starred in numerous television shows, comic books, and in a feature film. He has appeared on lunch boxes, t-shirts, magazines, commercials (notably, in a Got Milk? commercial), in candy form, on shampoo bottles, cereal, badges, and as a plush toy. Nintendo of Japan produced a 60-minute anime feature which starred Mario and his friends in 1986, although this film has never been released outside of Japan. The animated series ''The Super Mario Bros. Super Show!'' featured a live-action series of skits which starred the late former WWF manager "Captain" Lou Albano as Mario and Danny Wells as Luigi. Mario appeared in a book series, the Nintendo Adventure Books. Mario has inspired unlicensed paintings, and short films, which have themselves been viewed hundreds of thousands of times.

People and places have been named (or nicknamed) after Mario. Bergsala, the distributor of Nintendo's products in the Nordic and the Baltic countries, is located at Marios Gata 21 (Mario's Street 21) in Kungsbacka, Sweden, named after Mario. Many sports stars, including Bundesliga football players Mario Götze and Mario Gómez, NHL hockey player Mario Lemieux, and Italian cycling star Mario Cipollini have been given the nickname "Super Mario". In the Spanish suburb of Zaragoza, in commemoration of Mario a street was named "Avenida de Super Mario Bros".

Mario's legacy is recognized by Guinness World Records, who awarded the Nintendo mascot, and the series of platform games he has appeared in, seven world records in the ''Guinness World Records: Gamer's Edition 2008''. These records include "Best Selling Video Game Series of All Time", "First Movie Based on an Existing Video Game", and "Most Prolific Video Game Character", with Mario appearing in 116 distinct titles (not including remakes or re-releases).

Creator Shigeru Miyamoto has stated that Mario is his favorite character out of all that he has created. Nintendo Power listed Mario as their favourite hero, citing his defining characteristics as his mustache, red cap, plumbing prowess, and his mushrooms. In a poll conducted in 2008 by Oricon, Mario was voted the most popular video game character in Japan, outranking characters such as Cloud Strife from Final Fantasy VII and Solid Snake from the Metal Gear Solid series. Gaming site GameDaily listed the "unlikely hero" on its top 25 video game archetypes, and used Mario as an example of this. It stated that in spite of the fact that he should have run out of energy through the first level, he kept going. Mario ranked fourth on GameDaily's top ten Smash Bros. characters list. Mario was fourth on UGO's list of the "Top 100 Heroes of All Time", ahead of fellow video game characters Samus Aran (''Metroid''), Link (''Legend of Zelda''), Gordon Freeman (''Half-Life''), and Master Chief (Halo). CNET listed him first on its list of the "Top 5 video game characters". He was voted 100th in IGN's Top 100 Villains for his appearance in ''Donkey Kong Junior''. UGO.com listed Mario's Hat twenty-first on their list of "The Coolest Helmets and Headgear in Video Games", stating "there’s always somebody at your Halloween party wearing one."

References

External links

The Evolution of Mario Timeline and Collage

Super Mario Wiki

Nintendo of Europe's official website for the ''Mario'' series

Category:Fictional characters introduced in 1981 Category:Corporate mascots Category:Fictional construction workers Category:Fictional doctors Category:Fictional American people of Italian descent Category:Fictional characters from New York City Category:Fictional plumbers Category:Fictional sportspeople Category:Fictional twins Category:Film characters Category:Male video game characters Category:Mario characters Category:Nintendo protagonists Category:Punch-Out!! characters Category:Super Smash Bros. fighters Category:Video game bosses Category:Video game mascots Category:American culture Category:Japanese culture

ar:ماريو (شخصية خيالية) az:Mario (oyun personajı) zh-min-nan:Mario ca:Mario cs:Super Mario cy:Mario da:Mario de:Super Mario es:Mario (personaje de Nintendo) fr:Mario ko:마리오 hy:Մարիո (կերպար) hi:मारियो hr:Super Mario id:Mario is:Mario it:Mario (personaggio) he:מריו la:Marius (persona ficticia) lt:Mario lmo:Super Mario hu:Mario ml:മാരിയോ nl:Mario (Nintendo) ja:マリオ (ゲームキャラクター) no:Mario nn:Mario pa:ਮਾਰਿਯੋ pl:Mario pt:Mario (personagem) ro:Mario (seria) ru:Марио (персонаж игры) sq:Super Mario scn:Super Mario simple:Mario sl:Mario (Super Mario bros.) sr:Супер Марио fi:Mario sv:Mario ta:மரியோ th:มาริโอ (ตัวละคร) tr:Super Mario ur:ماریو vi:Mario zh:马力欧

Coordinates	40°37′29″N73°57′8″N
playername	Miroslav Klose
fullname	Miroslav Josef Klose
dateofbirth	June 09, 1978
cityofbirth	Opole
countryofbirth	Poland
height
currentclub	Lazio
clubnumber	25
position	Striker
youthyears1	1987–1998
youthclubs1	SG Blaubach-Diedelkopf
years1	1998–1999
clubs1	FC Homburg
caps1	18
goals1	1
years2	1999–2001
clubs2	1. FC Kaiserslautern II
caps2	50
goals2	26
years3	1999–2004
clubs3	1. FC Kaiserslautern
caps3	120
goals3	44
years4	2004–2007
clubs4	Werder Bremen
caps4	89
goals4	53
years5	2007–2011
clubs5	Bayern Munich
caps5	98
goals5	24
years6	2011–
clubs6	Lazio
caps6	0
goals6	0
nationalyears1	2001– | nationalteam1 Germany | nationalcaps1 110 | nationalgoals1 61
pcupdate	16:45, 14 May 2011 (UTC)
ntupdate	20:30, 10 August 2011 (UTC)
medaltemplates	}}

}} Miroslav Josef Klose (; born ''Mirosław Marian Kloze'' on 9 June 1978 in Opole, Poland) is a German footballer who will play in the 2011–12 season as a striker for Lazio in the Serie A. Since bursting onto the international stage with five goals at the 2002 World Cup, he has become well known for his knack of scoring headers, front-flip goal celebrations, and decisive short passing. He was a mainstay in Bayern's starting 11 before injuries took him out of the team for a while; during his convalescence, Croatian Ivica Olić filled in and replaced Klose as Louis van Gaal's first-choice striker.

Klose holds German nationality and has played 110 times and scored 61 goals for Germany. With five goals, he was the top scorer and Golden Boot winner at the 2006 World Cup in Germany. Klose also scored five goals in his debut World Cup, the 2002 World Cup in Korea and Japan, all of which were headers. He scored against Australia in his first game of the 2010 World Cup, opened the scoring against England in the first round of the knockout stages, and scored twice on his 100th cap against Argentina in the quarter-finals, 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, but one behind all-time top scorer Ronaldo of Brazil.

Klose is the first German player since reunification to finish as the World Cup's top scorer. He 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; he scored five at the 2002 and 2006 tournaments and four at the 2010 finals.

Biography

Background

Klose was born in the Silesian city of Opole, Poland. Both of his parents were active in sports. 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.

Klose himself said in a recent interview to ''Przegląd Sportowy'' that it would be best for him not to be called German or Polish, but European. 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 learning German in Kindergarten. He has a Polish-born wife, Sylwia Klose.

Football career

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

Kaiserslautern

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

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). 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. On 29 August 2004, Klose scored his first goal, an equaliser, which Bremen lost 1–2 at home against Wolfsburg. 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.

Bayern Munich

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.

Lazio

Klose signed a two-year contract with Lazio on 9 June 2011. Lazio is the first team he plays for outside Germany. 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.

International career

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." In fact, he soon was capped and made his debut for Germany against Albania on 24 March 2001. Klose came on as a substitute and headed in the winning 2–1 goal from close range two minutes from time.

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. The German national team has never lost a game in which Klose has scored. He is now tied on World Cup goals with Germany's highest goalscorer, Gerd Müller.

2002 World Cup

Klose came to international prominence at the 2002 World Cup in Korea-Japan. He scored five headed goals for the German national team, finishing joint second highest goal scorer along with Rivaldo. This tally included a hat-trick in Germany's 8–0 hammering of Saudi Arabia. Klose's trademark goal celebration is a front-flip which he did five times during the 2002 World Cup, earning him the nickname "Salto-Klose" from fans.

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. Klose played against the country of his birth, Poland, in Germany's second match. During the tournament, he formed a formidable strike partnership with fellow Poland-born Lukas Podolski, scoring eight goals between them as Germany topped the scoring charts with 14 goals in seven matches.

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. Klose is the first German since Gerd Müller in the 1970s to become the top scorer at a World Cup, and the first World Cup finals top scorer from unified Germany (Müller represented the former West Germany). Klose has scored 14 goals in World Cup finals, and is two goals away from overtaking Brazilian forward Ronaldo as the all-time highest scorer in the World Cup.

Klose's five 2002 World Cup goals were all headers; only the fifth of his five goals in the 2006 matches was a header (his first in two years). Three of the first four were scored with his favoured right foot. 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. Klose also holds the record for being the only player to score five goals in consecutive World Cups.

Euro 2008

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. He finally broke his duck during the knockout stages, scoring the second goal for Germany during both quarter-final and semi-final against Portugal and Turkey, respectively. He was unable, however, to score during the final against Spain, as they lost the match 1–0.

2010 World Cup

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 against Australia in their opening group game, a 4–0 victory. 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 they lost 1–0. Klose opened the scoring in the Round of 16 match against England on 27 June 2010 with his 12th World Cup goal, equaling 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. He 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. Due to a back injury sustained in the semi-final against Spain (Germany losing 0–1), Klose was unable to play in the bronze match against Uruguay (Germany won 3–2). 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

For the Euro 2012 qualifiers, Klose has scored at least one goal in every single game. He scored the winning goal in the 1–0 win over Belgium. Then he scored a brace in the 6–1 win against Azerbaijan, and book-ended the scoring with a brace in a 3–0 win over Turkey. Klose followed that up by scoring the opening goal against Kazakhstan and the fourth goal. Germany went on to win 4–0. This leaves Klose with 61 goals for Germany, trailing Gerd Müller's record by seven.

International goals

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

BayArena, Leverkusen, Germany 28 March 2001 13 February 2002 13 February 2002 13 February 2002 18 May 2002 18 May 2002 18 May 2002 1 June 2002 1 June 2002 1 June 2002 5 June 2002 11 June 2002 16 October 2002 11 June 2003 18 February 2004 17 November 2004 17 November 2004 16 December 2004 16 December 2004 1 March 2006 27 May 2006 27 May 2006 30 May 2006 9 June 2006 9 June 2006 20 June 2006 20 June 2006 30 June 2006 1–1 (Extra time 16 August 2006 16 August 2006 6 September 2006 6 September 2006 8 September 2007 8 September 2007 17 November 2007 6 February 2008 26 March 2008 27 May 2008 19 June 2008 25 June 2008 10 September 2008 10 September 2008 10 September 2008 12 August 2009 9 September 2009 9 September 2009 10 October 2009 13 June 2010 27 June 2010 3 July 2010 3 July 2010 3 September 2010 7 September 2010 7 September 2010 8 October 2010 8 October 2010 12 October 2010 9 February 2011 26 March 2011 26 March 2011

Goal !! Date !! Venue !! Opponent !! Score !! Result !! Competition
1.	24 March 2001	|		2–1	2–1	2002 FIFA World Cup qualification (UEFA)>2002 FIFA World Cup qualifying
2.	|	Olympic Stadium (Athens)>Olympic Stadium, Athens, Greece		3–2	4–2	2002 FIFA World Cup qualifying
3.	|	Fritz-Walter-Stadion, Kaiserslautern, Germany		1–1	7–1	Exhibition game>Friendly
4.	|	Fritz-Walter-Stadion, Kaiserslautern, Germany		2–1	7–1	Friendly
5.	|	Fritz-Walter-Stadion, Kaiserslautern, Germany		4–1	7–1	Friendly
6.	|	BayArena, Leverkusen, Germany		1–0	6–2	Friendly
7.	|	BayArena, Leverkusen, Germany		2–0	6–2	Friendly
8.	|	BayArena, Leverkusen, Germany		4–2	6–2	Friendly
9.	|	Sapporo Dome, Sapporo, Japan		1–0	8–0	2002 FIFA World Cup
10.	|	Sapporo Dome, Sapporo, Japan		2–0	8–0	2002 FIFA World Cup
11.	|	Sapporo Dome, Sapporo, Japan		5–0	8–0	2002 FIFA World Cup
12.	|	Kashima Soccer Stadium, Kashima, Ibaraki>Kashima, Japan		1–0	1–1	2002 FIFA World Cup
13.	|	Shizuoka Stadium, Shizuoka, Shizuoka>Shizuoka, Japan		2–0	2–0	2002 FIFA World Cup
14.	|	AWD-Arena, Hannover, Germany		2–1	2–1	UEFA Euro 2004 qualifying
15.	|	Gundadalur, Tórshavn, Faroe Islands		1–0	2–0	UEFA Euro 2004 qualifying
16.	|	Gradski stadion u Poljudu, Split (city)>Split, Croatia		1–0	2–1	Friendly
17.	|	Zentralstadion, Leipzig, Germany		1–0	3–0	Friendly
18.	|	Zentralstadion, Leipzig, Germany		2–0	3–0	Friendly
19.	|	Nissan Stadium>International Stadium, Yokohama, Japan		1–0	3–0	Friendly
20.	|	International Stadium, Yokohama, Japan		3–0	3–0	Friendly
21.	|	Signal Iduna Park, Dortmund, Germany		3–0	4–1	Friendly
22.	|	Dreisamstadion, Freiburg, Germany		1–0	7–0	Friendly
23.	|	Dreisamstadion, Freiburg, Germany		4–0	7–0	Friendly
24.	|	BayArena, Leverkusen, Germany		1–2	2–2	Friendly
25.	|	Allianz Arena, Munich, Germany		2–1	4–2	2006 FIFA World Cup
26.	|	Allianz Arena, Munich, Germany		3–1	4–2	2006 FIFA World Cup
27.	|	Olympic Stadium (Berlin)>Olympic Stadium, Berlin, Germany		1–0	3–0	2006 FIFA World Cup
28.	|	Olympic Stadium, Berlin, Germany		2–0	3–0	2006 FIFA World Cup
29.	|	Olympic Stadium (Berlin)>Olympic Stadium, Berlin, Germany		1–1	a.e.t.), 4–2 (pen.) || 2006 FIFA World Cup
30.	|	Veltins-Arena, Gelsenkirchen, Germany		2–0	3–0	Friendly
31.	|	Veltins-Arena, Gelsenkirchen, Germany		3–0	3–0	Friendly
32.	| Stadio Olimpico, Serravalle, San Marino ||		3–0	13–0	UEFA Euro 2008 qualifying
33.	|	Stadio Olimpico, Serravalle, San Marino		6–0	13–0	UEFA Euro 2008 qualifying
34.	|	Ninian Park, Cardiff, Wales		1–0	2–0	UEFA Euro 2008 qualifying
35.	|	Ninian Park, Cardiff, Wales		2–0	2–0	UEFA Euro 2008 qualifying
36.	|	AWD Arena, Hannover, Germany		2–0	4–0	UEFA Euro 2008 qualifying
37.	|	Ernst-Happel-Stadion, Vienna, Austria		2–0	3–0	Friendly
38.	|	St. Jakob-Park, Basel, Switzerland		1–0	4–0	Friendly
39.	|	Fritz-Walter-Stadion, Kaiserslautern, Germany		1–0	2–2	Friendly
40.	|	St. Jakob-Park, Basel, Switzerland		2–0	3–2	UEFA Euro 2008
41.	|	St. Jakob-Park, Basel, Switzerland		2–1	3–2	UEFA Euro 2008
42.	|	Helsinki Olympic Stadium>Olympic Stadium, Helsinki, Finland		1–1	3–3	2010 FIFA World Cup qualification (UEFA)>2010 FIFA World Cup qualifying
43.	|	Olympic Stadium, Helsinki, Finland		2–2	3–3	2010 FIFA World Cup qualifying
44.	|	Olympic Stadium, Helsinki, Finland		3–3	3–3	2010 FIFA World Cup qualifying
45.	|	Tofik Bakhramov Stadium, Baku, Azerbaijan		2–0	2–0	2010 FIFA World Cup qualifying
46.	|	AWD-Arena, Hanover, Germany		2–0	4–0	2010 FIFA World Cup qualifying
47.	|	AWD-Arena, Hanover, Germany		3–0	4–0	2010 FIFA World Cup qualifying
48.	|	Luzhniki Stadium, Moscow, Russia		1–0	1–0	2010 FIFA World Cup qualifying
49.	|	Moses Mabhida Stadium, Durban, South Africa		2–0	4–0	2010 FIFA World Cup
50.	|	Free State Stadium, Bloemfontein, South Africa		1–0	4–1	2010 FIFA World Cup
51.	|	Cape Town Stadium, Cape Town, South Africa		2–0	4–0	2010 FIFA World Cup
52.	|	Cape Town Stadium, Cape Town, South Africa		4–0	4–0	2010 FIFA World Cup
53.	|	King Baudouin Stadium, Brussels, Belgium		1–0	1–0	UEFA Euro 2012 qualifying
54.	|	RheinEnergieStadion, Cologne, Germany		3–0	6–1	UEFA Euro 2012 qualifying
55.	|	RheinEnergieStadion, Cologne, Germany		6–1	6–1	UEFA Euro 2012 qualifying
56.	|	Olympic Stadium (Berlin)>Olympic Stadium, Berlin, Germany		1–0	3–0	UEFA Euro 2012 qualifying
57.	|	Olympic Stadium, Berlin, Germany		3–0	3–0	UEFA Euro 2012 qualifying
58.	|	Astana Arena, Astana, Kazakhstan		1–0	3–0	UEFA Euro 2012 qualifying
59.	|	Westfalenstadion>Signal Iduna Park, Dortmund, Germany		1–0	1–1	Friendly
60.	|	Fritz-Walter-Stadion, Kaiserslautern, Germany		1–0	4–0	UEFA Euro 2012 qualifying
61.	|	Fritz-Walter-Stadion, Kaiserslautern, Germany		4–0	4–0	UEFA Euro 2012 qualifying

Awards and honours

Club

Werder Bremen

DFB-Ligapokal (1): 2006

Bayern Munich

Bundesliga (2): 2007–08, 2009–10

UEFA Champions League Runner-up: 2009–10

DFB-Pokal (2): 2008, 2010

DFB-Ligapokal (1): 2007

DFB-Supercup (1): 2010

National team

Germany

FIFA World Cup Runner-up: 2002

FIFA World Cup 3rd Place: 2006, 2010

UEFA European Football Championship Runner-up: 2008

Individual

Bundesliga Top Goalscorer (25 goals): 2006

German Footballer of the Year: 2006

World Cup Silver Shoe: 2002

World Cup Golden Shoe: 2006

Personal Records

FIFA World Cup second all time top scorer along with Gerd Müller: 14 goals

Germany's second all time top scorer: 61 goals

Most goals per consecutive FIFA World Cups: 14 goals (5 in 2002, 5 in 2006, and 4 in 2010)

Career stats

Club

^* Includes Liga-Pokal and DFL-Supercup.

Club	Season	League	Cup	!colspan="2"	Total
!Apps!!Goals!!Apps!!Goals!!Apps!!Goals!!Apps!!Goals
rowspan="2" style="vertical-align:center;"	S.S. Lazio		11–12		0		0		0		0		1		1		1		1
Total !! 0 !! 0 !! 0 !! 0 !! 1 !! 1 !! 1 !!1
rowspan="5" style="vertical-align:center;"	Bayern Munich		10–11		20		1		4		3		2		1		26		5
	09–10		25		3		5		2		8		1		38		6
	08–09		26		10		4		3		8		7		38		20
	07–08		27		10		8		6		12		5		47		21
Total !! 98 !! 24 !! 21 !! 14 !! 30 !! 14 !! 149 !! 52
rowspan="4" style="vertical-align:center;"	Werder Bremen		06–07		31		13		3		0		13		2		47		15
	05–06		26		25		5		2		9		4		40		31
	04–05		32		15		5		0		8		2		45		17
Total !! 89 !! 53 !! 13 !! 2 !! 30 !! 8 !! 132 !! 63
rowspan="6" style="vertical-align:center;"		03–04		26		10		1		1		2		1		29		12
	02–03		32		9		4		4		0		0		36		13
	01–02		31		16		4		0
	35		16
	00–01		29		9		4		0		12		2		45		11
	99–00		2		0		0		0		0		0		2
!Total	!120 !! 44 !! 13 !! 5 !! 14 !! 3 !! 148 !! 52
Career Totals	! 307	! 121	! 47	! 21	! 75	! 26	! 430	! 168

International career statistics

|2001||7||2 |- |2002||17||12 |- |2003||10||1 |- |2004||11||5 |- |2005||5||0 |- |2006||17||13 |- |2007||5||3 |- |2008||15||8 |- |2009||6||4 |- |2010||12||10 |- |- |2011||5||3 |- !Total||110||61 |}

Trivia

Klose celebrated his goals by performing the front-flip 7 times out of 14 goals he scored in the FIFA World Cup. (5 times in 2002, 1 time each in 2006 and 2010).

All of Klose's five goals in the 2002 FIFA World Cup came from headers.

Despite playing as a central striker, Klose averaged over 10 assists every season throughout the 3 seasons he played for Werder Bremen.

References

External links

Profile at official Bayern Munich site

Profile at UEFA.com

Profile at Kicker.de Profile at Transfermarkt.de

Klose´s ancestors from Upper Silesia, Poland

Category:1978 births Category:Living people Category:German footballers Category:Germany international footballers Category:FC 08 Homburg players Category:1. FC Kaiserslautern players Category:FC Bayern Munich players Category:SV Werder Bremen players Category:S.S. Lazio players Category:German expatriate footballers Category:Expatriate footballers in Italy Category:Kicker-Torjägerkanone Award winners Category:Fußball-Bundesliga players Category:2002 FIFA World Cup players Category:UEFA Euro 2004 players Category:2006 FIFA World Cup players Category:UEFA Euro 2008 players Category:Silesian Germans Category:Naturalized citizens of Germany Category:People from Opole Category:German people from the Polish part of Silesia Category:German people of Silesian descent Category:German people of Polish descent Category:German expatriates in Italy Category:2010 FIFA World Cup players Category:FIFA Century Club

ar:ميروسلاف كلوزه bn:মিরোস্লাভ ক্লোজে bg:Мирослав Клозе ca:Miroslav Klose cs:Miroslav Klose da:Miroslav Klose de:Miroslav Klose et:Miroslav Klose el:Μίροσλαβ Κλόζε es:Miroslav Klose eo:Miroslav Klose eu:Miroslav Klose fa:میروسلاو کلوزه fr:Miroslav Klose ga:Miroslav Klose gl:Miroslav Klose ko:미로슬라프 클로제 hy:Միրոսլավ Կլոզե hr:Miroslav Klose id:Miroslav Klose it:Miroslav Klose he:מירוסלב קלוזה jv:Miroslav Klose ka:მიროსლავ კლოზე sw:Miroslav Klose la:Miroslav Klose lv:Miroslavs Kloze lt:Miroslav Klose hu:Miroslav Klose mt:Miroslav Klose mr:मिरोस्लाव क्लोस ms:Miroslav Klose nl:Miroslav Klose ja:ミロスラフ・クローゼ no:Miroslav Klose nn:Miroslav Klose pa:ਮੀਰੋਸਲਾਵ ਕਲੋਜ਼ nds:Miroslav Klose pl:Miroslav Klose pt:Miroslav Klose ro:Miroslav Klose qu:Miroslav Klose ru:Клозе, Мирослав sq:Miroslav Klose simple:Miroslav Klose sk:Miroslav Klose sl:Miroslav Klose szl:Miroslav Klose sr:Мирослав Клозе fi:Miroslav Klose sv:Miroslav Klose th:มีโรสลัฟ โคลเซอ tr:Miroslav Klose uk:Мирослав Клозе vi:Miroslav Klose bat-smg:Miroslav Klose zh:米罗斯拉夫·克洛泽

Coordinates

40°37′29″N73°57′8″N

{{infobox football biography 2 | playername

Pablo Osvaldo | image | fullname Pablo Daniel Osvaldo | height | dateofbirth January 12, 1986 | cityofbirth Buenos Aires | countryofbirth Argentina | currentclub Roma | clubnumber 9 | position Striker | youthyears1 1995–1999 | youthclubs1 Lanús | youthyears2 1999–2000 | youthclubs2 Banfield | youthyears3 2000–2005 | youthclubs3 Huracán | years1 2005 | clubs1 Huracán | caps1 33 | goals1 11 | years2 2006 | clubs2 Atalanta | caps2 3 | goals2 1 | years3 2006–2007 | clubs3 Lecce | caps3 31 | goals3 8 | years4 2007–2009 | clubs4 Fiorentina | caps4 21 | goals4 5 | years5 2009–2010 | clubs5 Bologna | caps5 25 | goals5 3 | years6 2010 | clubs6 → Espanyol (loan)| caps6 20 | goals6 7 | years7 2010–2011 | clubs7 Espanyol | caps7 24 | goals7 13 | years8 2011– | clubs8 Roma | caps8 0 | goals8 0 | nationalyears1 2007–2008 | nationalteam1 Italy U21 | nationalcaps1 12 | nationalgoals1 2 | pcupdate April 4, 2011 | ntupdate October 15, 2008 }}

Pablo Daniel Osvaldo (born January 12, 1986 in Capital Federal, Buenos Aires) is an Italian Argentine footballer, currently playing for Roma.

Club career

Osvaldo made his competitive football debut in the Argentine 2nd Division for Club Atlético Huracán in 2005. After less than a year he was signed by Italian side Atalanta, where he played only three matches with a single goal in the Serie B 2005–06. In 2006 Atalanta agreed to a co-ownership deal which sent the player to Lecce, another Serie B team, where Osvaldo had the opportunity to play regularly, scoring eight goals in 31 appearances with the ''giallorossi''. Following such a fairly impressive season, Atalanta regained the full player's property and sold him to Fiorentina for €4.5 million. He played his first Serie A match on September 29, 2007, scoring two goals in a 3–0 away win to Livorno.

On March 2, 2008 he headed in a cross from team mate Papa Waigo N'Diaye to give Fiorentina a 3–2 win in stoppage time over their fiercest rivals, Juventus. He was then sent off for his goal celebration, after having been booked earlier in the match, when he removed his team jersey and pretended to machine gun his own fans in a similar fashion to Fiorentina legend Gabriel Batistuta's goal celebration. His most important goals was 1 spectacular overhead kick's against Torino on May 18, 2008. The victory of that match allowed Fiorentina to finish two points ahead of Milan and qualify for UEFA Champions League.

He left Fiorentina on January 20, 2009 and joined Bologna where he signed a five year contract. On August 23, 2009 Osvaldo scored the season opening goal for Bologna against his former club Fiorentina and gave his team a tie. On January 10, 2010, Spanish club RCD Espanyol announced that they signed the Italo-Argentine forward on loan until June 2010, pending a medical examination. He made his La Liga debut, coming on as a 54th minute substitute for Iván Alonso in the 2–0 away defeat to Osasuna.

On 3 June 2010 his loan was extended for another season, weeks after the player declared his interest of staying at Spain. On the 31st of August 2010. Osvaldo's loan deal with Espanyol was turned into a 5-year-deal for a fee worth €4.6 million. After a successful season, where Osvaldo scored more than a goal every other game, he was sold to AS Roma for €17.5 million. on 25th August 2011

References

External links

Guardian statistics

Category:Argentine footballers Category:Italian footballers Category:Association football forwards Category:ACF Fiorentina players Category:Atalanta B.C. players Category:U.S. Lecce players Category:Bologna F.C. 1909 players Category:A.S. Roma players Category:RCD Espanyol footballers Category:Huracán footballers Category:Serie A footballers Category:Serie B footballers Category:La Liga footballers Category:Expatriate footballers in Spain Category:People from Buenos Aires Category:1986 births Category:Italian people of Argentine descent Category:Living people Category:Italy under-21 international footballers

ar:بابلو دانييل أوزفالدو ca:Pablo Daniel Osvaldo de:Pablo Daniel Osvaldo es:Pablo Daniel Osvaldo fr:Pablo Daniel Osvaldo gl:Pablo Daniel Osvaldo it:Pablo Osvaldo ja:パブロ・ダニエル・オスヴァルド no:Pablo Daniel Osvaldo pl:Pablo Daniel Osvaldo pt:Pablo Daniel Osvaldo ru:Освальдо, Пабло Даниэль fi:Pablo Daniel Osvaldo sv:Pablo Daniel Osvaldo zh:巴勃罗·奥斯瓦尔多

Coordinates	40°37′29″N73°57′8″N
image size	230px
name	Mario Antonio Cimarro Paz
birth date	June 01, 1971
birth place	Havana, Cuba
birth name	Mario Antonio Cimarro Paz
occupation	Actor
yearsactive	1995 – present
spouse	Natalie Streignard (1999-2006)
height	1.80 m
website	http://www.mariocimarro.com/ }}

Mario Antonio Cimarro Paz (born June 1, 1971) is a Cuban actor.

Biography

Cimarro was born in Havana, Cuba to Antonio Luis Cimarro and Maria Caridad Paz. He has one sister, Maria Antonia Cimarro Paz In 1994, Cimarro left Cuba for Mexico City in order to fulfill his life long dream of becoming an actor. He studied intensively with preeminent teachers, including Adriana Barraza and Sergio Jimenez. Upon graduation with a degree in drama, he began to pursue roles that would allow him to grow as an artist. His credits include "Romeo and Juliet" for 20th Century Fox directed by Bazz Luhrmann and "Managua" for AstraCinema starring Louis Gosset Jr. Soon he began to get offers of work in other countries and traveled to Argentina, Venezuela, Colombia where he worked in each country with top writers, producers and directors. Mario had the opportunity to star in two great Latin-American cultural iconic series; "Pasion de Gavilanes" and "El Cuerpo del Deseo", accomplishing his desire to work with writer Julio Jimenes and director Rodrigo Triana.

Relentless about learning, he moved to Los Angeles in 2007, to polish his craft in American cinema starring in "Rockaway" for First Look Studios directed by the Crook Brothers, for which he received critical acclaim for his portrayal of Juju. He also starred soon after as SN in "Puras Joyitas" directed by Cesar Oropeza, which has quickly rose to become a number one box office hit in Venezuela.

Telenovelas

''(2011) Los Herederos Del Monte...Juan Del Monte_lead Role

''(2009) Mar de Amor...Victor Manuel_ Lead Role

''(2007-2008) La Traicion...Hugo de Medina/Alcides de Medina_lead Role

''(2005) El Cuerpo del Deseo...Salvador Cerinza _Lead Role

''(2003-2004) Pasion de Gavilanes...Juan Reyes Lead Role

''(2002) Gata Salvaje...Luis Mario Arismendi Lead Role

''(2001) Mas que amor frenesi...Santiago Guerrero

''(2000) Amor Latino...Ignacio "Nacho" Domeq

''(2000) La Casa en la Playa...Roberto Villarreal

''(1998) La Usurpadora...Luciano Alcantara

''(1998) La Mujer de mi vida...Antonio Adolfo Thompson Reyes Lead Role

''(1997) Gente Bien...Gerardo

''(1996) Sentimientos Ajenos...Ramiro

Films

''Puras Joyitas'' (2007)

''Rockaway'' (2007)

''Managua'' (1997)

''The Cuban Connection'' (1997)

''Romeo + Juliet'' (1996)

''We Are The World ''(2010)

See also

List of telenovela actors

List of Cubans

External links

Mario Cimarro on Telemundo

Official Website

Mar de Amor Blog

References

Category:1971 births Category:Living people Category:Cuban actors Category:Cuban telenovela actors Category:Cuban male models

el:Μάριο Σιμάρρο es:Mario Cimarro fa:ماریو سیمارو pl:Mario Cimarro pt:Mario Cimarro ro:Mario Cimarro ru:Симарро, Марио sk:Mario Cimarro sr:Марио Симаро sh:Mario Cimarro fi:Mario Cimarro tl:Mario Cimarro vi:Mario Cimarro