Miroslav Klose equalled Brazilian legend Ronaldo’s all-time World Cup goalscoring record of 15 when he scored a minute after coming on as a substitute in Germany’s Group G match with Ghana on Saturday.
The 36-year-old striker — appearing in his fourth World Cup finals — slid in at the far post to level the game at 2-2 in the 71st minute for the 69th goal in his international career.
Klose was the top-scorer at the 2006 World Cup in Germany with five goals, having finished second with another five at the 2002 tournament, while he also scored four in South Africa four years ago.
Klose, Poland-born but whose father moved to France and where he lived till he was eight before joining his footballing dad in Germany, became Germany’s all-time top-scorer prior to the finals when he scored his 69th goal in his 132nd appearance in a 6-1 thrashing of Armenia in a friendly.
He bettered the previous record set by Gerd Mueller, who scored the winner in the 1974 World Cup final, to claim what was then his 68th goal in 62 appearances for West Germany.