8 July 2014 22:40
Germany’s Miroslav Klose has become the all-time leading goalscorer in FIFA World Cup history.
The veteran striker had 14 World Cup goals, scored between 2002 and 2010, before the tournament and he has now surpassed the record of 15 set by Brazil’s Ronaldo in 2006.
Klose levelled the tally with the equaliser in Germany’s 2-2 Group G draw with Ghana and his strike against hosts Brazil on Tuesday saw him edge clear of Ronaldo.
The 36-year-old made his first World Cup appearance in 2002 in South Korea and Japan and his return of five goals was bettered only by Ronaldo, who scored twice in the 2-0 victory over Germany in the final.
Germany played host for the next instalment of the marquee tournament in 2006 and Klose claimed the Golden Boot by again netting five goals.
The evergreen Lazio forward notched four goals in South Africa in the 2010, where Germany once more were toppled in the last four, this time by Spain.
It means a German is once more the leading World Cup scorer, as Gerd Muller had previously held the record between 1974 and 2006 with 14 goals.