10 & 11. Lukas Podolsky & Miroslav Klose (Germany)
For the last pair of super strikers, we return to Europe, and precisely Germany. Miroslav Klose and Lukas Poldolski were the stars of the German national mannschaft in the first two decades of the 21st century, forming an offensive powerhouse which helped achieve third place in Euro 2012 and eventually win the World Cup in 2014. And that’s not the last of the Poles on that magical, multiethnic Weltmeister team: think Piotr Trochowski!
Klose and Podolski share many similarities: they were both born and raised in Upper Silesia, in what was then People’s Poland, and both came from families with interesting backstories – even if their individual rapports with Poland were quite different.
Mirosław Klose was born in 1978 in Opole, to a Silesian family. Shortly after his birth, the family moved to France where the boy’s father – also a football player – had a contract with Auxerre. The Kloses returned to Poland in 1984, only to emigrate to Germany three years later. Miroslav started his career in Kaiserslautern, and in 2001, he debuted on the national team.
With 71 goals, ‘Miro’ remains the greatest goalscorer in the history of the Germany national team. He also holds the record for the most goals scored in FIFA World cup tournaments (16!). While Klose was never much loved by the Polish fans (he is unfairly remembered as a ‘renegade’ who never enjoyed speaking to Polish media or divulging his Polish background), in 2014 he married a Polish woman, with whom he has two twin sons who speak Polish and German.
Lukas Podolski (born in 1985), who spent only two years in Poland (the family moved to Germany from Gliwice in 1987), always emphasised his attachment to Poland. He enjoyed speaking in Polish to Polish journalists, and he even promised to return to Poland one day to play for Górnik Zabrze, a Silesian football team he rooted for. [UPDATE: In July 2021 Podolski fulfilled his childhood dream and is currently a player with Górnik Zabrze in the ekstraklasa, the Polish top league.] He is also remembered as wearing Polish uniform on several occasions – as well as not celebrating any goals scored against Poland. Poodolski has received 118 caps for Germany and scored 47 goals. Like Klose, he also married a Polka.
The history of players of Polish background playing for Germany is a long and fascinating one. From the role of Polish emigrants (from Mazuria) in clubs like Schalke 04 Gelsenkirchen (Ernst Kuzorra and Fritz Szepan) from the coal-mining area of Ruhr Gebiet, to the Silesian players in the German national team (Ernest Wilimowski!), to post-war legendary goalkeeper Hans Tilikowski and the striker Reinhard ‘Stan’ Libuda, or Podolski and Klose (and Trochowski), Poland’s emigration has continually shaped German Fußball at the topmost level.