Polish-born Klose clear on where allegiance lies

BERLIN, June 13: Miroslav Klose will be playing against the country of his birth when Germany take on Poland in Group A tomorrow but there will be no conflicting emotions for the striker.

Klose, 28, was born in Opole in 1978 but has lived in Germany for almost 20 years.

As a skinny youngster, he quickly integrated into the new culture thanks largely to his skills as a player and he will sing the German national anthem with pride before kickoff in Dortmund.

''I was eight-and-a-half when I came to Germany and football was everything to me,'' Klose explained at a news conference on the eve of the game.

''Football was a means of integration for me. I was always the first player to be picked because I was that bit better than everyone else. I gained recognition and from that I made real friends.'' Klose scored twice in Germany's 4-2 win over Costa Rica in the opening match of the tournament.

A similar performance and another win would make Germany's place in the last 16 all but certain while dashing Polish hopes of making it through after their 2-0 defeat by Ecuador.

Klose's striker partner, Lukas Podolski was also born in Poland but raised in Germany and if circumstances were different they might have been lining up against the Germans on Wednesday.

For Klose there were never any doubts about his decision to play for Germany.

''I was approached after playing a game for Kaiserslautern and asked if I could imagine playing for Poland,'' said Klose.

''But I knew I would one day get a chance to play for Germany and that was always my motivation.

''My aunt and uncle still live in Poland and I go there regularly... but I'll just be singing the German national anthem on Wednesday. I don't even know the other one.''

REUTERS

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