Update: For his debut as a coach, Klose opted for the classy black / volt Nike Hypervenom Phinish boots released in July. Check out what he's worn throughout his career below.
A few days ago, Miroslav Klose, Germany's all-time top-scorer and also the player with most World Cup goals, announced his retirement. A free agent since the summer, Klose will join Joachim Löw's Germany coaching staff. Let's take a look at the boots worn by a player who was almost honored with a special-edition Nike boot after the 2014 World Cup win.
Nike for life, but Predators for Germany
Klose started his professional career at Kaiserslautern in the 2000-01 season. Our research shows that Klose already wore Nike boots at the start of his career, opting for the Zoom Air Total 90 II throughout the whole 00-01 season.
Don't let it deceive you that he was wearing Adidas Predator cleats for Germany, though, as back then Adidas' Germany contract forced all national team players to wear Adidas. This rule was overthrown after the 2006 World Cup, with Nike players Jens Lehmann and Klose reportedly key figures.
Tiempo switch
So, besides the odd Adidas camo for Germany, Klose would continue wearing Nike boots from the Total 90 line as his rise continued. This continued up until the midway point of the 2004-05 season, when Klose, then already at Werder Bremen, made the switch from the Total 90 line to the Tiempo range.
CTR360 headliner
He stayed loyal to the Tiempo over the following years until he, just like Andrés Iniesta, was tasked with headlining the newly created Nike CTR360 soccer boot silo in October 2009. Klose, then at Bayern Munich, consequently switched to the iconic black and red CTR360 Maestri launch colorway.
Unlike the Spaniard, Klose would only stay with the CTR360 for a few months. At the start of the second half of the 2009-10, he switched to the silo it had all started with and began wearing the Nike Total 90 Laser III.
Back to the Tiempo and Hypervenom switch
He would only wear the Total 90 Laser III until the end of the 2010 World Cup though, before the leather upper pulled him back to the Tiempo Legend. This time he stayed with the Tiempo for almost three years, before making a - this time definitive - switch to the newly introduced Hypervenom in the summer of 2013. He kept this model until the end of his career at the end of the 2015-16 season.
We hope you learned something new today and make sure to share your thoughts on the many boots worn by Miroslav Klose in the comments below.