Germany's Miroslav Klose Retires as All-Time Leading Scorer in World Cup

Having recently announced his retirement from international play, Lazio forward Miroslav Klose finishes his career with the German national team as the all-time leading scorer in World Cup history.

With 16 goals on the game's biggest stage, Klose sits one ahead of Brazilian legend Ronaldo, who scored 15 goals over the course of three World Cups in 1998, 2002 and 2006.

Klose did his own damage in four Cups, scoring five goals each at the 2002 and 2006 tournaments, followed by four in 2010 and then two in 2014. A true striker known for his heading ability, Klose scored each of those 16 goals inside the box, from an average distance of just eight yards out, per ESPN's Paul Carr.

While primarily known for his exploits at the World Cup, Klose scored 55 goals in other matches for the German national side. His 71 career goals in a Germany kit represent the nation's all-time record, three ahead of the 68 scored by the legendary Gerd Muller.

With 137 career caps, Klose is second in Die Mannschaft history to only Lothar Matthaus, who made 150 appearances for the national side.

Now that the 36-year-old German striker is calling it quits, 34-year-old Irishman Robbie Keane is the leading scorer among all active international players, per ESPN's Paul Carr. Though he's appeared in just one World Cup (2002) and one European Championship (2012), Keane has an impressive tally of 62 goals in 134 international matches.