Klose open to having company

Cup's all-time leading scorer would welcome additions to exclusive '16 club'

Miroslav Klose is delighted to have established his '16 club' after becoming the World Cup's all-time leading scorer, but says it counts for nothing if Germany loses to Argentina in Sunday's final.

The 36-year-old broke Brazil legend Ronaldo's record when he netted his 16th World Cup goal in Germany's 7-1 hammering of the Selecao in Tuesday's semifinal.

The veteran is poised to play in his second World Cup final at Rio de Janeiro's Maracana Stadium, 12 years after being on the losing side when Brazil claimed a 2-0 win in the 2002 final in Japan.

"Yes, I have overtaken Ronaldo as the top scorer, but that is something to take on board another day," said Klose. "I'm fully focused on Argentina and if we lose the final, my joy as the top scorer will be significantly dampened."

Ronaldo welcomed Klose into the club when the German sniper equaled the Brazilian's previous record of 15 goals in a 2-2 draw with Ghana in the group stages.

Lazio star Klose said Ronaldo is still hailed as a football god in Italy and the German welcomes any ambitious striker to join him in his exclusive club at future World Cup finals.

"Ronaldo was a first-class striker. I play in Italy and they still say there he was the best player ever to grace the Italian game," Klose said of the retired Ronaldo, who played for both Inter and AC Milan during his career.

"I saw him play and I can only agree with that. He was the strongest player I have seen and had a great personality with it.

"It must have been bitter for him to see his record broken on home soil, but he welcomed me to the 15 club. All I can say is it's great to be in Miroslav Klose's 16 club, and I'd welcome anyone to join me."

Scoring kings

Klose and Thomas Mueller bring a grand total of 26 World Cup goals to Sunday's final, a staggering tally for two of the most prolific strikers in the tournament's history.

But the German duo's fearsome reputation on the field masks a good-natured and soft-spoken demeanor off it. Both are consummate team players who altruistically express appreciation for the fine assists they get from a superb pack of midfielders.

They might be famous around the world for their World Cup heroics but in Germany they're just two ordinary guys on Joachim Loew's team desperate for a first World Cup title since 1990.

"The only thing that matters to me is that the team is successful and we'll finally be able to lift the damn thing on Sunday," Klose said on Thursday.

"I'm just savoring every moment that I'm on the pitch," added the 36-year-old, who has started Germany's last two games after playing a reserve role before that. "I'm soaking up all the emotions. Those are my special moments."

Klose is Germany's all-time scoring leader with 71 goals in 136 appearances and he has no plans to stop, no matter what happens on Sunday.

"Unfortunately, I feel like I can still keep going on," he said with a smile. "I feel like I can drag my corpse around for quite some time. I'll probably make a spontaneous decision at some point (to retire), but I'm not there yet."

Klose won the Golden Boot for most goals at the 2006 World Cup with five. He said he hopes Mueller will win the award for a second time after getting it in 2010 with his five goals.

Mueller, who is one shy of Colombian James Rodriguez's leading mark of six on the scoring chart in Brazil, is slightly taller than Klose and a renowned prankster.

"He's always fun to be around and always engaging the others in conversations," Loew said of Mueller, who speaks with a thick Bavarian accent and has played at Bayern Munich since he was 18.

Even though he is only 24, Mueller already has 22 goals and 55 caps for Germany and his 10 World Cup goals leave him well set to one day catch Klose's mark.

"That's not something I'm thinking about at all," Mueller said, repeating the mantra that every Germany player comes up with at news conference. "We're here as a team to win the tournament. Every thing else is secondary."

But after getting his latest goal in the huge win over Brazil on Tuesday, Mueller allowed himself to joke about the possible feat.

"I'm hot on his heels now but he's got what feels like a 20-year head start on me," Mueller said with a laugh before praising Klose. "He's an indefatigable worker on the team, a real team player. There's no one better than him."