‘We’ll be playing against twelve men’

Miroslav Klose was born in the Polish town of Oppeln, but his home is the Palatinate region of Germany. His family moved there when he was eight, and after learning the football basics with local club SG Blaubach-Diedelkopf, he made his Bundesliga debut in April 2000 with regional giants Kaiserslautern. He returns to his roots in a competitive fixture with Bayern for the first time on Friday. fcbayern.de spoke to Klose about his special evening at the Betzenberg stadium.

Interview: Miroslav Klose

fcbayern.de: Miro, it’s hardly worth mentioning that the next match is specially significant for you…
Miroslav Klose: It most certainly is. I spent five years with FCK, and before that I was a normal fan on the terraces dreaming of playing there one day. And the dream came true: I lined up alongside Kaiserslautern heroes such as Marschall, Schjönberg and Koch. It was truly incredible. I always like going back. Everything’s familiar, the fans, the stadium and so on.

Is there still anyone left from your time at FCK?
Yes, in the head office. I think there’s hardly anyone left among the playing staff. I’ve been gone for six years, and the club’s spent time in the second division too. But I’m still in touch with [chairman] Stefan Kuntz.

So there’ll be plenty of friends and family at the ground on Friday?
Yes, plenty. I ordered a total of fifty tickets, and I hope I get them all (laughs).