Germany`s Klose set to retire after World Cup

Berlin: Veteran Germany striker Miroslav Klose, who is set to break Gerd Mueller`s goal-scoring record, has said he will retire from international football after next year`s World Cup.

"I assume that is what will happen with regards to the national team," he told German magazine Kicker when asked if he would retire after the Brazil 2014 World Cup. The 35-year-old Lazio star has made 128 appearances for Germany and scored 67 goals -- just one short of Germany`s record scorer Mueller. The ex-Werder Bremen and Bayern Munich forward has claimed 14 of those goals at three World Cups, leaving him just one behind the competition record of 15 held by Brazil`s Ronaldo. Klose could finish the 2014 World Cup with two personal records, but said his priority is winning the world title with the German team. "The title with the team has top priority," he said. "If I can win the 2014 World Cup in Brazil that would be the greatest for me. Everything else would be secondary." Klose, who is now in the final year of his Lazio contract, has said he could be prepared to return to the Bundesliga next summer. "I want to play a good season, play the World Cup and then take it from there," he said. "I am still fit and still feel like playing football, then certainly the Bundesliga is an option. "I can really imagine finishing my career in Bundesliga." AFP