History is being made in Belo Horizonte, just not the type of history Brazil would've wanted. The Selecao's of past and present have fallen.
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Already carrying a 1-0 lead early in the match—thanks to an opener from Germany's Thomas Muller—striker Miroslav Klose decided to double the advantage. A clinical finish in the 23rd minute didn't just give Germany an insurmountable 2-0 lead, it also allowed the 36-year-old to pass Brazilian icon Ronaldo for the most goals in World Cup history (16).
Below is a list of the top five goalscorers the tournament has ever seen.
|
Position |
Name |
Country |
Goals |
Matches Played |
Goal Average |
Tournaments |
|
1 |
Miroslav Klose |
Germany |
16 |
23 |
0.70 |
2002, 2006, 2010, 2014 |
|
2 |
Ronaldo |
Brazil |
15 |
19 |
0.79 |
1998, 2002, 2006 |
|
3 |
Gerd Muller |
West Germany |
14 |
13 |
1.08 |
1970, 1974 |
|
4 |
Just Fontaine |
France |
13 |
6 |
2.17 |
1958 |
|
5 |
Pele |
Brazil |
12 |
14 |
0.86 |
1958, 1962, 1966, 1970 |
Though Klose will be crowned as the World Cup's most prolific goalscorer, he won't be considered the most clinical. Germany's leading goalscorer needed an additional four matches to topple Ronaldo's record, leaving his goals per match average .09 goals behind. That being said, a record broken is a record broken.
The opportunity will be there for Klose to finish at the summit of international football, leading the charge in finishing and lifting the World Cup trophy in the Estadio do Maracana on Sunday.
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