World Cup legend Klose appointed Bayern Munich assistant coach

Miroslav Klose will be an assistant to Bayern Munich head coach Hansi Flick beginning in July, the club announced Thursday.

The former striker, who scored a record 16 goals at World Cups and won the tournament's 2014 edition with Germany, will be promoted from overseeing Bayern Munich Under-17s. He guided the club's youngsters to the U17 Bundesliga South/Southwest regular-season championship in 2019.

Klose signed a one-year contract as assistant coach.

"It feels very good, I'm very much looking forward to the task. Hansi Flick and I have known each other very well since our years together in the German national team. We trust each other, both professionally and personally," Klose said.

"For me, this is the next step in my career as a coach. I hope that I can use my experience to make an important contribution in helping FC Bayern achieve our sporting goals."

Klose, 41, was playing for Lazio when he retired from professional football in 2016. Before moving to Italy, the marksman represented lower-league outfit FC Homburg, Kaiserslautern, Werder Bremen, and Bayern Munich in his homeland.

He scored 121 goals in 307 Bundesliga outings over the course of his career, winning two league titles. He also netted an unmatched 71 goals in 137 caps for Germany and appeared for Die Mannschaft at four World Cups and three European Championships.