Miroslav Klose will be playing against the country of his birth when Germany take on Poland in Group A today but there will be no conflicting emotions for the striker.

Klose, 28, was born in Opole in 1978 but has lived in Germany for almost 20 years.

"I was eight-and-a-half when I came to Germany and football was everything to me," Klose explained. "Football was a means of integration for me. I was always the first player to be picked because I was that bit better than everyone else."

For Klose there were never any doubts about his decision to play for Germany.

"I was approached after playing a game for Kaiserslautern and asked if I could imagine playing for Poland," said Klose.

"But I knew I would one day get a chance to play for Germany and that was always my motivation.

"My aunt and uncle still live in Poland and I go there regularly but I'll just be singing the German national anthem... I don't even know the other one."

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