Miroslav Klose will be presented with the President’s Award during the UEFA Champions League 2023/24 group stage draw on Thursday.
Miroslav Klose will receive the President’s Award at the Grimaldi Forum in Monaco. The former attacker will be presented with the award by Aleksander Ceferin.
The award recognises outstanding performance, outstanding sporting ability and exemplary personal qualities – values that the former German international striker embodies like no other.
On the UEFA website, the 55-year-old UEFA boss paid tribute to the World Cup winner’s career, which was “not only a testament to determination and skill”, “but also to sportsmanship that transcends the boundaries of professionalism and sport itself. “
Two examples of Klose’s fairness
In this regard, UEFA highlights two examples of Klose’s fairness during his career, each of which involved him pointing out an incorrect decision to the referee. In 2005, the then Bremen striker was awarded a penalty kick after a clash with Bielefeld goalkeeper Mathias Hain, who was also shown a yellow card. Klose, however, pointed out to the referee that Hain had touched the ball beforehand. Thus, the situation was reassessed and both decisions were revised.
Seven years later, in the Serie A duel between Napoli and Lazio Roma, Klose provided another example of his remarkable character and sportsmanship. After a supposed headed goal for Lazio, he informed the referee without hesitation that he had deflected the ball past Napoli goalkeeper Morgan De Sanctis with his hand, resulting in the game being restarted with a free kick for Napoli.
