The march of South Korea to the Semi Final stage of the World Cup is an amazing story. But perhaps just as extraordinary is the tale of Germany's top-scorer, Miroslav Klose, who until recently was playing grassroots football.

As part of TheFA.com's special section dedicated to all those who play week-in week-out on parks pitches around the country, we've unearthed his story which brings hope to everyone playing at the grassroots level.

Miroslav Klose is living the dream of every grassroots footballer who ever fantasised about one day being plucked from obscurity to play professional and, who knows, international football.

Four years ago, Klose was 20 years-old, working as a carpenter and playing his football for his village side, SG Blaubach-Diedelkopf. Three years ago, he was still playing the equivalent of non-League football, in Germany's seventh division.

Today, he is joint top scorer in the World Cup, alongside two blokes called Ronaldo and Rivaldo, and is being likened by no less than the great Franz Beckenbauer with Gerd Muller, the most illustrious German striker of all time.

Klose, in fact, was born in Poland and only moved to Germany at the age of nine. He did not break out of non-League football until 1999, when he was signed by Kaiserslautern. Even then, he only made it into the club's amateur side.

It was not until April 2000 that he finally signed a professional contract, and not until the start of the following season that he made his Bundesliga debut.

By the middle of his first season as a pro he was in the Germany squad, making his international debut against Albania in March 2001, when he came on as a sub and promptly scored an 88th minute winner.

Bayern Munich, Bayer Leverkusen, Juventus and Roma have all expressed an interest in signing Klose. Reports over the weekend, however, contend that he has made a verbal agreement to join Roma in 2003, on a four-year contract and a wage of £2m a season.

Klose, of course, is not the only international footballer to have played non-League football. England's own Nigel Martyn once kept goal for a works team in the Cornish Saturday leagues. Past England stars who served their time in non-League football include Ian Wright, Stuart Pearce and Chris Waddle, who played pub football in Tyneside.

But none rose so far so fast as Klose. Indeed, he will be leading the German attack in the World Cup final, with as good a chance as anyone of going home with the 2002 Golden Boot.

For much more on the game at local level, visit our dedicated Grassroots section.