Miroslav Klose says he wants to play for two more years before hanging up his boots and starting a career in coaching.
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Klose, 36, retired from international football in August, ending a highly successful international career after reaching the pinnacle this summer, when he not only lifted the World Cup trophy, but also surpassed Brazil legend Ronaldo to establish himself as the competition's top all-time scorer with 16 goals.
However, the veteran striker has no plans to retire from club football anytime soon and he is under contract at Lazio until 2015, with an option for a further year.
"Should I stay healthy, and feel really fit, I can imagine playing at the highest level for another two years," Klose told Sport Bild, aware that his last season, which had seen him sidlelined with various injuries throughout the year, was not perfect.
"I don't want to go through that again," he added. "I'd like to think that I will retire in Rome, but you never know for sure in football."
When he does eventually announce his retirement, Klose says he intends to stay in football and obtain the relevant coaching credentials sooner rather than later.
And he already has laid out plans on how his future teams will play the game.
"Fishermen and coaches have one thing in common," he said, comparing his future role to his biggest hobby. "Both need to be very patient.
"I want to get my coaching credentials in any case," the attacker said, adding that he hopes to undergo a special course designed for the Germany World Cup winners, as the German FA [DFB] had already granted previous World Cup and European Championship victors.
"You can't have more experience than us," he said. "My teams would play attacking football, with the defenders lining up high and attacking."
Klose has trained under various coaches during his 17-year professional career but he reserved special praise, somewhat surprisingly, for Louis van Gaal, under whom he played at Bayern Munich during one of the least successful stints of his career.
"I certainly have picked up the most from him," he admitted.
However, to get started, Klose says that he hopes to learn from the best, claiming: "An internship with Pep Guardiola would be a huge present."