Tim Kleindienst

Tim Kleindienst (born 31 August 1995) is a German professional footballer who plays as a striker for Bundesliga club Borussia Mönchengladbach, which he captains, and the Germany national team.

Club career Energie Cottbus Kleindienst joined Energie Cottbus in 2008 from FC Viktoria Jüterbog. He made his 2. Bundesliga debut at 14 December 2013 against Fortuna Düsseldorf replacing Amin Affane after 78 minutes in a 3–1 home defeat.

SC Freiburg On 20 May 2015, it was announced that Kleindienst would join SC Freiburg for the 2015–16 season.

1. FC Heidenheim On 2 September 2019, Kleindienst re-joined 1. FC Heidenheim having spent the 2016–17 season on loan at the club.

Gent On 30 July 2020, Kleindienst signed for Belgian First Division A side Gent. The transfer fee was undisclosed.

Return to 1. FC Heidenheim In June 2021, Kleindienst returned to 1. FC Heidenheim by signing a contract until 2025. On the final matchday of the 2022–23 season, Kleindienst scored in the 99th minute in the stoppage time to secure a 3–2 away win against Jahn Regensburg, in which his club finished top of the table and promoted to the Bundesliga for the first time in their history. In that season, he also managed to achieve the top scorer of the division with 25 goals.

On 6 April 2024, he scored a brace in a 3–2 victory over defending champion Bayern Munich, to be the latter's first defeat against a newly promoted side since 2000. He finished the 2023–24 season with the most aerial duels won in Bundesliga in 187 occasions, and also recorded the highest number of sprints, totaling 1,056.

Borussia Mönchengladbach On 21 June 2024, Kleindienst joined Borussia Mönchengladbach by signing a contract until 2028. In his debut season, he scored 16 goals, his personal best in Bundesliga, and was also voted the club's Player of the Season. Ahead of the 2025–26 season, he was named the club's captain.

International career In May 2015, Kleindienst was named in the Germany U20 which participated in the 2015 World Cup in New Zealand.

On 3 October 2024, he was called up to the senior national team for the first time. Eight days later, he made his senior debut by starting in a 2–1 away victory against Bosnia and Herzegovina in the UEFA Nations League. A month later, on 16 November, he scored his first international goals by netting a brace in a 7–0 victory over Bosnia and Herzegovina in the same competition. In March 2025, Kleindienst scored two headers in total in both quarter-final legs against Italy, helping Germany advancing to the final four for the first time.

Career statistics Club

International

Scores and results list Germany's goal tally first, score column indicates score after each Kleindienst goal.

Honours SC Freiburg 2. Bundesliga: 2015–16

1. FC Heidenheim 2. Bundesliga: 2022–23

Individual 2. Bundesliga top goalscorer: 2022–23