Thomas Kleine

Thomas Kleine
Personal information
Full nameThomas Kleine
Date of birth28 December 1977
Place of birthWermelskirchen, West Germany
Height1.91 m (6 ft 3 in)
Playing positionDefender
Club information
Current team
SpVgg Greuther Fürth
Number19
Youth career
–1998SV 09/35 Wermelskirchen
Senior career*
YearsTeamApps(Gls)
1998–2003Bayer 04 Leverkusen II95(6)
2001–2003Bayer 04 Leverkusen10(0)
2003–2007SpVgg Greuther Fürth131(13)
2007Hannover 96 II2(0)
2007Hannover 969(1)
2008–2010Borussia Mönchengladbach30(3)
2010–SpVgg Greuther Fürth100(2)
National team
2003Germany Team 20061(0)
* Senior club appearances and goals counted for the domestic league only and correct as of 22 December 2013.
† Appearances (Goals).

Thomas Kleine (born 28 December 1977 in Wermelskirchen) is a German footballer currently at SpVgg Greuther Fürth.[1]

Career

Kleine began his career in the youth ranks of his hometown club SV 09 Wermelskirchen where he remained until 1998, when he moved to Bayer 04 Leverkusen's amateur ranks.

He played regularly with the amateurs in the lower league structures, but was unable to push his way into the full squad until the 2001–02 season. He finally made his Bundesliga debut on 19 December 2001 in a 1–3 defeat at VfL Wolfsburg.

The following season he made further progress, managing six more Bundesliga appearances and, perhaps more significantly, seven games in their Champions League campaign, facing the likes of Barcelona and Manchester United. The club eventually achieved the honour of runners-ups, although Kleine himself did not compete beyond the second group stage. The team also finished runners-up in both the league and cup.

Following this season, Kleine left for 2. Bundesliga team SpVgg Greuther Fürth, looking to become a first team regular. He was a virtual ever-present in his four seasons with the club, amassing 131 appearances and catching the eye of Bundesliga club Hannover 96, especially with nine goals in his final season. On 13 February 2007, he agreed to join Hannover 96 from the 2007–08 season onward.

In January 2008, Kleine moved to Borussia Mönchengladbach for a fee of €700,000. He returned to his former club SpVgg Greuther Fürth on 1 July 2010.[2]

References

  1. "Kleine, Thomas" (in German). kicker.de. Retrieved 29 July 2011.
  2. "Fürth: Aus Bahlingen kommt Vogler" (in German). kicker.de. Retrieved 21 August 2010.

External links