Stefan Kießling facts for kids

Quick facts for kids
Stefan Kießling

Kießling in 2019
Personal information
Date of birth	(1984-01-25) 25 January 1984 (age 41)
Place of birth	Lichtenfels, West Germany
Height	1.91 m
Playing position	Striker
Youth career
1988–2001	1. FC Eintracht Bamberg
2001–2003	1. FC Nürnberg
Senior career*
Years	Team	Apps†	(Gls)†
2003–2006	1. FC Nürnberg	73	(15)
2006–2018	Bayer Leverkusen	344	(131)
Total		417	(146)
National team
2003	Germany U20	1	(0)
2004	Germany Team 2006	1	(0)
2005–2006	Germany U21	15	(4)
2007–2010	Germany	6	(0)
Honours Men's football Representing  Germany Third FIFA World Cup 2010
Senior club appearances and goals counted for the domestic league only. † Appearances (Goals).

Stefan Kießling (born 25 January 1984) is a German former professional footballer. He played as a striker for teams like Bayer Leverkusen and 1. FC Nürnberg. Stefan was born in Lichtenfels, West Germany. He started playing football when he was very young. He joined the youth team at 1. FC Eintracht Bamberg and then moved to the 1. FC Nürnberg academy in 2001.

Stefan made his first professional appearance for Nürnberg in 2003 when he was 19. Later, in the summer of 2006, he joined Bayer Leverkusen. He played for Leverkusen for 12 seasons, which is a long time for a footballer! From 2007 to 2010, Stefan also played for the German national team. He played in six games for his country, including two matches at the 2010 World Cup in South Africa. Germany finished in third place at that tournament.

About Stefan's Life

Stefan Kießling comes from a football family. His grandfather started a football club called TSV Eintracht Bamberg. His father was also a footballer and played as a goalkeeper. When Stefan was 15, he had to choose between becoming a chef or a professional footballer. Even though he still loves cooking, he chose football! He also enjoys music, and his favorite artists are Bon Jovi and Bryan Adams.

Stefan married his wife, Norina, on 29 December 2008. They have two children together, a daughter named Hailey-Milu and a son named Tayler-Joel.

Stefan's Club Career

Starting at 1. FC Nürnberg

Stefan Kießling began his senior football career at Nürnberg. He had already played in their youth teams, after starting at 1. FC Eintracht Bamberg's youth academy.

In 2002, he signed a six-year contract with Nürnberg. This was after he scored 13 goals in 21 games for their reserve team. He played his first professional game for Nürnberg in April 2003. His first professional goal came in a 2–2 draw in March 2004. He scored two goals in 14 games in the 2003–04 season. He then scored four goals in 29 games in 2004–05 and 11 goals in 33 games in the 2005–06 season.

Moving to Bayer Leverkusen

Stefan's talent caught the eye of big clubs like Arsenal and Bayern Munich. But he decided to join Bayer Leverkusen in the summer of 2006. He signed a four-year contract, and Leverkusen paid €6.5 million for him. Stefan played his first game for Leverkusen on 12 August 2006, coming on as a substitute.

Early Years at Leverkusen (2006–2012)

After joining Leverkusen, Stefan scored many goals. He got eight goals in the 2006–07 season, 16 goals in 2007–08, and 14 goals in 2008–09. In August 2009, he was even voted the Bundesliga Player of the Month. On 29 November 2009, he scored three goals (a hat-trick) against Stuttgart. This helped his team win 4–0 and go to the top of the league table.

In March 2010, Stefan signed a new contract with Leverkusen until 2015. He had a fantastic 2009–10 season, scoring 21 goals in 33 games. He was the second-highest goal scorer in the Bundesliga that season. He was also chosen for the Bundesliga Team of the Season. In the 2010–11 season, he scored nine goals in 29 games.

On 18 February 2012, Stefan scored two goals and helped set up another in a 4–1 win against FC Augsburg. On the last day of the Bundesliga season, he scored another hat-trick. This helped Leverkusen beat his old club Nürnberg 4–1 and finish fifth in the league. He ended the 2011–12 season with 17 goals in 43 matches.

Kießling playing against Rapid Wien in the Europa League in October 2012.

Top Scorer Season (2012–2013)

Stefan's first goal of the 2012–13 season came in the first Bundesliga game on 25 August 2012. He scored the winning goal in a Europa League match against Rosenborg BK on 4 October. By mid-season, he was the top scorer in the Bundesliga.

He continued to play very well in the second half of the season. He scored seven goals in the last six Bundesliga matches. This included two goals against Hoffenheim and winning goals against Werder Bremen and Hannover 96. Stefan was the highest goal scorer in the Bundesliga for the 2012–13 season, with 25 goals! He scored a goal on the final day of the season against Hamburg to secure this record.

His 25 goals made up 38% of all Leverkusen's goals that year. He also had seven assists, which means he helped his teammates score. Stefan was known for winning many aerial duels (heading the ball in the air) because he is tall. He scored 24 of his 25 goals from inside the box. He was chosen for the Bundesliga Team of the Season and was voted the league's fourth-best player overall. He finished the season with 27 goals in 43 matches in all competitions.

Later Years at Leverkusen (2013–2018)

On 26 July 2013, Stefan signed another contract extension with Leverkusen until 2017. He scored two goals in the first round of the German Cup in August 2013. In the first game of the Bundesliga season, he scored in a 3–1 win. In September, he scored twice against Wolfsburg. Stefan, Sidney Sam, and Son Heung-min were a very strong attacking trio for Leverkusen.

On 18 October, Stefan was involved in a strange moment against Hoffenheim. He headed the ball, and it looked like it missed the goal. But the ball went through a hole in the side netting and ended up in the goal! This "ghost goal" gave Leverkusen a 2–1 win. Five days later, he scored two clear goals in a 4–0 win in the Champions League.

Kießling during a UEFA Champions League match against Zenit Saint Petersburg (2014)

On 13 April 2014, Stefan scored a header after only 40 seconds against Hertha BSC. Leverkusen won 2–1. On 10 May, Leverkusen beat Werder Bremen 2–1, which meant they qualified for the Champions League next season. Stefan finished the season with 19 goals in 43 matches. Even though he was the top German forward in the Bundesliga, he was not chosen for the German squad for the World Cup in Brazil.

In the first game of the 2014–15 season, Stefan scored five goals in the German Cup against SV Alemannia Waldalgesheim. Leverkusen won 6–0. He also scored important goals in the Champions League play-off matches against F.C. Copenhagen, helping Leverkusen reach the group stages. He finished the 2014–15 season with 19 goals in 48 matches.

In the first Bundesliga match of the 2015–16 season, Stefan set a record. He scored a goal in the first game of the season for the fifth year in a row! On 12 December 2015, he scored two goals and helped Javier Hernández score three goals (a hat-trick). In April 2016, he extended his contract until June 2018. He finished the season with seven goals in 43 matches.

Before the 2016–17 season, Stefan said he might have to stop playing because of a hip injury. He scored four goals in 20 league matches that season. Stefan played his last professional game on 12 May 2018. He came on as a substitute in a 3–2 win against Hannover 96. He played 343 Bundesliga games for Bayer Leverkusen in his career.

Playing for Germany

Stefan Kießling played his first game for the German national team in a friendly match against Denmark on 28 March 2007. He was called back to the team in 2010 because he was playing so well. He played his fourth game for Germany on 13 May 2010, in a friendly against Malta.

He was part of the 23 players in the German squad for the 2010 FIFA World Cup. He came on as a substitute in two games: against England and in the third-place match against Uruguay. Later, Stefan said he would not play for the national team as long as Joachim Löw was the coach. He felt that the coach did not show him enough respect.

How Stefan Played

Stefan Kießling was known as a "target man". This means he was a strong forward who could hold up the ball and help his team attack. He was praised for his hard work and his ability to score goals. He became one of the best strikers in the Bundesliga.

He was also very good at winning aerial duels, which means he was great at heading the ball. He often won free kicks for his team. Many of Stefan's goals were scored from inside the penalty area. He was good at being in the right place at the right time to score goals, often from deflections. In the 2012–13 Bundesliga season, 24 of his 25 goals came from inside the penalty area.

After Football

Kießling playing in a charity match in 2019

Stefan Kießling stopped playing football after the 2017–18 season. After he retired, he started working in the office side of Bayer Leverkusen. In December 2018, Stefan even joked that his wife helped him with some of his summer training sessions!

Career Statistics

Club

International

Awards and Honours

1. FC Nürnberg

• 2. Bundesliga: 2003–04 (This means they won the second division league title.)

Bayer Leverkusen

• DFB-Pokal runner-up: 2008–09 (They reached the final of the German Cup but didn't win.)

Germany

• FIFA World Cup third place: 2010 (Germany finished in third place at the World Cup.)

Individual Awards

• Bundesliga Player of the Month: August 2009
• Bundesliga Team of the Season: 2009–10
• Bundesliga top scorer: 2012–13 (25 goals)
• DFB-Pokal top scorer: 2014–15 (6 goals)
• kicker Bundesliga Team of the Season: 2012–13

See also

In Spanish: Stefan Kießling para niños