Stefan Kießling (ˈʃtɛfan ˈkiːslɪŋ; born 25 January 1984 in Lichtenfels, Bavaria

Lichtenfels, Bavaria

Lichtenfels is a town in Bavaria, Germany, capital of the district of Lichtenfels. It is situated on the upper course of the river Main , approx. 15 km southeast of Coburg, and 30 km northeast of Bamberg, in an area called Gottesgarten am Obermain .Lichtenfels became as of middle of the 19...

) is a German

Germany

Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...

 footballer who currently plays as a striker

Striker

Forwards, also known as strikers, are the players on a team in association football who play nearest to the opposing team's goal, and are therefore principally responsible for scoring goals...

 for Bayer Leverkusen and Germany

Germany

Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...

. He has also represented the German national team

Germany national football team

The Germany national football team is the football team that has represented Germany in international competition since 1908. It is governed by the German Football Association , which was founded in 1900....

 six times.

1. FC Nuremberg

Kießling started his senior club career with Nuremberg having made his way through their youth ranks - though he was previously in Eintracht Bamberg's youth academy. He debuted in 2001, eventually going on to make 73 league appearances for the club, during which he managed to score 19 goals.

Bayer Leverkusen

His performances stirred the interest of Bayer Leverkusen and he was signed by the Bundesliga club in 2006. Since joining he has impressed with his performances, scoring 32 goals in 80 league appearances. Currently, he is one of the top scorers in the Bundesliga, having scored 15 goals in the 2008–09 campaign, five goals behind regular strike partner Patrick Helmes

Patrick Helmes

Patrick Helmes is a German football striker who plays for VfL Wolfsburg. Until September 2007 he was captain of 1. FC Köln.-Early career:...

. He continued his impressive form in the 2009–10 season, scoring 21 goals in 33 games and finishing the season as the second highest goal scorer in the Bundesliga

Fußball-Bundesliga

The Fußball-Bundesliga is a professional association football league in Germany. At the top of Germany's football league system, it is the country's primary football competition. It is contested by 18 teams and operates on a system of promotion and relegation with the 2. Bundesliga...

.

International career

Kießling made his international debut for the Germany national team

Germany national football team

The Germany national football team is the football team that has represented Germany in international competition since 1908. It is governed by the German Football Association , which was founded in 1900....

 in a friendly against Denmark

Denmark national football team

The Denmark national football team represents Denmark in association football and is controlled by the Danish Football Association , the governing body for the football clubs which are organized under DBU...

 on 28 March 2007. After almost a year after earning his last cap, he was recalled to the team by Joachim Löw after showing good form in the 2009–10 season, and subsequently picked up his 4th cap on 13 May 2010, in a friendly game vs. Malta playing the full ninety mins in a 3-0 win. He is one of the 23 players making up the Germany

Germany national football team

The Germany national football team is the football team that has represented Germany in international competition since 1908. It is governed by the German Football Association , which was founded in 1900....

 squad for the 2010 World Cup. He came on as a substitute in two games, namely the knockout game with England, replacing Mesut Özil

Mesut Özil

Mesut Özil is a footballer who plays for Spanish La Liga club Real Madrid and for the German national team. Özil has been a youth national team member since 2006, and a member of the German national team since 2009. He gained international attention during the 2010 FIFA World Cup and was nominated...

 in the 83rd minute and during the third-fourth placing match between Germany and Uruguay

Uruguay national football team

The Uruguayan national football team represents Uruguay in international association football and is controlled by the Uruguayan Football Association, the governing body for football in Uruguay. The current head coach is Óscar Tabárez...

, where he substituted Cacau

Cacau

Cacau is a Brazilian Modernist novel. It was written by Jorge Amado in 1933 and was his second novel....

 in the 73rd minute.

Club performance

Club performance

|Cup

|Continental

Germany

|DFB-Pokal DFB-Pokal The DFB-Pokal or DFB Cup is a German knockout football cup competition held annually. 64 teams participate in the competition, including all clubs from the Bundesliga and the 2nd Bundesliga. It is considered the second most important national title in German football after the Bundesliga...

DFB-Ligapokal DFB-Ligapokal The DFB-Ligapokal, or German League Cup, was a German football competition that took place before the start of the Bundesliga season, featuring the top five teams of the previous Fußball-Bundesliga season and the winners of the DFB-Pokal in Germany...

Europe UEFA The Union of European Football Associations , almost always referred to by its acronym UEFA is the administrative and controlling body for European association football, futsal and beach soccer....

1. FC Nuremberg

Bundesliga Fußball-Bundesliga The Fußball-Bundesliga is a professional association football league in Germany. At the top of Germany's football league system, it is the country's primary football competition. It is contested by 18 teams and operates on a system of promotion and relegation with the 2. Bundesliga...

2002–03

1

0

0

0

—

—

1

0

2. Bundesliga 2. Fußball-Bundesliga - Changes in division set-up :* Number of clubs: currently 18. From 1974 to 1981 there were two conferences, each of 20 teams. In 1981–91 it had 20...

2003–04

14

2

0

0

—

—

14

2

Bundesliga Fußball-Bundesliga The Fußball-Bundesliga is a professional association football league in Germany. At the top of Germany's football league system, it is the country's primary football competition. It is contested by 18 teams and operates on a system of promotion and relegation with the 2. Bundesliga...

2004–05

27

3

2

1

—

—

29

4

2005–06

31

10

2

1

—

—

33

11

Bayer Leverkusen

2006–07

32

8

1

0

1

0

10

0

44

8

2007–08

31

9

1

0

—

12

7

44

16

2008–09

34

12

6

2

—

—

40

14

2009–10 2009–10 Fußball-Bundesliga The 2009–10 Fußball-Bundesliga was the 47th season of the Fußball-Bundesliga, Germany's premier football league. The season commenced on 7 August 2009 with the traditional season opening match involving the defending champions VfL Wolfsburg and VfB Stuttgart. The last games were played on 8 May 2010...

33

21

2

0

—

35

21

2010–11 2010–11 Fußball-Bundesliga The 2010–11 Fußball-Bundesliga was the 48th season of the Fußball-Bundesliga, Germany's premier football league. The season started on the weekend of 21 August 2010 with the traditional season opening match involving the defending champions and ended with the last games on 14 May 2011. The winter...

22

7

1

2

6

0

29

9

2011–12 2011–12 Fußball-Bundesliga The 2011–12 Fußball-Bundesliga is the 49th season of the Fußball-Bundesliga, Germany's premier football league. The season started on 5 August 2011 with the season opening match involving defending champions Borussia Dortmund and will end with the last games on 5 May 2012...

11

3

1

0

4

1

16

4

Career statistics

236

75

16

6

1

0

32

8

285

89

International

Germany

Germany national football team

The Germany national football team is the football team that has represented Germany in international competition since 1908. It is governed by the German Football Association , which was founded in 1900....

• FIFA World Cup 2010: Third place – Bronze medal

External links

• Stefan Kießling at transfermarkt.de
• Stefan Kießling at kicker.de
• Leverkusen who's who