Davor Šuker vs Miroslav Klose: Stats Compared
Striker, Croatia (born 1968, retired 2003) · Striker, Germany (born 1978, retired 2016)
Davor Šuker and Miroslav Klose represent two answers to the same question: how do you define a great? Era matters in any comparison, and these two peaked under very different footballing conditions. Career output puts Davor Šuker at 273 goals in 526 games, with Miroslav Klose at 318 in 705. Assists were never formally recorded across most of their eras, so the playmaking dimension has to be judged on reputation and highlights rather than hard totals. Davor Šuker departs the game with 8 major pieces of silverware, including 1× UEFA Champions League (1998); Miroslav Klose with 7, including 1× FIFA World Cup (2014). Across the 1990s and the modern era respectively, their flair-driven and clinical styles captured the spirit of very different footballing times. Their routes to the top were distinct: Davor Šuker built his reputation across Osijek, Sevilla, Real Madrid, Arsenal, West Ham, peaking around 1998, while Miroslav Klose reached his defining level around 2014 after spells with Kaiserslautern, Werder Bremen, Bayern Munich, Lazio. Arguments will run and run, which is exactly why the matchup endures.
177 words · comparison angle: era
Player profiles
Davor Šuker is a Croatian football administrator and former professional player who played as a striker. He served as the president of the Croatian Football Federation (HNS) from 2012 to 2021. Šuker is generally regarded as the greatest Croatian striker of all time with a record 45 goals in 68 matches.
“A left-footed finisher with delicate touch, clever movement and a taste for spectacular goals.”
All-time FIFA World Cup top scorer with 16 goals; Germany's all-time leading goalscorer with 71 international goals.
“A selfless striker and aerial specialist whose consistency made him a World Cup great.”
Head-to-head stats
Career goals by season
Representative career seasons — goals per season for each player across their documented clubs.
Attribute radar
Attribute ratings are peak-era, 0–100. Different positions naturally skew the profile.
Attribute comparison
Trophy breakdown
- 1× UEFA Champions League (1998)
- 1× FIFA World Cup (2014)
- 2× Bundesliga (2008, 2010)
- 3× DFB-Pokal (2005, 2008, 2010)
- 1× Coppa Italia (2013)
Trophy distribution
Career milestones
- 1990 Established himself at Osijek
- 1994 Reached his defining peak
- 1998 Delivered a landmark season
- 2003 Retired from professional football
- 2000 Kaiserslautern debut
- 2002 World Cup debut, scored five headed goals
- 2007 Joined Bayern Munich
- 2011 Joined Lazio, won over fans with relentless work rate
- 2014 World Cup winner, became the all-time World Cup top scorer (16 goals)
- 2016 Retired at Lazio
The verdict
Weighing production, silverware and profile, the two finish within a whisker of each other. Call it a respectful draw — greatness of this calibre resists a single winner.
Too close to call — a respectful draw
