Edwin van der Sar vs Miroslav Klose: Stats Compared
Goalkeeper, Netherlands (born 1970, retired 2011) · Striker, Germany (born 1978, retired 2016)
There is something timeless about weighing Edwin van der Sar against Miroslav Klose. Era matters in any comparison, and these two peaked under very different footballing conditions. By the end Edwin van der Sar had 0 goals from 820 caps and club outings; Miroslav Klose had 318 from 705. Because assists were not systematically tracked for much of their time, that side of the comparison rests on the footage that survives. In major honours Edwin van der Sar collected 9 — headlined by 1× UEFA Champions League (2008) — whereas Miroslav Klose amassed 7, led by 1× FIFA World Cup (2014). Across the turn of the millennium and the modern era respectively, their authoritative and clinical styles captured the spirit of very different footballing times. Context beyond the headline totals is important: Edwin van der Sar's landmark level arrived around 2008 with a career spanning Ajax, Juventus, Fulham, Manchester United; Miroslav Klose's came around 2014 across Kaiserslautern, Werder Bremen, Bayern Munich, Lazio. Arguments will run and run, which is exactly why the matchup endures.
174 words · comparison angle: era
Player profiles
Edwin van der Sar is a Dutch football executive and former player. Widely regarded as one of the greatest goalkeepers of all time, he was most recently the chief executive of Eredivisie club Ajax. Van der Sar began his senior playing career with Ajax in the early 1990s; he is considered to be a member of the club's golden generation and was part of the team that won the UEFA Champions League in 1995.
“A tall, composed goalkeeper who made difficult saves look quiet and simple.”
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 (2008)
- 1× FIFA World Cup (2014)
- 2× Bundesliga (2008, 2010)
- 3× DFB-Pokal (2005, 2008, 2010)
- 1× Coppa Italia (2013)
Trophy distribution
Career milestones
- 2000 Established himself at Ajax
- 2004 Reached his defining peak
- 2008 Delivered a landmark season
- 2011 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
Reasonable people will disagree, but Miroslav Klose wins out by a clear margin on the weight of a sharper goalscoring record.
Miroslav Klose edges it (a clear margin)
