From struggling with Gent to starting for Germany: Tim Kleindienst shows the value of finding the right club | OneFootball

If you had told me back in December of 2020 that Tim Kleindienst would be starting games for the German national team in 2025 I would have called you mad. After just three goals in 23 appearances for Gent, it looked like the striker was going to struggle to make a step up from Bundesliga 2. When Gent signed him that summer, I had had high hopes for him. He joined off the back of a fantastic debut season for Heidenheim in the German second tier, with 16 goals in 29 games. Yet at Gent, he looked overawed at times.

Heidenheim were keen to bring him back, and he went on to finish the 2020/2021 campaign with 11 goals in 15 games for them. I have always been an advocate of the idea that, unless you are one of the best players in world football, finding the right environment is crucial. How often do we see a player like Kleindienst who, after a great season, makes a move that financially makes sense for them and their club, only for it to fail. In most cases, that player is then seen as a failure and struggles to make as good an impact elsewhere. The Pro League itself has seen plenty of great strikers struggle when taking the step up.

Yet Kleindienst deserves credit for putting that time at Gent behind him. Heidenheim made him, and he was a crucial player in their promotion to the Bundesliga and then qualifying for Europe. After leaving Gent, Kleindienst waited another three seasons before making another move. This time, it has worked perfectly. The striker has 15 goals in 27 games from Borussia Monchengladbach and is starting for the German national team. He already has three goals for the side, including two in each leg of the UEFA Nations League Quarter Final against Italy.

Hopefully, Kleindienst has shown to many players that the grass isn’t always greener, and by maybe waiting an extra year or two, the right move will materialise.

GBeNeFN | Ben Jackson