Roger Milla vs Miroslav Klose: Stats Compared
Striker, Cameroon (born 1952, retired 1994) · Striker, Germany (born 1978, retired 2016)
Roger Milla versus Miroslav Klose is a clash of two unmistakable footballing identities. Beyond the numbers, each man brought a singular aesthetic to the pitch. Across his senior career Roger Milla notched 150 goals in 400 appearances (0.38 per game), while Miroslav Klose recorded 318 in 705 (0.45 per game). Because assists were not systematically tracked for much of their time, that side of the comparison rests on the footage that survives. The honours ledger favours Roger Milla with 3 major trophies (2× Africa Cup of Nations (1984, 1988)) against Miroslav Klose's 7 (1× FIFA World Cup (2014)). Roger Milla played with a explosive that made him unmistakable; Miroslav Klose brought a predatory that was equally his own. Club journeys add another layer, with Roger Milla reaching his representative peak around 1990 across Union Douala, Valenciennes, Monaco, Bastia, Saint-Étienne, Montpellier, JS Kabylie and Miroslav Klose doing so around 2014 with Kaiserslautern, Werder Bremen, Bayern Munich, Lazio. Picking between them says as much about the picker as the players.
168 words · comparison angle: style
Player profiles
The exuberant hero of Cameroon's 1990 World Cup run, Milla became the oldest World Cup goalscorer at 42 and made his corner-flag dance world famous.
“A joyful, clever striker whose sharp movement and composure produced decisive goals late into his career.”
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
- 2× Africa Cup of Nations (1984, 1988)
- 1× Coupe de France (1981)
- 1× FIFA World Cup (2014)
- 2× Bundesliga (2008, 2010)
- 3× DFB-Pokal (2005, 2008, 2010)
- 1× Coppa Italia (2013)
Trophy distribution
Career milestones
- 1974 Professional debut for Union Douala
- 1984 Won Africa Cup of Nations with Monaco
- 1981 Won Coupe de France with Monaco
- 1990 Reached the peak of his powers at Montpellier
- 1994 Retired after a final spell at JS Kabylie
- Finished his career with 150 goals in 400 appearances and 3 major honours. Finished his career with 150 goals in 400 appearances and 3 major honours.
- 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
On balance Miroslav Klose edges the comparison. The margin is a decisive margin, decided mostly by a sharper goalscoring record.
Miroslav Klose edges it (a decisive margin)
