Andrea Pirlo vs Miroslav Klose: Stats Compared
Central / Attacking Midfielder, Italy (born 1979, retired 2017) · Striker, Germany (born 1978, retired 2016)
Line up Andrea Pirlo next to Miroslav Klose and the contrasts come quickly. Era matters in any comparison, and these two peaked under very different footballing conditions. Andrea Pirlo finishes with 73 career goals from 728 games — a 0.10 strike rate — against Miroslav Klose's 318 from 705 at 0.45 per match. Assists were not reliably tracked for much of their careers, which makes the playmaking comparison an imperfect one; where records exist, Andrea Pirlo is credited with 80 and Miroslav Klose with 0. Andrea Pirlo departs the game with 13 major pieces of silverware, including 1× FIFA World Cup (2006); Miroslav Klose with 7, including 1× FIFA World Cup (2014). Andrea Pirlo belonged to the turn of the millennium, dominating with a orchestrating quality; Miroslav Klose rose in the modern era with a clinical edge. The wider career context matters too: Andrea Pirlo peaked around 2006 after representing Brescia, Inter Milan, AC Milan, Juventus, New York City FC, while Miroslav Klose's defining level came around 2014 across Kaiserslautern, Werder Bremen, Bayern Munich, Lazio. Each, in his own way, set a standard the other is measured against.
188 words · comparison angle: era
Player profiles
Italian playmaker and World Cup winner; six-time Serie A champion and two-time Champions League winner.
“A deep-lying regista whose passing range and free-kick craft orchestrated Italy and Juventus for a decade.”
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× FIFA World Cup (2006)
- 2× UEFA Champions League (2003, 2007)
- 6× Serie A
- 2× Coppa Italia
- 2× UEFA Super Cup (2003, 2007)
- 1× FIFA World Cup (2014)
- 2× Bundesliga (2008, 2010)
- 3× DFB-Pokal (2005, 2008, 2010)
- 1× Coppa Italia (2013)
Trophy distribution
Career milestones
- 1995 Brescia debut aged 16
- 1998 Signed for Inter Milan but failed to break through
- 2001 Joined AC Milan and his career took off
- 2006 World Cup winner with Italy
- 2011 Free transfer to Juventus
- 2014 Set a Serie A points record with Juventus
- 2015 Joined MLS side New York City FC
- 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
Taking goals, assists, silverware and overall profile together, Andrea Pirlo takes it by a decisive margin.
Andrea Pirlo edges it (a decisive margin)
