Diego Klimowicz

Diego Fernando Klimowicz (born 6 July 1974) is an Argentine former professional footballer who played as a centre-forward.

Diego Klimowicz
Klimowicz as a Borussia Dortmund player
Personal information
Full name Diego Fernando Klimowicz
Date of birth (1974-07-06) 6 July 1974
Place of birth Quilmes, Argentina
Height 1.91 m (6 ft 3 in)
Position(s) Centre-forward
Senior career*
Years Team Apps (Gls)
1993–1996 Instituto 57 (12)
1996–1997 Rayo Vallecano 46 (12)
1997–1999 Valladolid 41 (4)
1999–2001 Lanús 77 (41)
2001–2007 VfL Wolfsburg 149 (57)
2007–2009 Borussia Dortmund 38 (6)
2009–2010 VfL Bochum 26 (8)
2011 Instituto 10 (1)
Total 444 (141)
* Senior club appearances and goals counted for the domestic league only

He started and finished his 18-year professional career with Instituto, but competed mostly in Spain and Germany, notably amassing Bundesliga totals of 213 games and 71 goals in the latter country.

Club career

Born in Quilmes, Buenos Aires, Klimowicz started his career at Instituto Atlético Central Córdoba in the Primera B Nacional.[1] He was sold to Rayo Vallecano of La Liga in 1996, scoring 11 goals in his first season but being relegated to Segunda División;[2][3] the latter club was later banned from buying or selling foreign players, for failing to pay the accorded sum of 240 million pesetas.[4]

Klimowicz returned to the Spanish top division in December 1997, when he signed a four-and-a-half-year contract with Real Valladolid.[5] After netting just seven times across all competitions during his spell at the Estadio José Zorrilla, however,[6] he returned to his country in 1999 and joined Club Atlético Lanús.[7]

Klimowicz was transferred to VfL Wolfsburg in December 2001,[8] going on to remain in Germany – and its Bundesliga – for the better part of the following decade. He netted a career-best 15 goals in the 2003–04 campaign, helping his team finish in tenth place.[9]

In May 2007, Klimowicz moved to fellow league side Borussia Dortmund on a two-year deal.[10] On 25 August, his brace was crucial to the hosts' 3–0 home defeat of Energie Cottbus;[11] he added four goals in their runner-up run in the DFB-Pokal, being booked as a second-half substitute in the decisive match, lost 2–1 to FC Bayern Munich after extra time.[12]

In the 2008–09 winter transfer window, Klimowicz signed with VfL Bochum.[13] On 2 March 2010, the 35-year-old announced his retirement from professional football due to a hip injury;[14] on 24 December, he decided to come back from retirement and re-joined his first team Instituto on a one-year contract.[15]

International career

In 2001, there were talks of Klimowicz playing either for the Poland or the Ukraine national teams,[16] but at the end nothing became materialised.

Personal life

Klimowicz's younger brother, Javier, was also a footballer, so was another brother, Nicolás.[17] A goalkeeper, Javier won caps for Ecuador.[18] Klimowicz's grandfather was born in Poland before World War II, in a territory that later became part of Ukraine.[16] His son, Mateo, is a professional footballer.[19]

Career statistics
Appearances and goals by club, season and competition[20][21]
Club Season League Cup Continental Total
DivisionAppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoals
Instituto 1993–94 Primera B Nacional —
1994–95—
1995–96—
Total
Rayo Vallecano 1996–97 La Liga 341187004218
1997–98 Segunda División 1212000142
Total 4612107005619
Valladolid 1997–98 La Liga 2032100224
1998–99 2114200253
Total 4146300477
Lanús 1999–00 Argentine Primera División 3316—3316
2000–01 3017—3017
2001–02 148—148
Total 7741007741
VfL Wolfsburg 2001–02 Bundesliga 171010001810
2002–03 2572200279
2003–04 331521854321
2004–05 2771000287
2005–06 261211613314
2006–07 21634002410
Total 1495711414617467
Borussia Dortmund 2007–08 Bundesliga 28664003410
2008–09 1001100111
Total 38675004511
VfL Bochum 2008–09 Bundesliga 1140000114
2009–10 1542100175
Total 2682100289
Instituto 2010–11 Primera B Nacional 101—101
Career total 3871293620146437155

Honours

Club

Borussia Dortmund

References
  1. "Klimowicz: Tourist oder Debütant" [Klimowicz: Tourist or first-timer] (in German). kicker. 6 December 2001. Retrieved 5 March 2012.
  2. "Mercato: Diego Klimowicz, Marcell Jansen" [Market: Diego Klimowicz, Marcell Jansen] (in Spanish). Footgol. 25 May 2007. Retrieved 5 March 2012.
  3. "Diego Klimowicz pone fin a su carrera deportiva" [Diego Klimowicz ends his sporting career] (in Spanish). Rayo Herald. 5 August 2010. Retrieved 15 December 2016.
  4. "La FIFA castiga al Rayo" [FIFA punishes Rayo]. El País (in Spanish). 1 December 1999. Retrieved 15 December 2016.
  5. "Klimowicz, fichado por el Valladolid" [Klimowicz, signed by Valladolid]. El País (in Spanish). 11 December 1997. Retrieved 15 December 2016.
  6. "La resurrección de Canabal y Klimowicz" [The resurrection of Canabal and Klimowicz]. El País (in Spanish). 6 April 1998. Retrieved 15 December 2016.
  7. "Gegen 80.000 ist es besonders schwer" [It's rather difficult against 80.000] (in German). Bundesliga. 25 September 2007. Retrieved 5 March 2012.
  8. "Diego Klimowicz – Saison 2001/2002" [Diego Klimowicz – 2001/2002 season] (in German). VfL Wolfsburg. Archived from the original on 27 September 2011. Retrieved 5 March 2012.
  9. "Germany 2003/04". RSSSF. Retrieved 16 December 2016.
  10. "Interview mit Diego Klimowicz" [Interview with Diego Klimowicz] (in German). 1. FC Köln. 16 October 2009. Archived from the original on 1 May 2013. Retrieved 5 March 2012.
  11. "Dortmund atmet dank Klimowicz tief durch" [Dortmund takes a breather thanks to Klimowicz]. Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung (in German). 25 August 2007. Retrieved 15 December 2016.
  12. "Luca Toni führt Bayern zum ersten Titel" [Luca Toni leads Bayern to first title]. Rheinische Post (in German). 19 April 2008. Retrieved 15 December 2016.
  13. "Klimowicz wechselt von Dortmund nach Bochum" [Klimowicz goes from Dortmund to Bochum] (in German). T-Online. 4 January 2009. Retrieved 16 December 2016.
  14. "Klimowicz: Scout in Argentinien" [Klimowicz: Scout in Argentina] (in German). VfL Bochum. 2 March 2010. Archived from the original on 5 March 2010. Retrieved 5 March 2012.
  15. "Granadero para la Gloria" [Grenadier for la Gloria]. Olé (in Spanish). 24 December 2010. Retrieved 26 December 2010.
  16. "Klimowicz woli Polskę od Ukrainy?" [Is Klimowicz from Poland and Ukraine?] (in Polish). Sport. 7 May 2002. Retrieved 5 March 2012.
  17. "Código Klimowicz" [Code Klimowicz]. El Gráfico (in Spanish). 21 December 2017. Retrieved 7 February 2019.
  18. "Hermano de Klimowicz es traspasado al Bochum alemán" [Klimowicz's brother is transferred to Germany's Bochum]. El Universo (in Spanish). 4 January 2009. Retrieved 15 December 2016.
  19. "Código Klimowicz" [Code Klimowicz]. El Gráfico (in Spanish). 21 December 2017. Retrieved 7 February 2019.
  20. "D. Klimowicz". Soccerway. Retrieved 15 December 2016.
  21. "Diego Klimowicz". Footballdatabase. Retrieved 15 December 2016.
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