van Basten vs Klinsmann
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van Basten wins: Dominance, Peak, Honours, Statistics
Klinsmann wins: Longevity
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Showing full careers. Pick a window to recalculate the selected period.
Category radar
Verdict
van Basten leads in 4 of 5 weighted categories. Three Ballons d'Or and the volley that won Euro 88 — retired at 28 through injury.
Category breakdown
Season form · Goals per season
Career timeline · Goals per season
Cumulative output season by season — the shape of each career against the other.
GOAT pace tracker
Career stage · GOAT pace
Through season 5 · Goals per season| Ghost race · career day | 30 | 100 | 365 | 1000 | 1825 | 3650 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 🇳🇱 van Basten | 0 | 0 | 0 | 9 | 96 | 168 |
| 🇩🇪 Klinsmann | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 31 | 92 |
Careers are aligned at debut, so a rookie's first 5 seasons are measured against the same window in a legend's career — Yamal against Messi at the same age-stage, a tour rookie against Tiger Woods in 1996.
| Metric | van BastenRetired | KlinsmannRetired |
|---|---|---|
| Ballon d'Or | 3 | — |
| European Cups | 2 | — |
| European Championships | 1 | — |
| Career goals | 300 | — |
| Serie A titles | 4 | — |
| Eredivisie top scorer | 4 | — |
| World Cup titles | — | 1 |
| European Championship titles | — | 1 |
| UEFA Cup titles | — | 2 |
| Germany goals | — | 47 |
| Career club goals | — | 244 |
| Dominance w25% | 88 | 78 |
| Peak w20% | 94 | 88 |
| Longevity w20% | 72 | 84 |
| Honours w20% | 90 | 86 |
| Statistics w15% | 90 | 86 |
Fan vote — data vs the people
What do you think?
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