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 Kleine withGreuther Fürth in 2012 | |||
| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Date of birth | (1977-12-28)28 December 1977 (age 48) | ||
| Place of birth | Wermelskirchen,West Germany | ||
| Height | 1.91 m (6 ft 3 in) | ||
| Position | Defender | ||
| Youth career | |||
| –1998 | SV 09/35 Wermelskirchen | ||
| Senior career* | |||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) |
| 1998–2003 | Bayer Leverkusen II | 95 | (6) |
| 2001–2003 | Bayer Leverkusen | 10 | (0) |
| 2003–2007 | Greuther Fürth | 131 | (13) |
| 2007 | Hannover 96 II | 2 | (0) |
| 2007 | Hannover 96 | 9 | (1) |
| 2008–2010 | Borussia Mönchengladbach | 30 | (3) |
| 2010–2014 | Greuther Fürth | 105 | (2) |
| 2014–2015 | Greuther Fürth II | 15 | (0) |
| Total | 397 | (25) | |
| International career | |||
| 2003 | Germany Team 2006 | 1 | (0) |
| Managerial career | |||
| 2015 | Greuther Fürth II (caretaker) | ||
| 2015–2022 | Greuther Fürth II | ||
| 2022–2023 | SpVgg Bayreuth | ||
| 2025 | Greuther Fürth | ||
| * Club domestic league appearances and goals | |||
Thomas Kleine (born 28 December 1977) is a Germanfootball manager and former player. He most recently managedGreuther Fürth.
Born inWermelskirchen, Kleine began his career in the youth ranks of his hometown club SV 09 Wermelskirchen where he remained until 1998, when he moved toBayer 04 Leverkusen's amateur ranks.
He played regularly with the amateurs in the lower league structures, but was unable to push his way into the full squad until the 2001–02 season. He finally made hisBundesliga debut on 19 December 2001 in a 3–1 defeat atVfL Wolfsburg.
Later that season he made further progress, managing six more Bundesliga appearances and, perhaps more significantly, seven games in theirChampions League campaign, facing the likes ofBarcelona andManchester United. The club eventually achieved the honour of runners-ups, although Kleine himself did not compete beyond the second group stage. The team also finished runners-up in both the league and cup.
Following this season, Kleine left for2. Bundesliga teamSpVgg Greuther Fürth, looking to become a first team regular. He was a virtual ever-present in his four seasons with the club, amassing 131 appearances and catching the eye of Bundesliga clubHannover 96, especially with nine goals in his final season. On 13 February 2007, he agreed to joinHannover 96 from the 2007–08 season onward.
In January 2008, Kleine moved toBorussia Mönchengladbach for a fee of €700,000. He returned to his former clubSpVgg Greuther Fürth on 1 July 2010.[1]
After coaching several years the second team in Fürth and being an as assistant in Düsseldorf, he was as the appointed head coach ofSpVgg Bayreuth.[2] He was sacked in May 2023.[3]
In May 2025, he was named interim manager ofGreuther Fürth.[4] Later that month, he was promoted to be the permanent coach.[5] He was sacked by the club on 1 December 2025.[6]
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