Michael "MiÃÂa" Klein (10 October 1959 â 2 February 1993) was a Romanian footballer who played as a left-back.
Klein, nicknamed MiÃÂa, was born on 10 October 1959 in AmnaÃÂ, Romania, being half of Transylvanian Saxon origin from his father's side.
Klein began playing football at Corvinul Hunedoara's youth center in 1973. He made his debut for the senior team on 24 August 1977 under coach ÃÂtefan Coidum in a Divizia A match that ended in a 2âÂÂ2 draw against ArgeàPiteÃÂti. In the following season he was loaned to Divizia B team Aurul Brad but in the middle of the season he was recalled to Corvinul by new coach Mircea Lucescu. At the end of that season, the team was relegated to Divizia B, but Klein stayed with the club, helping it get promoted back to the first division after one year. Afterwards he helped the club finish third in the 1981âÂÂ82 Divizia A. He also appeared in all four games in the 1982âÂÂ83 UEFA Cup campaign, scoring once as they got past Grazer AK in the first round, being eliminated in the following one by FK Sarajevo. For the way he played in 1985, Klein was placed fifth in the ranking for the Romanian Footballer of the Year award.
After 11 and a half seasons spent with The Ravens, in the middle of the 1988âÂÂ89 season he was transferred to Dinamo BucureÃÂti where he reunited with his former Corvinul manager Mircea Lucescu. In his first season spent with The Red Dogs, he didn't win any trophies but he played in both legs of the 1988âÂÂ89 European Cup Winners' Cup quarter-finals, where they were eliminated on the away goals rule after 1âÂÂ1 on aggregate by Sampdoria.
In the following season, Klein won The Double with the club, Lucescu giving him 23 appearances in which he scored two goals in the league, and he also played the entire match in the 6âÂÂ4 win over rivals Steaua BucureÃÂti in the Cupa României final. In the same season he played seven matches in the 1989âÂÂ90 European Cup Winners' Cup, scoring once against Panathinaikos, the team reaching the semi-finals where they were eliminated after 2âÂÂ0 on aggregate by Anderlecht.
Afterwards, Klein joined Bayer Uerdingen in Germany, making his Bundesliga debut on 14 September 1990 when coach Horst Wohlers used him the entire match in a 2âÂÂ0 away loss to Karlsruher SC. The team was relegated at the end of his first season, but he stayed with the club, helping it get promoted back after one year. Also during his period spent in Germany he was teammates with compatriot Daniel Timofte.
Klein played 89 matches and scored five goals for Romania, making his debut on 9 September 1981 when coach Valentin StÃÂnescu sent him in the 49th minute to replace Aurel Beldeanu in a 2âÂÂ1 friendly loss to Bulgaria.
His next appearance was a 0âÂÂ0 draw against Switzerland in the 1982 World Cup qualifiers. He scored his first two goals in a friendly that ended with a 3âÂÂ2 victory over Chile. Klein made seven appearances in the successful Euro 1984 qualifiers in which he scored one goal in a 2âÂÂ0 win against Sweden. Coach Mircea Lucescu used him for the entirety of all three games in the final tournament which were a draw against Spain and losses to West Germany and Portugal, as his side failed to progress from their group. Klein played seven matches in the 1986 World Cup qualifiers and six matches with one goal scored in a 1âÂÂ0 away victory against Albania during the Euro 1988 qualifiers. Afterwards he made five appearances in the successful 1990 World Cup qualifiers. He was used by coach Emerich Jenei for the entirety of all four matches in the final tournament, as Romania got eliminated by Ireland in the round of 16. Klein played six games in the Euro 1992 qualifiers and in the last one of them, he made his final appearance for the national team which took place on 13 November 1991 in a 1âÂÂ0 victory against Switzerland.
On 2 February 1993, Klein died of a heart attack during a training session with Bayer Uerdingen at the age of 33.
Klein has a total of 322 matches with 36 goals in Divizia A, 37 matches in Bundesliga, 25 games in 2. Bundesliga and 13 appearances with two goals in European competitions.
The Stadionul Michael Klein in Hunedoara is named in his honor, and a statue of Klein is displayed in front of the stadium. A book about him was written by Nicolae Stanciu, titled Klein, cÃÂpitanul lui Lucescu. Cronici sentimentale (Klein, Lucescu's captain. Sentimental chronicles).
Corvinul Hunedoara
Dinamo BucureÃÂti
Bayer Uerdingen
Individual