HE’S been waiting for this since May 10, 2025!
Tim Kleindienst, 30, was last allowed to play in the Bundesliga on matchday 33 last season, in a 2-0 defeat to Bayern – after which meniscus surgery slowed him for months.
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The time had come for the 3-0 win in Heidenheim: the national player finally celebrated his short comeback in stoppage time.
But it took almost three minutes until the striker, ready for action, was actually allowed in – the ball wouldn’t come out. Kleindienst with a smile: “I was worried that the referee would blow his whistle first. But Kevin Diks checked it and immediately shot the ball out of the stadium…”
Tim Kleindienst (30, l.) duels with former teammate Patrick Mainka (31, l.)
Kleindienst was celebrated by fans in the stadium before the match – including the Heidenheim team.
Kleindienst: “I can’t imagine anything more beautiful. Thank you very much to the fans who welcomed me like that. This is a very special moment for a player. The welcome was extraordinary, even many of the Heidenheim fans applauded. It really touched me because I also experienced many things here.”
However, after the match he dampened the hopes of Gladbach supporters that he would soon return to the starting line-up.
Kleindienst: “I’m definitely going to do a few more appearances as the joker. It felt like the hardest three minutes I’ve had in a very long time. Sometime before the winter holidays, sometime after that, I’ll be completely fit again. I haven’t played football for six months, and it’s taken quite a while. I have no problem coming off the bench at the moment.”
Especially since then Gladbacher The team is just running, already achieving its 4th competitive win (three times Bundesligavery DFB Cup) imported successively.
Kleindienst was satisfied: “We’re generally acting more mature now and playing defensively with care. It’s not all perfect yet, but we’ve created a foundation that we can build on.”
