Christian Klem

{{short description|Austrian professional footballer (born 1991)|bot=PearBOT 5}}

{{Infobox football biography

| name = Christian Klem

| image = Christian Klem (SK Sturm Graz) - Österreich U-21 (01).jpg

| caption = Klem in 2010

| birth_date = {{birth date and age|1991|04|21|df=y}}

| birth_place = Graz, Austria

| height = 1.72 m{{WorldFootball.net|christian-klem}}

| position = Midfielder

| youthyears1 =

| youthclubs1 = Sturm Graz

| years1 = 2007–2011

| clubs1 = Sturm Graz (A)

| caps1 = 49

| goals1 = 2

| years2 = 2009–2016

| clubs2 = Sturm Graz

| caps2 = 166

| goals2 = 1

| years3 = 2016–2018

| clubs3 = Wolfsberger AC

| caps3 = 32

| goals3 = 3

| years4 = 2018–2019

| clubs4 = SV Lafnitz

| caps4 = 9

| goals4 = 1

| years5 = 2019

| clubs5 = Wacker Innsbruck

| caps5 = 14

| goals5 = 0

| years6 = 2019–2023

| clubs6 = TSV Hartberg

| caps6 = 90

| goals6 = 1

| totalcaps = 360

| totalgoals = 8

| nationalyears1 =

| nationalteam1 = Austria U16

| nationalcaps1 =

| nationalgoals1 =

| nationalyears2 = 2007–2008

| nationalteam2 = Austria U17

| nationalcaps2 = 10

| nationalgoals2 = 2

| nationalyears3 = 2008

| nationalteam3 = Austria U18

| nationalcaps3 = 1

| nationalgoals3 = 0

| nationalyears4 = 2009–2010

| nationalteam4 = Austria U19

| nationalcaps4 = 14

| nationalgoals4 = 5

| nationalyears5 = 2009–2012

| nationalteam5 = Austria U21

| nationalcaps5 = 12

| nationalgoals5 = 0

| nationalyears6 = 2011

| nationalteam6 = Austria U20

| nationalcaps6 = 3

| nationalgoals6 = 0

}}

Christian Klem (born 21 April 1991) is an Austrian former professional footballer who played as a midfielder.

Career

=Early career and Sturm Graz=

Born in Graz, Klem started his career at Sturm Graz, having previously played for their youth academy. He made his debut for Sturm Graz in 2009, making 7 appearances in the Austrian Bundesliga over the course of the 2009–10 season, whilst he made 10 Bundesliga appearances in the 2010–11 season, in which Sturm Graz became Bundesliga champions for the third time in their history.

He was a regular player for Sturm Graz over the following few seasons, making 25 Bundesliga appearances during the 2011–12 season before making 34, 32 and 34 appearances in the Bundesliga across the 2012–13, 2013–14 and 2014–15 seasons respectively, whilst also playing in the UEFA Europa League during the 2011–12 season.

In August 2015, he suffered a muscle tear in his left thigh, meaning he was injured for much of the 2015–16 season.{{Cite web |title=Fußball: Sturm-Verteidiger Klem mit Muskelverletzung außer Gefecht |url=https://www.skysportaustria.at/fussball-sturm-verteidiger-klem-mit-muskelverletzung-ausser-gefecht/ |date=4 August 2015 |website=Sky Sport Austria |language=de |access-date=25 May 2020}} Following his return from injury, he made 17 appearances for Sturm Graz before leaving the club in the summer.

=Wolfsberger AC=

He joined Wolfsberger AC in the summer of 2016 on a two-year contract.{{Cite web |title=Christian Klem wechselt von Sturm zum WAC - Trdina verlängert |url=https://www.skysportaustria.at/christian-klem-wechselt-von-sturm-zum-wac-trdina-verlaengert/ |date=25 May 2016 |website=Sky Sport Austria |language=de |access-date=25 May 2020}} He made 32 appearances during the 2016–17 season for Wolfsberger AC, scoring 3 goals, but failed to make a single appearance for the club during the 2017–18 season, and left the club at the end of the season.{{Cite web |title=WAC: Am Ende zeigte der WAC sein Potenzial |url=https://www.kleinezeitung.at/sport/fussball/oesterreich/bundesliga/wac/5436656/ |last=Maryodnig |first=Denise |last2=Tilli |first2=Albin |date=27 May 2018 |website=www.kleinezeitung.at |language=de |access-date=25 May 2020}}

=SV Lafnitz and Wacker Innsbruck=

In the summer of 2018, he joined Austrian 2. Liga club SV Lafnitz.{{Cite web |title=2. Liga-Transferliste: Alle Wechsel |url=https://www.laola1.at/de/red/fussball/2--liga/hintergrund/oesterreichische-2--liga--transferliste-im-sommer-2018/ |date=31 August 2018 |website=laola1.at |access-date=25 May 2020}} He made 9 appearances in the 2. Liga for Lafnitz before joining Bundesliga club Wacker Innsbruck in January 2019.{{Cite web |title=Wacker Innsbruck schnappt sich zwei Lafnitz-Abwehrspieler |url=https://www.skysportaustria.at/wacker-innsbruck-schnappt-sich-zwei-lafnitz-abwehrspieler/ |date=20 January 2019 |website=Sky Sport Austria |language=de |access-date=25 May 2020}} He made 14 Bundesliga appearances for the club as they were relegated to the 2. Liga.

=TSV Hartberg=

In the summer of 2019, he joined newly promoted Austrian Bundesliga club TSV Hartberg on a two-year contract.{{Cite web |title=Hartberg holt nächsten Wacker-Spieler |url=https://www.skysportaustria.at/hartberg-holt-naechsten-wacker-spieler/ |date=20 June 2019 |website=Sky Sport Austria |language=de |access-date=25 May 2020}}{{Cite web |title=Herzlich Willkommen Christian Klem! |url=https://www.tsv-hartberg-fussball.at/herzlich-willkommen-christian-klem/ |publisher=TSV Hartberg |language=de |access-date=25 May 2020}}

In June 2021, his Hartberg contract was extended to summer 2023.{{Cite web|url=https://www.90minuten.at/de/red/presseschau/kurzmeldungen-vereine-verbaende-sportler/2021/juni/christian-klem-verlaengert-bei-tsv-hartberg/|title=Christian Klem verlängert bei TSV Hartberg (90minuten.at)|website=www.90minuten.at|language=de|access-date=26 February 2024}}

He was released at the end of his contract in summer 2023, and subsequently retired.{{Cite web|url=https://www.skysportaustria.at/tsv-hartberg-verabschiedet-sieben-spieler/|title=TSV Hartberg verabschiedet sieben Spieler|first=Christoph|last=Eliasch|date=3 June 2023|website=Sky Sport Austria|language=de|access-date=26 February 2024}}{{Cite web|url=https://www.meinbezirk.at/steiermark/c-sport/vom-meisterkicker-mit-dem-sk-sturm-zum-touristiker_a6455410|title=Christian Klem: Vom Meisterkicker mit dem SK Sturm zum Touristiker|date=15 January 2024|website=MeinBezirk.at|language=de|access-date=26 February 2024}}