Ivan Klasnić facts for kids
Klasnić in 2016
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| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Date of birth | 29 January 1980 | ||
| Place of birth | Hamburg, West Germany | ||
| Height | 1.86 m (6 ft 1 in) | ||
| Position(s) | Striker | ||
| Youth career | |||
| 1984–1992 | Union 03 Altona | ||
| 1992–1994 | TSV Stellingen 88 | ||
| 1995–1997 | FC St. Pauli | ||
| Senior career* | |||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) |
| 1997–2001 | FC St. Pauli | 95 | (26) |
| 2001–2008 | Werder Bremen | 151 | (49) |
| 2008–2009 | Nantes | 33 | (10) |
| 2009–2012 | Bolton Wanderers | 77 | (20) |
| 2012–2013 | Mainz 05 | 3 | (1) |
| Total | 359 | (106) | |
| International career | |||
| 1998–1999 | Croatia U19 | 5 | (1) |
| 2001 | Croatia U21 | 3 | (1) |
| 2004–2011 | Croatia | 41 | (12) |
| *Club domestic league appearances and goals | |||
Ivan Klasnić (born 29 January 1980) is a Croatian former professional footballer. He played as a striker, meaning he was focused on scoring goals.
He started his career at a local club called FC St. Pauli. In 2001, he moved to Werder Bremen in Germany. There, he scored 49 goals in 151 games. He also helped Werder Bremen win both the league and the cup in 2004.
After playing one season in France for Nantes, he joined the English team Bolton Wanderers in 2009. He first joined them on a loan. After Bolton was relegated in 2012, he went back to Germany to play for Mainz for one season.
Klasnić also played for the Croatia national team. He is famous for something very special. In 2007, he had a kidney transplant. He then became the first player to play in a major tournament, UEFA Euro 2008, after having such a transplant. He also played for Croatia in UEFA Euro 2004 and the 2006 FIFA World Cup.
Contents
Ivan Klasnić: A Footballer's Journey
Early Career in Germany
Ivan Klasnić was born in Hamburg, West Germany. He began his professional football journey with his hometown club, FC St. Pauli. He became a professional player in January 1998. For three and a half seasons, he was a strong striker for the team in the 2. Bundesliga. Before joining St. Pauli, he played for smaller amateur teams. These were Union 03 Hamburg and TSV Stellingen.
Success with Werder Bremen
In the 2000–01 season, Klasnić scored 10 goals for St. Pauli. This helped his team get promoted to the top division. In the summer of 2001, he moved to Werder Bremen. His first two seasons there were a bit tough. He only scored three goals in 36 games. He also had two serious knee injuries.
But in the 2003–04 season, he became a key player. He helped Werder Bremen win the Bundesliga title. They also won the DFB-Pokal (German Cup) that year. He scored 13 goals himself. He also helped his teammate Ailton score 11 goals.
In the 2004–05 UEFA Champions League, Klasnić was amazing. He scored five goals in two games against a Belgian team, RSC Anderlecht. This included three goals in one game, a hat-trick. His goals helped Werder Bremen move to the next stage of the competition.
Moving to France and England
On 14 May 2008, Werder Bremen announced that Klasnić was leaving the club. On 8 July 2008, Klasnić moved to FC Nantes in France. He first joined on loan, then signed a four-year contract. After one difficult season, Nantes was relegated to a lower league.
Klasnić then joined Bolton Wanderers in England. This happened on the last day of the transfer window in 2009. He joined them on a one-year loan. His coach, Gary Megson, said Ivan had a great goalscoring record. He also had excellent experience from playing for Croatia and other European clubs.
On 12 September 2009, Klasnić played his first game for Bolton. He came on as a substitute. His first goal for Bolton came on 25 October against Everton. He ended that season with eight goals in the Premier League.
On 4 August 2010, Klasnić signed a permanent two-year contract with Bolton. He scored his first goal after signing permanently in a League Cup game. He scored a late winning goal against Aston Villa in March 2011. He didn't start many games that season. But he still scored seven goals in all competitions.
Klasnić started the 2011–12 season well. He scored in Bolton's 4–0 win against Queens Park Rangers. He scored again the next week against Manchester City. He was even the Premier League's top scorer for a short time. After Bolton was relegated from the Premier League, Klasnić left the club on 16 May.
Return to Germany
In September 2012, Klasnić joined the German team Mainz 05. He signed a one-year contract.
Playing for Croatia
Klasnić chose to play for Croatia. He had already played for their under-19 and under-21 teams. He turned down an offer to play for Germany. His first game for Croatia was against Germany in February 2004.
Euro 2004 and World Cup 2006
He was chosen to play for Croatia in UEFA Euro 2004. However, he stayed on the bench for most of the tournament. Croatia did not get past the group stage.
For the 2006 FIFA World Cup, he scored one goal in eight qualifying matches. This was against Hungary in September 2004. In February 2005, he scored twice in a friendly game against Israel. In March 2006, he scored again for Croatia in a friendly win against Argentina.
In May 2006, he was picked for Croatia's World Cup squad. He was in great form, scoring four goals for Werder Bremen. He also scored two goals for Croatia in a friendly against Austria. But during the World Cup itself, he didn't score any goals. Croatia left the competition after the first round.
Euro 2008: A Special Comeback
In the 2006–07 season, he lost his place in Croatia's starting team. But he did score one goal in a big 7–0 win against Andorra.
At UEFA Euro 2008, Klasnić was a substitute for the first two games. But he started the last group match against Poland on 16 June. He scored a goal in the 53rd minute. This helped his team win and move to the next round.
In the quarter-finals against Turkey, Klasnić came on as a substitute. In extra time, he scored a very important goal for Croatia. But Turkey scored just two minutes later. Turkey then won the game in a penalty shootout. Ivan Klasnić was remembered for his amazing effort. He became the only player to play in a major tournament after a kidney transplant. He also scored two goals during this tournament.
His Health Journey: Kidney Transplants
In January 2007, news came out that Klasnić had kidney failure. On 25 January 2007, he had a kidney transplant. His mother, Šima, donated her kidney. But his body unfortunately rejected this new organ.
On 23 March 2007, he had another surgery. This time, he received a kidney from his father. This second transplant was successful. Klasnić said his doctors told him he could continue playing football.
In August 2007, doctors at Werder Bremen told him not to train. His body needed more time to recover. But in September, doctors finally allowed him to train fully. He had been away from training for about six months.
On 24 November 2007, Klasnić started a game for Werder Bremen again. This was his first start since December 2006. He played for 65 minutes. He made a full comeback on 15 December 2007. He scored two goals in Bremen's 5–2 win against Bayer Leverkusen. He played for 85 minutes in that game.
In March 2008, Klasnić was called back to the national team. This was after a year of not playing for them. He made history at UEFA Euro 2008. He became the first player to play in a major tournament after a kidney transplant. He scored goals against Poland and Turkey in that tournament.
In September 2016, Klasnić's transplanted kidney stopped working. He was very ill. He received a third transplant in October 2017. In December 2020, he was awarded money after a long legal process. This was related to how his kidney issues were handled by Werder Bremen's doctors.
Career Numbers
Club
| Club | Season | League | National cup | League cup | Europe | Total | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Division | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | ||
| FC St. Pauli | 1997–98 | 2. Bundesliga | 8 | 0 | 0 | 0 | – | – | 8 | 0 | ||
| 1998–99 | 2. Bundesliga | 24 | 8 | 0 | 0 | – | – | 24 | 8 | |||
| 1999–2000 | 2. Bundesliga | 32 | 8 | 2 | 1 | – | – | 34 | 9 | |||
| 2000–01 | 2. Bundesliga | 31 | 10 | 2 | 1 | – | – | 33 | 11 | |||
| Total | 95 | 26 | 4 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 99 | 28 | ||
| Werder Bremen | 2001–02 | Bundesliga | 23 | 1 | 2 | 0 | – | 2 | 0 | 27 | 1 | |
| 2002–03 | Bundesliga | 13 | 2 | 4 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 2 | 20 | 7 | |
| 2003–04 | Bundesliga | 29 | 13 | 6 | 6 | – | 1 | 0 | 36 | 19 | ||
| 2004–05 | Bundesliga | 28 | 10 | 4 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 7 | 5 | 41 | 19 | |
| 2005–06 | Bundesliga | 30 | 15 | 4 | 1 | 2 | 1 | 6 | 2 | 42 | 19 | |
| 2006–07 | Bundesliga | 12 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 2 | 6 | 0 | 21 | 4 | |
| 2007–08 | Bundesliga | 16 | 7 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 18 | 8 | |
| Total | 151 | 49 | 22 | 13 | 6 | 5 | 26 | 10 | 205 | 77 | ||
| Nantes | 2008–09 | Ligue 1 | 28 | 6 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | – | 28 | 6 | |
| 2009–10 | Ligue 2 | 5 | 4 | – | – | – | 5 | 4 | ||||
| Total | 33 | 10 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 33 | 10 | ||
| Bolton Wanderers | 2009–10 | Premier League | 27 | 8 | 3 | 0 | 2 | 0 | – | 32 | 8 | |
| 2010–11 | Premier League | 21 | 4 | 5 | 2 | 2 | 1 | – | 28 | 7 | ||
| 2011–12 | Premier League | 29 | 8 | 3 | 1 | 1 | 0 | – | 33 | 9 | ||
| Total | 77 | 20 | 11 | 3 | 5 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 93 | 24 | ||
| Mainz 05 | 2012–13 | Bundesliga | 3 | 1 | 0 | 0 | – | – | 3 | 1 | ||
| Career total | 359 | 106 | 31 | 18 | 11 | 6 | 26 | 10 | 428 | 140 | ||
International Goals
- Scores and results list Croatia's goal tally first, score column indicates score after each Klasnić goal.
| No. | Cap | Date | Venue | Opponent | Score | Result | Competition |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 3 | 28 April 2004 | Skopje City Stadium, Skopje, Macedonia |  Macedonia |
1–0 | 1–0 | Friendly |
| 2 | 8 | 4 September 2004 | Maksimir Stadium, Zagreb, Croatia |  Hungary |
2–0 | 3–0 | 2006 FIFA World Cup qualification |
| 3 | 11 | 9 February 2005 | Teddy Stadium, Jerusalem, Israel |  Israel |
1–0 | 3–3 | Friendly |
| 4 | 3–2 | ||||||
| 5 | 17 | 1 March 2006 | St. Jakob-Park, Basel, Switzerland |  Argentina |
1–0 | 3–2 | Friendly |
| 6 | 19 | 23 May 2006 | Ernst Happel Stadion, Vienna, Austria |  Austria |
1–0 | 4–1 | Friendly |
| 7 | 2–1 | ||||||
| 8 | 27 | 7 October 2006 | Maksimir Stadium, Zagreb, Croatia |  Andorra |
5–0 | 7–0 | UEFA Euro 2008 qualifying |
| 9 | 30 | 16 June 2008 | Hypo-Arena, Klagenfurt, Austria |  Poland |
1–0 | 1–0 | UEFA Euro 2008 Group Stage |
| 10 | 31 | 20 June 2008 | Ernst Happel Stadion, Vienna, Austria |  Turkey |
1–0 | 1–1 (1–3 p) | UEFA Euro 2008 Knockout Stage |
| 11 | 35 | 1 April 2009 | Estadi Comunal d'Andorra la Vella, Andorra | Andorra |
1–0 | 2–0 | 2010 FIFA World Cup qualification |
| 12 | 37 | 8 October 2009 | Kantrida Stadium, Rijeka, Croatia |  Qatar |
2–0 | 3–2 | Friendly |
Trophies and Awards
FC St. Pauli
- 2. Bundesliga Promotion: 2000–01 (Helped his team move up a league)
Werder Bremen
- Bundesliga: 2003–04 (Won the top German football league)
- DFB-Pokal: 2003–04 (Won the German Cup)
- DFB-Ligapokal: 2006 (Won the German League Cup)
Individual Awards
- DFB-Pokal top scorer: 2003–04 (Scored the most goals in the German Cup)
- DFL-Ligapokal top scorer: 2006 (Scored the most goals in the German League Cup)
- kicker Bundesliga Team of the Season: 2005–06 (Chosen as one of the best players in the league)
- kicker Man of the Year: 2007 (Recognized for his achievements)
See also
In Spanish: Ivan Klasnić para niños
