Ivan Klasnić
| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Height | 1.86 m (6 ft 1 in) | ||
| Position(s) | Striker | ||
| Team information | |||
Current team | Werder Bremen | ||
| ‡ National team caps and goals, correct as of 09 May2006 | |||
Ivan Klasnić [ˈiʋan ˈklasnitɕ] (born January 29, 1980 in Hamburg, Germany) is a Croatian football player who currently plays for Bundesliga side Werder Bremen. He is considered as one of Croatia's brightest young talents. Speedy and a telling figure in the air, Ivan Klasnic is also a tricky customer on the floor, where he has a knack for scoring from unpromising situations.
Player Profile
Klasnic was born in Hamburg, Germany, to Croatian parents and impressed as a striker for local side St Pauli. Before this he has played for Union 03 Hamburg and TSV Stellingen.
He made the switch to Werder Bremen in 2001 and finally made his mark in the first team in 2003 with some powerful performances in the Bundesliga. His first two seasons at the club had been marked by erratic form and two serious knee injuries but he laid old ghosts to rest as he emerged a key figure in Werder Bremen]'s march to the Bundesliga title.
In the 2003-2004 season, he won the German Championship as well as the German Cup with Werder Bremen, scoring 13 goals. He scored 13 goals and made another 11 for his Bralizian strike partner Ailton.His expiring contract caused a scramble for his signature at the beginning of the year before he eventually decided to stay at Bremen.
Klasnic turned down an invitation from Rudi Voeller to play for Germany in favour of Croatia. By a quirk of fate, his international debut came against Germany in February 2004.
He was selected to play for Croatia in the 2004 European Football Championship. However, he was left on the substitutes bench throughout the tournament. Croatia did not advance past the group stage and the media often attributed that to the lack of inclusion of Klasnić, among other things.
Participating in the 2004-2005 UEFA Champions League, Klasnić scored 5 goals, including a hat-trick, helping Bremen advance to the first knock-out stage of the competition before losing to Lyon.