Ragnar Klavan

3.1. Estonian clubs

Klavan started his senior career with his hometown team, Tulevik. He made his senior league debut in the Esiliiga (Estonian second tier) on 8 April 2001, playing for Tulevik's reserve team, FC Elva. In that match against Sillamäe Kalev, he scored the winning goal in a 2-1 home victory. He remained with Elva until 2002, making 31 appearances and scoring 11 goals.

In 2002, he moved to Tulevik's first team and made his Meistriliiga (Estonian top tier) debut on 31 March 2002, at the age of 16, in a goalless draw against Levadia. During his time at Tulevik, Klavan had a trial with English club Sunderland A.F.C. but was not offered a contract. He played 28 matches for Tulevik, scoring 2 goals.

In July 2003, Klavan joined fellow Meistriliiga club Flora. His debut for Flora came on 11 July 2003, where he entered as a 67th-minute substitute and scored in the 85th minute of a 4-4 away draw against TVMK. Klavan won the Meistriliiga title with Flora in the 2003 season and also secured the Estonian Supercup in 2003. He made 28 league appearances for Flora, scoring 2 goals before moving abroad.

3.2. European debut

On 31 August 2004, Klavan made his first move abroad, joining Norwegian club Vålerenga on a three-month loan for a fee of 300.00 K NOK, with an option to sign permanently for 500.00 K EUR. He debuted in the Tippeligaen (now Eliteserien) on 19 September 2004, coming on as a substitute in a 4-1 victory over Molde. His loan was extended for another year until 30 November 2005. While at Vålerenga, he made only 4 appearances (2 league, 2 cup) but was part of the squad that won the Norwegian League in 2005.

On 4 August 2005, Klavan signed a three-year contract with Dutch Eredivisie club Heracles Almelo for a fee of 200.00 K EUR. He made his Eredivisie debut on 13 August 2005 in a 1-1 home draw against PSV. Klavan scored his first Eredivisie goal on 31 December 2006 in a 2-2 home draw against Vitesse, also providing an assist in the same match. He continued to be a key player, scoring against Roda JC in August 2007 and in the KNVB Cup against FC Omniworld in October 2007. On 29 December 2007, he extended his contract until 30 June 2009. He scored against Ajax in the final match of the 2007-08 season and against Feyenoord in the opening match of the 2008-09 season, where he was selected for the Dutch team of the week. He made 95 appearances for Heracles, scoring 4 goals.

On 27 January 2009, Klavan joined AZ on a loan deal until the end of the 2008-09 season, with an option for a permanent transfer. He debuted for AZ on 4 February 2009 in a 1-0 home victory over Roda JC. Just ten days later, on 14 February, Klavan signed a four-year contract with AZ, committing to the club until June 2013. He quickly contributed to AZ winning the Eredivisie title in the 2008-09 season.

On 29 September 2009, Klavan made history by becoming the first Estonian player to feature in the UEFA Champions League group stage, coming on as a substitute in a 1-1 home draw against Standard Liège. While he had limited playing time under managers Ronald Koeman and Dick Advocaat during the 2009-10 season, making only 11 league appearances, he became a regular starter for AZ under Gertjan Verbeek. He scored his first goal for AZ in the UEFA Europa League qualifying round against IFK Göteborg on 29 July 2010. He also scored in KNVB Cup matches against FC Eindhoven in November 2010 and FC Dordrecht in October 2011. Overall, he played 104 matches for AZ, scoring 3 goals.

3.3. Major European leagues

On 2 July 2012, Klavan signed a two-year contract with German club FC Augsburg for an undisclosed fee, marking his move to the Bundesliga. He made his Bundesliga debut on 14 September 2012, as a substitute in a goalless home draw against VfL Wolfsburg, becoming the first Estonian to play in the German top flight. He quickly established himself as a first-choice centre-back, often partnering with Jan-Ingwer Callsen-Bracker. During his time at Augsburg, he played alongside South Korean national team players Koo Ja-cheol, Ji Dong-won, and Hong Jeong-ho, making him a familiar face to Korean Bundesliga fans.

Klavan scored his first Bundesliga goal on 1 March 2014 in a 1-1 home draw against Hannover 96. He also scored in a 2-1 home victory over Eintracht Frankfurt in May 2014 and again against Eintracht Frankfurt in a 2-2 home draw in February 2015. Six days later, he scored in a 3-2 away loss to Werder Bremen. In the 2014-15 season, Klavan played every minute of every league match as FC Augsburg finished fifth, their highest position in history, securing qualification for the 2015-16 UEFA Europa League. He amassed 140 appearances for FC Augsburg, scoring 4 goals.

On 20 July 2016, Klavan signed a three-year contract with Premier League club Liverpool for a reported fee of 4.20 M GBP (approximately 5.00 M EUR), making him the most expensive Estonian footballer ever at that time. He was assigned the number 17 shirt.

Klavan made his Premier League debut on 14 August 2016, starting in a 4-3 victory over Arsenal at Emirates Stadium. He scored his first goal for Liverpool on 20 September 2016 in a 3-0 away victory over Derby County in the third round of the EFL Cup. On 19 December 2016, he was named man of the match for his performance in Liverpool's 1-0 victory in the Merseyside derby against Everton at Goodison Park.

On 1 January 2018, Klavan became the first-ever Estonian player to score in the Premier League when he netted the winning goal in the fourth minute of injury time in a 2-1 away win against Burnley. He made eight appearances in the 2017-18 UEFA Champions League campaign, where Liverpool reached the final. He was an unused substitute in Liverpool's 3-1 loss to Real Madrid in the final of the tournament. Following the arrival of Virgil van Dijk in December 2017, Klavan's playing time at Liverpool gradually decreased. He made 53 appearances for Liverpool, scoring 2 goals.

On 17 August 2018, Klavan signed a two-year contract with Italian club Cagliari for a fee of 2.00 M GBP. He made his Serie A debut on 26 August in a 2-2 home draw against Sassuolo. He played 64 matches for Cagliari.

3.4. Return to Estonia and retirement

On 1 July 2021, Klavan returned to Estonian football after 17 years abroad, signing for Meistriliiga club Paide Linnameeskond. He made his debut for Paide in a 2-1 loss against Śląsk Wrocław in a UEFA Europa Conference League qualifying match on 8 July 2021. His league debut came on 31 July, ending in a goalless draw against defending champions FC Flora. In his next league game against Viljandi Tulevik, he scored two goals. With Paide, he won the Estonian Cup in 2022. He made 22 appearances for Paide, scoring 3 goals.

On 17 July 2023, Klavan signed for another Estonian Meistriliiga club, Tallinna Kalev. He had been the president of Tallinna Kalev since 2016, and this move saw him join the club's first-team squad.

On 11 December 2024, Ragnar Klavan officially announced his retirement from professional football via his Instagram account, concluding a career that spanned over two decades.

4.1. Youth career

Klavan began his youth international career in 1999 with the Estonia U-15 team. He subsequently represented the U-17, U-18, U-20, and U-21 national sides. Across these youth categories, he accumulated 22 appearances.

4.2. Senior career

Klavan made his senior international debut for Estonia on 3 July 2003, at the age of 17, in a 5-1 loss to Lithuania at the 2003 Baltic Cup. He scored his first international goal on 31 May 2006 in a 1-1 home draw against New Zealand in a friendly match.

He earned his 50th appearance for the national team on 11 October 2008 in a 3-0 home defeat to Spain in a 2010 FIFA World Cup qualification match. Klavan played in both legs of the UEFA Euro 2012 qualifying play-offs against the Republic of Ireland, which Estonia lost 5-1 on aggregate. The Euro 2012 qualifiers marked Estonia's first-ever play-off appearance in a major international tournament.

On 29 February 2012, Klavan captained Estonia for the first time and scored in a 2-0 friendly victory over El Salvador. Later in 2012, he officially succeeded Raio Piiroja as Estonia's permanent captain.

On 27 March 2015, Klavan made his 100th appearance for Estonia, joining the exclusive Centurion Club in a 0-3 away loss to Switzerland in a UEFA Euro 2016 qualifying match. In that match, which was level at 0-0 until the closing stages, he unfortunately scored an own goal in the 94th minute, a moment of deep regret for the player despite his milestone.

Klavan has received the Estonian Footballer of the Year award a record seven times. He first won it in 2012, and then for six consecutive years from 2014 to 2019, making him the most decorated Estonian footballer in terms of this individual honor. He concluded his international career with 130 appearances and 3 goals for Estonia.

6.1. Club

Klavan's club career statistics are detailed below, encompassing appearances and goals across various leagues and cup competitions.

6.2. International

Klavan's international statistics, including appearances and goals for the Estonian national team.

The following table lists Ragnar Klavan's international goals, with Estonia's goal tally presented first.

7.1. Club

• Meistriliiga: 2003
• Estonian Supercup: 2003

• Norwegian League: 2005

• Eredivisie: 2008-09

• UEFA Champions League runner-up: 2017-18

• Estonian Cup: 2021-22

7.2. Individual

• Estonian Footballer of the Year: 2012, 2014, 2015, 2016, 2017, 2018, 2019