Former Liverpool defender Ragnar Klavan has announced his retirement from football at the age of 39, bringing an end to an impressive career.
The Estonian completed a move to the Reds back in 2016, in what was Jurgen Klopp‘s first summer transfer window in charge.
Klavan enjoyed two seasons at Anfield, making 53 appearances and gaining a cult hero status among the fanbase.
A high point for the centre-back was a last-gasp winner at Burnley on New Year’s Day in 2018, in what was his second and final goal for Liverpool.
On Tuesday, Klavan announced his retirement from football on Instagram, posting a heartfelt message after an excellent career that included 130 caps for Estonia.
“Having a dream in your bedroom at the age of 13 in Viljandi and making it come true is not that easy,” Klavan wrote.
“These are of course lots of highlights, but above all was making the Estonian national team, because I broke that dream down into smaller parts and one of the dreams I had was to play for the Estonian A-team.
“After my first international appearance, from there things started moving forward and ended up with me playing in three of the top leagues in the world.”
Klavan spent 16 years away from his birth country, with spells in the Netherlands, Germany and Italy as well as England, playing against Arne Slot five times while at Heracles Almelo.
In terms of his next step, Klavan – who ended his career playing for JK Tallinna Kalev in the Estonian top flight – explained that he now intends to run for the presidency of the Estonian FA (EJL) next year.
“The decision to run is definitely influenced by the fact that I see and believe that Estonian football has greater potential,” he added.
“Certainly one of the things that has made the Nordics great throughout history can be summed up in two words – cooperation and innovation.
“Innovation is very much in line with cooperation, and by cooperation I mean leadership. Things are open, transparent and collaborative, and that has always been the strength of the Nordics.
“Personally, I see that we still have a lot of potential for this.”
While never a key player for Liverpool during his two-year stay under Klopp, he never let the team down and put his experience to good use.
He came on as a substitute in the second leg of the Champions League semi-final against Roma in 2018, helping the Reds see out the tie and book a place in the final against Real Madrid in Kyiv.
All the best in your retirement, Ragnar!
