Former Bolton Wanderers striker Ivan Klasnic has delivered a devastating update about his ongoing health struggles, revealing that he could “die at any time” due to a chronic kidney condition that has plagued him for years. The Croatian forward, who retired from professional football in 2013, has endured a grueling medical journey marked by multiple kidney transplants and a prolonged legal battle against his former club, Werder Bremen.
A career overshadowed by medical negligence
Klasnic’s health troubles began during his stint with Bundesliga side Werder Bremen between 2001 and 2008. The striker, who was once one of Europe’s promising attacking talents, was prescribed painkillers during his time with the club — medication that later proved catastrophic. The painkillers, administered without full awareness of his underlying kidney condition, worsened his renal disease, leading to long-term organ damage.
Following years of suffering, Ivan Klasnic underwent three kidney transplants, with his first two procedures taking place in 2007. Despite his determination to continue playing, the severity of his condition forced him to hang up his boots in 2013 after brief spells with Nantes, Bolton, and Mainz.
The long legal battle and its outcome
In a legal fight that stretched over 12 years, Klasnic took Werder Bremen’s club doctors to court, claiming medical malpractice. In 2020, he was awarded nearly £4 million in compensation after the court ruled in his favor. Earlier rulings, including one by the Bremen District Court in 2017, found two doctors — Gotz Dimanski and Manju Guha — guilty of contributing to Klasnic’s kidney failure through improper treatment and failure to detect early signs of his disease.
According to The British Medical Journal, the court ordered the doctors to cover Ivan Klasnic’s past and future medical costs, as well as damages for loss of income and pain and suffering.
Ivan Klasnic opens up about his struggle
In a recent German TV documentary, the 45-year-old shared an emotional insight into his daily battle for survival.
“Who knows how much longer I have left to live,” Klasnic admitted. “I have to be grateful that I am still alive, even though I am ill and I need to take tablets. Of course I am furious. I would not want anybody to have to endure what I have been through.”
Ivan Klasnic also expressed frustration that no financial compensation could ever restore his health, saying, “No matter how much money I have received in compensation, it won't bring my health back. It is difficult to get by without painkillers if you want to produce a performance on the field.”
He added, “I don't think that you can play any form of professional sport without using pain-relief drugs. But had I known that I had kidney problems, I would not have taken those medicines.”
Klasnic’s story stands as a somber reminder of the potential consequences of medical negligence in professional sports.