Ragnar Klavan

Tulevik

Klavan started out playing for his hometown team Tulevik. He made his senior league debut in the Esiliiga on 8 April 2001, playing for Tulevik's reserve team Elva and scoring the winning goal against Sillamäe Kalev in a 2–1 home victory. He moved to Tulevik's first team in 2002 and made his debut in the Meistriliiga on 31 March 2002, at age 16, in a goalless draw against Levadia. While at Tulevik, Klavan had a trial with Sunderland, but was not offered a contract.

Flora

In July 2003, Klavan joined Meistriliiga club Flora. He made his debut for the club on 11 July 2003, when he came on as a 67th-minute substitute and scored in the 85th minute of a 4–4 away draw against TVMK. Klavan won the Meistriliiga title in the 2003 season.

Vålerenga (loan)

On 31 August 2004, Klavan joined Norwegian club Vålerenga on a three-month loan for a fee of 300,000 NOK, with an option to sign permanently for €500,000 when the loan period ended. He made his debut in the Tippeligaen on 19 September 2004, coming on as a substitute in the 86th minute of a 4–1 victory over Molde. Klavan made one more league appearance before spending two matches on the bench as an unused substitute. On 19 November 2004, his loan was extended for a year until 30 November 2005.

Heracles Almelo

On 4 August 2005, Klavan signed a three-year contract with Eredivisie club Heracles Almelo for a fee of €200,000. He made his debut in the Eredivisie on 13 August 2005, in a 1–1 home…

Klavan began his youth career in 1999 with the Estonia under-15 team. He also represented the under-17, under-18, under-20, and under-21 national sides, amassing 22 youth appearances overall. Klavan made his senior international debut for Estonia on 3 July 2003, at age 17, in 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. Klavan made his 50th appearance for the national team on 11 October 2008, in a 3–0 home defeat to Spain in a qualification match for the 2010 FIFA World Cup. He played in both matches against the Republic of Ireland in the UEFA Euro 2012 qualifying play-offs as Estonia lost 5–1 on aggregate. On 29 February 2012, Klavan captained Estonia for the first time and scored in a 2–0 friendly victory over El Salvador. In 2012, he succeeded Raio Piiroja as Estonia's captain. On 27 March 2015, Klavan made his 100th appearance for Estonia, in a 0–3 away loss to Switzerland in a UEFA Euro 2016 qualifying match. Klavan has been named Estonian Footballer of the Year a record seven times, in 2012, 2014, 2015, 2016, 2017, 2018 and 2019.

Klavan was born on 30 October 1985 in Viljandi, Estonia to Tiina and Dzintar Klavan. His father was a professional footballer who played as a midfielder and represented the Estonia national team. Klavan also started playing football as a midfielder; later stating that Zinedine Zidane was his inspiration.

Klavan and his wife, Lili Orel, married on 10 June 2011. They have two sons, Romer and Ronan, and one daughter, Luna. In May 2016, Klavan became president of Estonian football club Tallinna Kalev. Klavan announced the Estonian jury points at the grand final of Eurovision Song Contest 2023 as the country's spokesperson. The contest was held in the city of Liverpool.