Ex-Premier League striker who 'didn't know how long he had to live' issues new health update

Former Bolton Wanderers striker Ivan Klasnic has issued an update on his health, having previously had three kidney transplants.

Klasnic, 46, is best known for his time in the Premier League with Bolton, for whom he made 94 appearances, registering 24 goals and 12 assists between 2009 and 2012.

The German-born Croatia international, who earned 41 caps for his country, also represented German sides St Pauli, Werder Bremen, Mainz and French side Nantes during a career which spanned 15 years.

Throughout his life, the former footballer has battled health issues, receiving a kidney transplant from his mother, Sima, in 2007 after suffering kidney failure while playing for Werder Bremen.

However, the organ donation was rejected just days after the transplant.

When Klasnic’s kidneys failed for a second time, his father, John, stepped in. This transplant was successful for nine years.

Ivan Klasnic in action for Bolton in 2009 (Credit:Getty)

However, he needed a third kidney operation in 2017 and, on that occasion, another donor was found.

Three years later, in 2020, the former Bolton star was awarded £3.6 million in damages after suffering serious kidney damage while at Werder.

Klasnic argued that the painkillers he was prescribed during his time with the German side contributed to his health issues.

In October 2025, he issued an update on his health via a German TV show.

“Who knows how much longer I have left to live,” he 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. No matter how much money I have received in compensation, it won’t bring my health back.”

He added: “It is difficult to get by without painkillers if you want to produce a performance on the field. I don’t think 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.”

Now, over five months on, Klasnic has issued a further update on his health after he was hospitalised for two weeks after contracting a virus in March.

The Croatian was kept in hospital as a precautionary measure due to his medical history, but has since told German newspaper BILD that he has returned home.

Klasnic told BILD: "I'm back home with my family."