Fondly nicknamed Lord Klavan, the centre-back quickly endeared himself to supporters and became a cult hero at Anfield, a turn of events that came to be thanks to Liverpool’s shock interest.
At the age of 30, the then Augsburg defender swapped Germany for Merseyside in a £4.2 million move, one that was at odds with FSG’s thoroughly debated transfer policy.
He was Jurgen Klopp‘s fifth permanent signing, and the shock supporters may have felt at the time may have paled in comparison to that of Ragnar Klavan.
The Estonia captain could not quite believe it was Liverpool calling for him and not Everton in 2016, which says everything about how his world flipped in a flash.
Recalling his Anfield move, Klavan told the club’s website: “It was around May 2016 when my life really changed. This was the first time I became aware there was some interest from Liverpool.
“My agent said, ‘The Liverpool team is interested.’ I asked, ‘Everton?’ He said, ‘No, no, the red ones!’
“I wasn’t some kind of superstar in Germany, I was just a hard-working player, so to get this kind of news shocked my world.
“A few months later, I fulfilled my dream by completing the transfer to Liverpool and my world pretty much changed overnight.”
A dependable deputy at centre-back, Klavan made 53 appearances for the Reds between 2016 and 2018, and he went from being recognised only where he played to global recognition in an instant.
“Suddenly, I – a rather shy person, to be honest – had this worldwide recognition now and it was something totally new for me,” he reflected.
Not the shock package Everton could have offered if they were the ones to call Klavan all those years ago!
A memorable injury-time winner at Burnley and the ‘Klavan Turn’ played their part in his cult hero status, a tag he carries with pride after realising his career-long dream.
He said: “I guess it’s nice to be a cult hero because I had such amazing experiences with Liverpool fans – in the city itself and all over the world.
“I can tell you the admiration was on both sides.”
