Football FanCast columnist Alex Dimond looks at the remarkable story of Croatian striker Ivan Klasnic and cites that as the reason he will be supporting Slaven Bilic's men in the Euro's.

The commercialisation of football has had many widespread effects. It has permitted clubs to bring in players from all corners of the globe, at unprecedented cost, to see them strut their stuff in front of not only their home crowds, but also TV audiences thousands of miles of way. Football, and particularly the Premiership, has become a truly global game - bringing unimaginable wealth to those involved. But such change has not been a universally good thing.

With the influx of money, and the changes in decision-making that surrounds it, it is hard not observe that much of the romanticism of the ‘beautiful game' has been lost. The evidence is all around us - the de-valuation of the FA Cup (most overtly after holders Man Utd chose instead to play in the World Club Championships in 2003), Cristiano Ronaldo's (seeming) preference to pursue extra Eurosover becoming a club legend at Old Trafford, the selling of historic English clubs to foreign investors - all demonstrate how money has changed the essence of our special game.

But, if you look in the right places, tales of personal struggle and triumph can still be found. One of them might well make an appearance on our TV screens this afternoon, running out in Klagenfurt to take his bow in Euro 2008. We've all seen these adverts, asking ‘who will you support'? Well, in case you were wondering, I will be supporting Croatia. You might reasonably ask ‘Err...why?' Well, it isnot solely because they are my assigned Pro Evo team, in contest with my Portugal and Sweden playing housemates, although this has played a massive part. It is certainly not because they knocked out England - the only good thing to come of that was the sacking of Steve McClaren. Nope, the main reason I will be loaning my support to the Vatreni this summer is because of one man - Ivan Klasnic.

I was only vaguely aware of Klasnic throughout much of his career. I knew he was a great striker, scoring many goals in a Werder Bremen side that captured more than one Bundesliga. A man of multi-cultural heritage - he had the option of playing for Germany and Bosnia-Herzegovina before ultimately choosing Croatia - he was also a force to be reckoned with in the Champions League. In Germany, he was rated as one of the top strikers in the country. Establishing himself on the international stage, he played in a World Cup on his way to a solid record of 7 goals in 24 international appearances. Managing all this at just 26 years of age, he looked to have the footballing world at his feet. But then the ground was cruelly taken away from underneath him, as devastating illness struck.

It was late 2005 when Ivan's life changed. In hospital for a routine appendix operation, he was discovered to have a rare kidney disease. While initially contained with a cocktail of drugs (that permitted him to attend the '06 World Cup), this unexpected diagnosis led to Klasnic suffering multiple kidney failure in January 2007. Consigned to hospital, with a dialysis machine playing the role of his kidneys, transplant was the only option to save his life. His mother, Sima, offered one of her kidneys - with doctors predicting a 90% chance of success. Although the transplant looked promising initially, Ivan's body soon rejected the kidney - 5 days after the initial operation and, cruelly, on the day he ‘celebrated' his birthday. Klasnic, a devout Christian, took the blow with humility and did not lose hope, especially as willing family donors were not in short supply. This time it was his father who stepped up to the plate - and finallythe organ transplant was a success. By August 2007, Klasnic was well on the road to recovery. His life was saved, but his footballing career looked over - doctors were adamant that he would never play football again. The physical pressures and potentially fatal consequences of an awkward blow were believed to be too much for a recovering transplant patient.

Demonstrating the character (or the foolishness) of the man, Ivan set about proving the doctors wrong. Training was hard, but the incentive was high. Slaven Bilic, never a man to do things by convention, promised Klasnic a place in his Euro 2008 squad if he managed to play just one minute of competitive football for Werder Bremen in the 07/08 season. Klasnic didn't just manage one minute - he managed 16 games. The scoring touch had obviously not left him either - he managed to score 7 goals in that time.

His first goal back for Werder was met with an outpouring of emotion, as fans and the player alike observed the culmination to the magnificent recovery he had made. His subsequent return to the national team, months before proceedings kicked off in Austria and Switzerland, were met with similar scenes. Making 4 further appearances (1 goal) since that time, it is arguable that Klasnic even managed to make Croatia's squad on merit.

Not many players (or people) can say they have looked similar adversity in the eye, and not blinked. Not many players will have the same appreciation for their place at Euro 2008, or indeed the fortune they have to play professional football. In this respect, Ivan Klasnic is a reminder of a bygone era, where the honour of playing football was never taken for granted, and footballers could be admired for who they were, not what they did. Despite offers from Werder Bremen, Klasnic is out of contract this summer and in search of a new club. Hopefully, scouts and prospective employers will see the big man run out against Germany, and put in an eye-catching performance.

If he plays anything like his Pro Evo incarnation, he won't have any trouble finding a new club. But even if he doesn't, Klasnic has proved too many that there are more important things in life than a new contract.

NB - Alex Dimond is competing in our Bloggers Euro Championship so if you can give his article a rating in the voting box, it would be greatly appreciated.

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