He played 138 matches in the Ekstraklasa and suddenly terminates the contract. End of career?

Ivan Runje played for the last time in PKO Ekstraklasa on April 5, 2021. Then Jagiellonia Białystok lost to Śląsk Wrocław 0:1. He later struggled with a severe knee injury that sidelined him for more than a year.

Runje is parting with Jagiellonia and probably with football

The Croatian defender was unable to fully recover. In the summer, he went to the Jagiellonia training camp in Opalenica, but after a week he had to leave it, he was unable to train at full capacity.

– I was in great football condition, although a little slower and sometimes I lacked pitch orientation. But the purely football form was good, as it had been in Jaga for years. Well, after a week, the knee started to hurt, the groin came back. I clenched my teeth, I didn’t give up, but you can’t fool your body. At some point, the knee pain became unbearable – he said in July in an interview with .

He has struggled to stay healthy at home over the last few months, but it was a failed attempt to return to the game. – Unfortunately, there’s no need to cheat, my knee is not good. My compatriot, a well-known doctor, will try to help. I don’t want to caw, but she might be the last. As long as he intervenes at all. First, he will check the condition of the cartilage in the knee and the bone – said Runje.

This season, the Croatian appeared once in the reserves of “Jaga”, but the injury soon relapsed. Therefore, he decided to terminate his contract with the club by mutual consent. Most likely, he will not make another attempt to return to the field and will announce his retirement soon.

Ivan Runje played a total of 155 matches for Jagiellonia in all competitions (of which 138 in the Ekstraklasa). He scored ten goals and recorded seven assists. He had a valid contract until the end of June 2024. In the past, he represented the colors of the Danish FC Nordsjaelland and the Cypriot Omonia Nicosia.