Vedran Runje Croatian footballer, goalkeeper Date of Birth: 10.02.1976 Country: Croatia

Biography of Vedran Runje

Vedran Runje is a Croatian footballer, born on February 10, 1976, in the city of Sinj, former Yugoslavia. He began his professional career at Croatian club Hajduk in 1996 but struggled to establish himself as the first-choice goalkeeper with Tonci Gabric and Stipe Pletikosa ahead of him. As a result, Runje left Hajduk in 1998 and joined Belgian club Standard.

During his time at Standard from 1998 to 2001, Runje played 96 matches and was named the Best Goalkeeper in the Belgian league in 1999 and 2001. In 2001, he transferred to French club Marseille, where he served as the first-choice goalkeeper for two and a half seasons. Runje played a key role in helping Marseille qualify for the UEFA Champions League in 2003, featuring in five out of six group stage matches. However, he lost his place to Fabien Barthez in January 2004 and did not make any further appearances for Marseille that season.

Runje returned to Standard in the summer of 2004 and was once again named the Best Goalkeeper in 2006. He then caught the attention of Turkish club Besiktas and became their first-choice goalkeeper for the 2006-2007 season. Runje played 32 matches in the Turkish league and featured in all six of Besiktas' UEFA Cup matches. After his spell at Besiktas, Runje returned to the French league and signed a contract with Lens, where he continues to play today.

For the Croatian national team, Runje initially served as a backup to Stipe Pletikosa when Slaven Bilic became the head coach in 2006. He made his full international debut on November 15, 2006, in a match against Israel, which Croatia won 4-3. Runje made his next appearance in September 2007, during a 6-0 victory over Andorra. He also played in two friendly matches against Bosnia and Herzegovina and Slovakia that same year. Runje was included in the squad of 23 players for Euro 2008 held in Austria and Switzerland. He played his only match in the group stage against Poland, which Croatia won 1-0. By that time, Croatia had already secured a place in the quarterfinals after defeating Austria and Germany in their previous matches.

In June 2009, Runje became the first-choice goalkeeper for the national team after Pletikosa lost his place at Moscow's Spartak, where he played. He played in the home match against Ukraine in the qualification for the 2010 World Cup, which ended in a 2-2 draw. In the next game, Runje helped his team secure a 1-0 victory over Belarus, and was named the Man of the Match by many experts. However, Croatia suffered a devastating 5-1 defeat to England, with Runje making a mistake that led to Wayne Rooney scoring the fifth goal. In the final match of the qualification cycle, Runje played against Kazakhstan as Croatia narrowly won 2-1.

Overall, Vedran Runje has had a successful career as a goalkeeper, representing clubs in Belgium, France, and Turkey. He has also made significant contributions to the Croatian national team, participating in major tournaments such as Euro 2008.