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Estonia - The Ultimate Underdog in European football but sometimes even small countries can produce great football players. History has shown if everything falls in place Estonia is capable of defeating any top team in the world.
Estonian national team played the very first FIFA match as an independent country against Slovenia which was a 1:1 draw.
Estonia has never qualified for the UEFA European Championship or the FIFA World Cup. In 2012 Estonia reached EURO qualifying play-offs which were a historical achievement for Estonian football. Exciting times for Estonia did not last long because Estonia was defeated by Northern Ireland and Estonia was out of the championship once again.
Estonian highest FIFA ranking came after EURO 2012 qualification stage placing them 47th which is a very remarkable achievement for a new country.
Estonia has never given up and football level is always improving. Every year we can see Estonian footballers be transferred to top teams in Europe.
Today we look at the Top 5 best Estonian footballers of all time. Can you guess who is number 1?
#5 Raio Piiroja
Piiroja is probably the greatest center-back and one of the best captains in the history of Estonian football. Piiroja is 5-time Estonian Player of the Year and has received an Order of the White Star from the President of Estonia. It is an honorable Estonian award to be given remarkable Estonian citizens for their services.
Piiroja debuted (National Team) in 1998 against Armenia, however, the game was lost 2:1. Piiroja was 19 years old.
Piiroja has played 114 matches and scored 8 goals for Estonia. He scored his first goal in 1999 against the Faroe Islands and few years after he established himself as a number one center-back in Estonian national team.
Later in his career, he became very injury prone and he had to miss several important games for Estonia. After multiple attempts to make a comeback, he was never able to play as he used to.
After many injuries, Piiroja decided to retire in 2015. He played his final match against Iceland and made history as one of the greatest Estonian football players of all time.
#4 Andres Oper
Andres Oper is the all-time record top scorer and is considered as the greatest striker in Estonian football. Oper is 3-time Estonian player of the year and has won the Estonian Silverball (award for the best goal) twice.
Oper debuted against Latvia in 1995. Unfortunately, the match was lost 0:2. Oper was 17 years old. He scored his first goal against Sweden in 1997.
Andres Oper has played 134 matches and scored 38 goals for his national team.
In 2003 he founded Andres Oper's Football School which was very successful in Estonia. His football school decided to close its doors in 2012 after some disagreements with Estonian Football Association.
He retired in 2014. Currently, Andres Oper is an assistant manager of Estonian national team.
#3 Konstantin Vassiljev
Konstantin Vassiljev is an attacking midfielder and also probably the most exciting Estonian football player of all time. He is best known for his powerful long shot abilities and free kicks making him the true maestro in midfield. He was the most influential players during EURO 2012 qualification stage when Estonia finished the group second for the first time ever. Konstantin Vassiljev has been Estonian player of the year three times and has won Estonian Silverball award five times which has never been done before. Vassiljev also received The Order of the White Star from the President of Estonia.
Vassiljev debuted for Estonian senior team against New Zealand in 2006 and scored his first goal against Armenia in 2009. So far Konstantin Vassiljev has played 104 matches and scored 23 goals for Estonia. Also, we need to consider the fact that he is not finished yet. Currently, he plays for the Polish club Piast Gliwice.
#2 Ragnar Klavan
Ragnar Klavan is probably the most known Estonian football player at the moment. He is current captain of Estonian national team and Liverpool FC centre back. Ragnar Klavan started his career as a left back however he established himself as centre-back after some good performances. Klavan is 5-time Estonian Player of the Year.
At an early age, Klavan wanted to be a midfielder like Zinedine Zidane.
Klavan made his national team debut against Lithuania in 2003 and scored his first goal against New Zealand in 2006. Klavan has played 124 matches and scored 3 goals for the national team. Also, we need to consider the fact he is still currently playing.
Klavan is also the president of an Estonian football club Tallinna Kalev
#1 Mart Poom
Mart Poom aka "Poominator" (goalkeeper) is considered to be the greatest Estonian football player of all time. Former Derby County, Sunderland and Arsenal goalkeeper has won the Estonian Player of the Year award a record six times making him the most successful footballer in Estonia. Mart Poom was also selected as the Golden Player by UEFA and received the Order of the White Star from the President of Estonia.
Poom debuted for Estonia against Slovenia in 1992. He has played 120 games and kept 31 clean sheets making him the true legend in Estonian football.
Poom retired in 2009 after a match against Portugal. Currently, Mart Poom is a goalkeeping coach of the Estonian football team.
