Mart Poom

Mart Poom (born 3 February 1972) is an Estonian football coach and former professional player regarded as one of the greatest Estonian footballers of all time.[1][2] He is currently the goalkeeping coach of the Estonia national team.

Mart Poom
Poom with Estonia in 2019
Personal information
Date of birth (1972-02-03) 3 February 1972
Place of birth Tallinn, Estonia
Height 1.95 m (6 ft 5 in)
Position(s) Goalkeeper
Youth career
1979–1989 Lõvid
Senior career*
Years Team Apps (Gls)
1988 Lõvid/Flora 20 (0)
1989–1990 Sport Tallinn 59 (0)
1992 KuPS 9 (0)
1992–1993 Flora 22 (0)
1993–1994 Wil 13 (0)
1994–1997 Portsmouth 4 (0)
1995–1997 → Flora (loan) 19 (0)
1997–2003 Derby County 146 (0)
2002–2003 → Sunderland (loan) 0 (0)
2003–2006 Sunderland 58 (1)
2005–2006 → Arsenal (loan) 0 (0)
2006–2007 Arsenal 1 (0)
2007–2009 Watford 19 (0)
Total 370 (1)
International career
1992–2009 Estonia 120 (0)
Managerial career
2009– Estonia (goalkeeping coach)
*Club domestic league appearances and goals

Poom played as a goalkeeper for Lõvid, Sport Tallinn, KuPS, Flora, Wil, Portsmouth, Derby County, Sunderland, Arsenal, and Watford. Poom made his international debut on 3 June 1992 in the Estonia national team's first official match since restoration of independence, a 1–1 draw against Slovenia in a friendly. He made a total of 120 appearances for Estonia and was the team's captain. Poom won the Estonian Footballer of the Year award six times, in 1993, 1994, 1997, 1998, 2000 and 2003, the second most times won, behind only Ragnar Klavan. In November 2003, Poom was named Estonia's Golden Player. He ended his career on 10 June 2009, after a 0–0 draw against Portugal.[3]

Early life

Poom was born in Tallinn and grew up in Mustamäe. He graduated from the Tallinn Secondary School No. 49 with a gold medal and enrolled at the Tallinn University of Technology, but didn't finish his studies, focusing on football.

Club career

Early career

Poom started playing football with Tallinna Lõvid (English: Lions of Tallinn), before moving to Soviet Second League club Sport Tallinn in 1989.

KuPS

In 1992, Poom joined Finnish Veikkausliiga club KuPS. He played only 9 games in Finland, before returning to Estonia.

Flora

Back in Estonia, Poom and signed for Meistriliiga club Flora, the successor of the Lõvid team.

Wil

On 1 August 1993, Poom left Flora and joined Nationalliga B side Wil for a reported transfer fee of £128,000.[4]

Portsmouth

On 4 August 1994, Poom moved to England and signed for First Division side Portsmouth for a reported transfer fee of £170,000. He made four league appearances for Portsmouth.

Flora (loan)

In 1995, Poom joined his former club Flora on loan, where he broke the club record by keeping a clean sheet for 756 minutes.

Derby County

On 26 March 1997, Poom joined Derby County for a reported transfer fee of £595,000, following a strong performance for Estonia (a 0–0 draw against Scotland, in a rearranged match played in Monaco).[5] He made his debut in the Premier League on 5 April 1997, against Manchester United in Derby's 3–2 away win at Old Trafford, becoming the first player from Estonia to play in the PL. Poom soon became a fan favourite, with supporters often confusing unfamiliar commentators with a low chant of 'Pooooom' before games, which sounded like booing. Poom was named Derby County's Player of the Year in the 1999–2000 season and in 2022, the best footballer of the 2000s decade by Derby County [6]

Sunderland

On 18 November 2002, following Derby County's relegation to the First Division in the 2001–02 season, Poom joined Sunderland on loan. The move was made permanent on 10 January 2003, for a fee of £3.19 million. On 20 September 2003, he headed a 90th-minute equaliser for Sunderland against Derby County at Pride Park. This was described as "the best goal ever scored by a goalkeeper in the 90th minute on his first match against his former club" by the commentator. The goal was cheered by both sets of fans.[7] Poom's career in Sunderland was beset by several injuries, and he was forced to spend much of the 2004–05 season on the sidelines, making 11 league appearances as Sunderland won the 2004–05 Football League Championship.

Arsenal
Poom warming up prior to a match against Bolton Wanderers in January 2007

On 31 August 2005, Poom was signed by Arsenal on loan as temporary cover for Jens Lehmann and Manuel Almunia. The move was made permanent on 23 January 2006.[8] He was Arsenal's third-choice keeper, and did not play a single match in the 2005–06 season. However, he became the first Estonian to receive a Champions League runners-up medal after Arsenal lost to Barcelona in the 2006 UEFA Champions League Final. Poom did not play nor did he make the substitutes' bench for the final, but was in Arsenal's 25-man European squad, each of whom won a silver medal.[9]

He made his debut for Arsenal on 8 November 2006 in a League Cup match against Everton, replacing the injured Manuel Almunia at half-time. Arsenal won the match 1–0 from an Emmanuel Adebayor goal.[10] His first and only appearance for Arsenal in the Premier League, came on the last day of the 2006–07 season, against his former club, Portsmouth, in a 0–0 draw.[11][12]

Watford

On 26 May 2007, Poom signed for Watford, who had recently been relegated from the Premier League, for an undisclosed fee.[13] He started the new season as Watford's first choice, but went on to lose his place to Richard Lee.

Poom returned to the side for the start of the 2008–09 season, but sustained a dislocated shoulder in a game against Reading on 20 September 2008 that ruled him out for the majority of the season. Although he returned to training before the end of the season, he was not considered for the first-team squad and he was released from his contract, which was due to end in June, on 30 April 2009.[14]

International career

Poom made his international debut for the Estonia national team on 3 June 1992, in a historic 1–1 friendly draw against Slovenia. The match was Estonia's first official match since restoration of independence and Slovenia's first match ever. In November 2003, the Estonian Football Association named Poom Estonia's greatest player of the last 50 years. Poom ended his international career with a testimonial match on 10 June 2009, after a 0–0 friendly draw against Portugal in Tallinn.[15] He made 120 appearances, keeping a clean sheet in 31 matches.[16]

Personal life

Poom and his wife, Lissel, have three sons: Markus, Andreas and Patrick.[17][18] Markus is also a footballer, while Andreas is a music artist.

Career statistics

Club
Appearances and goals by club, season and competition
Club Season League National cup League cup Europe Other Total
DivisionAppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoals
Lõvid/Flora 1988 Estonian Championship 200——200
Sport Tallinn 1989 Soviet Second League 330——330
1990 Baltic League 260——260
Total 590——590
KuPS 1992 Veikkausliiga 90——90
Flora 1992–93 Meistriliiga 110——110
1993–94 110——110
Total 220——220
Wil 1993–94 Nationalliga B 130——130
Portsmouth 1994–95 First Division 000000—0000
1995–96 400030—0070
Total 400030—0070
Flora (loan) 1995–96 Meistriliiga 7000—000070
1996–97 12000—2000140
Total 19000—2000210
Derby County 1996–97 Premier League 400000—0040
1997–98 3602030—00410
1998–99 1702030—00220
1999–2000 2801000—00290
2000–01 3302040—00390
2001–02 1501000—00160
2002–03 First Division 1300020—00150
Total 146080120—001660
Sunderland 2002–03 Premier League 400000—0040
2003–04 First Division 4316010—20521
2004–05 Championship 1100010—00120
Total 5816020—20681
Arsenal 2005–06 Premier League 000000000000
2006–07 100010000020
Total 100010000020
Watford 2007–08 Championship 1200000—00120
2008–09 700000—0070
Total 1900000—00190
Career total 370114018020204061

International
Appearances and goals by national team and year
National teamYearAppsGoals
Estonia 199250
1993140
199480
199570
1996120
1997120
199850
199960
200070
200130
200270
2003110
200440
200510
200660
200780
200830
200910
Total1200

Honours

Sunderland

Arsenal

Individual

See also

References
  1. "Jalka suur edetabel: Eesti kõigi aegade 100 parimat jalgpallurit". Jalgpall (in Estonian). 5 April 2016. Retrieved 13 January 2023.
  2. Peelo, Taavi. "Top 5 Estonian football players of all time". www.sportskeeda.com. Retrieved 13 January 2023.
  3. "Poom set for one final game". skysports.com. 3 June 2009. Retrieved 3 June 2009.
  4. http://www.legioner.kulichki.com/index.php?id=11&lang=en&player=20 in Russian
  5. Brewin, John (10 October 2014). "One team in Tallinn: when Scotland kicked off against nobody – and still didn't win". FourFourTwo. Retrieved 14 October 2019.
  6. "Mart Poom on endiselt inglaste südametes: endine Eesti koondislane valiti oma ajastu parimaks mängijaks". Postimees. 16 May 2022.
  7. "Derby 1–1 Sunderland". BBC Sport. 20 September 2003. Retrieved 8 November 2008.
  8. "Gunners snap up goalkeeper Poom". BBC Sport. BBC. 23 January 2006. Retrieved 30 April 2012.
  9. "Photograph of Poom with his medal". Postimees. Archived from the original on 10 July 2007.
  10. "Everton 0–1 Arsenal". BBC Sport. BBC. 8 November 2006. Retrieved 30 April 2012.
  11. Hughes, Ian (13 May 2007). "Portsmouth 0–0 Arsenal". BBC Sport. BBC. Retrieved 30 April 2012.
  12. "Games played by Mart Poom in 2006/2007". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 30 April 2012.
  13. "Keeper Mart Poom transferred to Watford". Arsenal.com. Archived from the original on 22 February 2014.
  14. "Poom Agreement". watfordfc.com. Archived from the original on 16 February 2012.
  15. "Mart Poomi lahkumismäng Eesti - Portugal lõppes 0:0" (in Estonian). Õhtuleht. 10 June 2009. Retrieved 24 October 2018.
  16. "Mart Poom – Century of International Appearances". Rec.Sport.Soccer Statistics Foundation.
  17. "Mart Poom sai isaks" (in Estonian). Delfi. 2 March 1999.
  18. "Mart Poom pühendas nullimängu vastsündinud pojale Andreasele" (in Estonian). Õhtuleht. 6 October 2003.
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