Martin Vetkal

Martin Vetkal (born 21 February 2004) is an Estonian professional footballer who plays as a midfielder for Italian club Roma U19 and the Estonia national team.[1]

Martin Vetkal
Personal information
Date of birth (2004-02-21) 21 February 2004
Place of birth Tallinn, Estonia
Position(s) Midfielder
Team information
Current team
 Roma U19
Number 21
Youth career
–2011 JK Püsivus Kohila
2012–2019 Tallinna Kalev
2020– Roma
Senior career*
Years Team Apps (Gls)
2019–2020 Tallinna Kalev 19 (1)
International career‡
2018 Estonia U16 1 (0)
2019 Estonia U17 11 (1)
2021– Estonia U19 7 (1)
2023– Estonia 2 (0)
*Club domestic league appearances and goals, correct as of 4 June 2020
‡ National team caps and goals, correct as of 18 October 2023

Club career

Vetkal made his debut with Tallinna Kalev in Estonian top tier on 21 June 2019 against FC Flora, allegedly needing a special authorisation from the federation to play being only aged 15.[2]

He became the youngest scorer ever of the Estonian Premium Liiga, scoring his first goal at 15 years and 261 days against Viljandi JK Tulevik on 9 November 2019.[3] He was considered as one of the top prospects of his generation in Europe at his very early age.[4]

Following his debut season in Estonia, he visited several Italian club such as Genova, SPAL or Sassuolo.[5] In March 2020 he did a test for Schalke 04, along with his teammate Tristan Toomas Teeväli.[6][7]

He signed for Roma in August 2020.[8] During the 2022–23 season, he was part of Roma's under-19 squad that won the Coppa Italia Primavera.[9][10]

International career

Vetkal has represented Estonia at various youth international levels.[11][12][13] He was set to play in the 2020 UEFA European Under-17 Championship, originally planned to be held in his homecountry, before the tournament was cancelled due to the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic.[14]

On 14 October 2023, Vetkal made his senior debut for Estonia in an Euro qualification against Azerbaijan in the 63th minute as a substitute.[15]

Honours

Roma U19

References
  1. Martin Vetkal at Soccerway. Retrieved 4 June 2020.
  2. "Flora sai Kalevi vastu kindla võidu (galerii!)". Soccernet. 21 June 2019. Retrieved 4 June 2020.
  3. "Vägev lõppakord: Flora veristas Maardut, Kalev jäi ellu ja noor vutimees kirjutas ajalugu". Postimees (in Estonian). 9 November 2019. Retrieved 4 June 2020.
  4. Gałęzewski, Michał (22 December 2019). "PKO Ekstraklasa. Kacper Urbański z Lechii Gdańsk to trzeci najmłodszy debiutant w Europie". sportowefakty.wp.pl (in Polish). Retrieved 4 June 2020.
  5. Voolaid, Rasmus (5 December 2019). "Premium liiga ajaloo noorim väravalööja näitab end mitmele Serie A klubile". Soccernet. Retrieved 4 June 2020.
  6. "Saksamaa tippklubi kutsus Eesti jalgpallitalendid testimisele". Postimees (in Estonian). 2 March 2020. Retrieved 4 June 2020.
  7. "Saksamaa kõrgliiga kuues meeskond kutsus kaks eestlast testimisele". Delfi Sport (in Estonian). 3 March 2020. Retrieved 4 June 2020.
  8. Arike, Ville (27 August 2020). "Eesti jalgpallitalent sõlmis AS Romaga profilepingu". Postimees.
  9. Di Chiaro, Michael (25 April 2023). "La Roma vince la Coppa Italia Primavera: Keramitsis stende la Fiorentina ai supplementari". Goal.com (in Italian). Retrieved 26 April 2023.
  10. Andreuccetti, Gianluca (25 April 2023). "[FINALE] - Primavera TIM Cup, Fiorentina-Roma 1-2 d.t.s: Keramitsis regala la Coppa Italia ai giallorossi, termina l'egemonia viola". MondoPrimavera (in Italian). Retrieved 26 April 2023.
  11. "Courte défaite face à l'Estonie (1–2)". fff.fr (in French). Retrieved 4 June 2020.
  12. "Kõva sõna! Eesti U17 jalgpallikoondis võitis Rootsit". Delfi Sport (in Estonian). 27 August 2019. Retrieved 4 June 2020.
  13. "La Sub-17 conquista el Torneo de Exentos pese a caer (2–3) ante Estonia". sefutbol (in Spanish). 24 September 2019. Retrieved 4 June 2020.
  14. Kangur, Kristjan Jaak (24 April 2019). "Supervärava löönud Vetkal: võime mängida ükskõik kellega!". Soccernet. Retrieved 4 June 2020.
  15. @eestijalgpall (13 October 2023). "Congratulations on Martin Vetkal's debut" – via Instagram.
This article is issued from Wikipedia. The text is licensed under Creative Commons - Attribution - Sharealike. Additional terms may apply for the media files.