Mart Poom facts for kids
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Poom with Estonia in 2019
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| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | Mart Poom | ||
| Date of birth | 3 February 1972 | ||
| Place of birth | Tallinn, Estonia | ||
| Height | 1.94 m (6 ft 4 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) |
| *Club domestic league appearances and goals | |||
Mart Poom (born on 3 February 1972) is a famous Estonian football player and coach. Many people think he is one of the best Estonian footballers ever. He is currently the goalkeeping coach for the Estonia national team.
Mart Poom played as a goalkeeper for many clubs. These included Lõvid, Sport Tallinn, KuPS, Flora, Wil, Portsmouth, Derby County, Sunderland, Arsenal, and Watford.
He played his first international game for Estonia on 3 June 1992. This was Estonia's first official match after they became independent again. It was a 1–1 draw against Slovenia. Mart Poom played 120 games for Estonia and was the team's captain. He won the Estonian Footballer of the Year award six times. In 2003, he was named Estonia's Golden Player. He stopped playing football on 10 June 2009.
Contents
Mart Poom's Early Life
Mart Poom was born in Tallinn, Estonia. He grew up in an area called Mustamäe. He was a very good student and finished high school with top honors. He started studying at the Tallinn University of Technology, but he decided to focus on his football career instead.
Mart Poom's Club Career
Starting Out in Football
Mart Poom began his football journey with a team called Tallinna Lõvid, which means "Lions of Tallinn." In 1989, he moved to Sport Tallinn.
Playing in Finland and Back to Estonia
In 1992, Mart Poom joined a Finnish club called KuPS. He played only nine games there before returning to Estonia. Back home, he signed with Flora, which was like the new version of his old team, Lõvid.
Moving to Switzerland and England
On 1 August 1993, Mart Poom left Flora and joined Wil in Switzerland. A year later, on 4 August 1994, he moved to England. He signed with Portsmouth. He played four league games for them. In 1995, he went back to Flora on loan. During this time, he set a club record by not letting any goals in for 756 minutes!
Time at Derby County
On 26 March 1997, Mart Poom joined Derby County. He made his Premier League debut on 5 April 1997, playing against Manchester United. Derby County won that game 3–2. This made him the first player from Estonia to ever play in the Premier League.
Fans at Derby County really liked him. They would often chant his name, "Pooooom," which sometimes sounded like booing to new commentators! He was named Derby County's Player of the Year in the 1999–2000 season. In 2022, Derby County even named him their best footballer of the 2000s decade.
Playing for Sunderland
After Derby County moved down to a lower league, Mart Poom joined Sunderland in November 2002. On 20 September 2003, he scored a goal for Sunderland against his old team, Derby County. It was a header in the last minute of the game, making it a draw! Both sets of fans cheered for him.
Mart Poom had some injuries while at Sunderland. He missed many games in the 2004–05 season. Still, he played 11 league games as Sunderland won the 2004–05 Football League Championship.
Joining Arsenal
On 31 August 2005, Mart Poom joined Arsenal. He was a backup goalkeeper for the team. He did not play any matches in the 2005–06 season. However, he became the first Estonian to get a Champions League runner-up medal. This happened when Arsenal lost to Barcelona in the 2006 UEFA Champions League Final. Even though he didn't play in the final, he was part of Arsenal's team squad and received a silver medal.
He played his first game for Arsenal on 8 November 2006 in a League Cup match against Everton. His only game for Arsenal in the Premier League was on the last day of the 2006–07 season. It was a 0–0 draw against his former club, Portsmouth.
Time at Watford
On 26 May 2007, Mart Poom signed with Watford. He started as their main goalkeeper. However, he later lost his spot to another player.
He returned to play for Watford at the start of the 2008–09 season. But he hurt his shoulder in a game on 20 September 2008. This injury kept him out for most of the season. He left Watford on 30 April 2009.
Mart Poom's International Career
Mart Poom played his first game for the Estonia national team on 3 June 1992. It was a special 1–1 friendly draw against Slovenia. This was Estonia's first official match after they became independent again. In November 2003, the Estonian Football Association named Mart Poom Estonia's greatest player of the last 50 years.
He finished his international career with a special farewell match on 10 June 2009. It was a 0–0 friendly draw against Portugal in Tallinn. He played 120 games for Estonia and kept a clean sheet (meaning no goals were scored against him) in 31 of those matches.
Mart Poom's Family Life
Mart Poom is married to Lissel, and they have three sons. Their names are Markus, Andreas, and Patrick. Markus also plays football, following in his dad's footsteps. Andreas is a music artist.
Mart Poom's Career Highlights
Club Achievements
- Sunderland
- Won the Football League Championship in 2004–05
- Arsenal
- Runner-up in the Football League Cup in 2006–07
- Runner-up in the UEFA Champions League in 2005–06
Individual Awards
- Estonian Footballer of the Year: He won this award six times (1993, 1994, 1997, 1998, 2000, 2003).
- Derby County Player of the Year: He won this in the 1999–2000 season.
- UEFA Jubilee Awards – Greatest Estonian Footballer of the last 50 Years (Golden Player): He received this honor in 2003.
- Order of the White Star, 4th Class: This is a special award from Estonia.
Images for kids
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Poom with Estonia in 2019
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Poom warming up prior to a match against Bolton Wanderers in January 2007
See also
In Spanish: Mart Poom para niños
