Martin Vetkal (born 21 February 2004) is an Estonian professional footballer who plays as a midfielder for Serie A club Roma and the Estonia national team.[1]
| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Date of birth | 21 February 2004 | ||
| Place of birth | Tallinn, Estonia | ||
| Height | 1.81 m (5 ft 11 in) | ||
| Position(s) | Midfielder | ||
| Team information | |||
Current team | Roma | ||
| Number | 65 | ||
| Youth career | |||
| –2011 | JK Püsivus Kohila | ||
| 2012–2019 | Tallinna Kalev | ||
| 2020– | Roma | ||
| Senior career* | |||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) |
| 2019–2020 | Tallinna Kalev | 19 | (1) |
| 2023– | Roma | 0 | (0) |
| International career‡ | |||
| 2018 | Estonia U16 | 1 | (0) |
| 2019 | Estonia U17 | 11 | (1) |
| 2021– | Estonia U19 | 7 | (1) |
| 2023– | Estonia | 4 | (1) |
|
*Club domestic league appearances and goals, correct as of 4 June 2020 ‡ National team caps and goals, correct as of 21 March 2024 | |||
Club career edit
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 edit
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 13 October 2023, Vetkal made his senior debut for Estonia in an Euro qualification against Azerbaijan in the 63rd minute as a substitute.[15] On 21 March 2024, he scored his first goal for the national team in a 1–5 Euro qualifying play-off loss against Poland.[16]
Career statistics edit
International edit
- As of match played 21 March 2024[17]
| National team | Year | Apps | Goals |
|---|---|---|---|
| Estonia | 2023 | 3 | 0 |
| 2024 | 1 | 1 | |
| Total | 4 | 1 | |
- Scores and results list Estonia's goal tally first, score column indicates score after each Vetkal goal.
| No. | Date | Venue | Opponent | Score | Result | Competition |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 21 March 2024 | National Stadium, Warsaw, Poland |  Poland |
1–5 | 1–5 | UEFA Euro 2024 qualifying |
Honours edit
Roma U19
- Coppa Italia Primavera: 2022–23
References edit
- ^ Martin Vetkal at Soccerway. Retrieved 4 June 2020.
- ^ "Flora sai Kalevi vastu kindla võidu (galerii!)". Soccernet. 21 June 2019. Retrieved 4 June 2020.
- ^ "Vägev lõppakord: Flora veristas Maardut, Kalev jäi ellu ja noor vutimees kirjutas ajalugu". Postimees (in Estonian). 9 November 2019. Retrieved 4 June 2020.
- ^ 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.
- ^ Voolaid, Rasmus (5 December 2019). "Premium liiga ajaloo noorim väravalööja näitab end mitmele Serie A klubile". Soccernet. Retrieved 4 June 2020.
- ^ "Saksamaa tippklubi kutsus Eesti jalgpallitalendid testimisele". Postimees (in Estonian). 2 March 2020. Retrieved 4 June 2020.
- ^ "Saksamaa kõrgliiga kuues meeskond kutsus kaks eestlast testimisele". Delfi Sport (in Estonian). 3 March 2020. Retrieved 4 June 2020.
- ^ Arike, Ville (27 August 2020). "Eesti jalgpallitalent sõlmis AS Romaga profilepingu". Postimees.
- ^ 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.
- ^ 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.
- ^ "Courte défaite face à l'Estonie (1–2)". fff.fr (in French). Retrieved 4 June 2020.
- ^ "Kõva sõna! Eesti U17 jalgpallikoondis võitis Rootsit". Delfi Sport (in Estonian). 27 August 2019. Retrieved 4 June 2020.
- ^ "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.
- ^ Kangur, Kristjan Jaak (24 April 2019). "Supervärava löönud Vetkal: võime mängida ükskõik kellega!". Soccernet. Retrieved 4 June 2020.
- ^ @eestijalgpall (13 October 2023). "Congratulations on Martin Vetkal's debut" – via Instagram.
- ^ "Eesti lõi Poolale värava, ent tunnistas sõelmängus kindlat kaotust". jalgpall.ee (in Estonian). Estonian Football Association. 21 March 2024. Retrieved 23 March 2024.
- ^ a b "Martin Vetkal". National Football Teams. Benjamin Strack-Zimmermann. Retrieved 24 November 2019.
External links edit
- Martin Vetkal at the Estonian Football Association (in Estonian)
- Martin Vetkal national team profile at the Estonian Football Association (in Estonian)
- Martin Vetkal at Soccerway
- Martin Vetkal at FootballDatabase.eu
