Martin Vetkal
Personal information
Date of birth (2004-02-21) 21 February 2004 (age 20)
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 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

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]

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 13 October 2023, Vetkal made his senior debut for Estonia in an Euro qualification against Azerbaijan in the 63rd 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.

External links

Categories