Mart Poom

Mart Poom in 2007

Mart Poom ( born February 3, 1972 in Tallinn ) is a former Estonian football goalkeeper.

Club career

Poom began his career at Tallinna Lõvid and Flora Tallinn in Estonia, the former Soviet Union. After a year at FC Wil in Switzerland, he moved in 1994 to the English club Portsmouth FC, but played only seven games and was awarded back to Flora Tallinn. In 1997 he moved to Derby County and made ​​his debut in the Premier League at Old Trafford with Manchester United.

After relegation to the First Division in the summer of 2002 Poom joined in November of the same year for Sunderland. On 20 September 2003 he scored in the 90th minute with a header to equalize for Sunderland against his former club Derby. This hit was on BBC Radio Five Live as "The best headed equalizer by a goalkeeper against his former club in the last minute. Ever! " described ( in German as: " This is the best head balancing a goalkeeper in the last minute against his former club, the best of all time".

Pooms career was thrown back by various injuries, so he spent the 2003/04 season, especially in order to recover from this. In 2005 he was on loan from Arsenal for the role as third-choice goalkeeper behind Manuel Almunia and Jens Lehmann, before he was finally committed in January 2006. He has since remained goalkeeper and played a single game in the season 2005/ 06, however, after Arsenal had lost the CL final against FC Barcelona, ​​won the first Este with a Champions League medal.

His debut for Arsenal, he was finally on 8 November 2006 in a League Cup match against Everton, which was won with a goal by Adebayor 1-0. After the game he said in an interview that he would play for ' another 3 to 4 years ' ( ' another three to four years ') for Arsenal.

However, for the 2007/08 season he moved to Watford because Arsenal goalkeeper Łukasz Fabiański the Polish National committed. After 19 games, he finished his career after the season 2008/09.

International career

Poom was in 120 appearances for Estonia in the gate. He had given in 1992 in a friendly against Slovenia Its debut.

2003 Poom has been honored with the 50th anniversary of UEFA as the best Estonian football player of the past 50 years.

Achievements

• 5x Estonia Football Player of the Year (1993, 1994, 1997, 1998, 2000 )
• " Golden Player" Estonia

Private

He is with Lissel ( b. 1975 ) married to her sons Mark ( * 1998) and Andrew (* 2003).