Mart Poom (born 3 February 1972) is an Estonian
football
Football is a family of team sports that involve, to varying degrees, kick (football), kicking a football (ball), ball to score a goal (sports), goal. Unqualified, football (word), the word ''football'' generally means the form of football t ...
coach and former professional
player
Player may refer to:
Role or adjective
* Player (game), a participant in a game or sport
** Gamer, a player in video and tabletop games
** Athlete, a player in sports
** Player character, a character in a video game or role playing game who i ...
who is regarded as one of the greatest Estonian footballers of all time. He is the goalkeeping coach of the
Estonia national team.
Poom played as a
goalkeeper
In many team sports that involve scoring goal (sport), goals, the goalkeeper (sometimes termed goaltender, netminder, GK, goalie, or keeper) is a designated player charged with directly preventing the opposing team from scoring by blocking or i ...
for Lõvid,
Sport Tallinn,
KuPS,
Flora
Flora (: floras or florae) is all the plant life present in a particular region or time, generally the naturally occurring (indigenous (ecology), indigenous) native plant, native plants. The corresponding term for animals is ''fauna'', and for f ...
,
Wil,
Portsmouth
Portsmouth ( ) is a port city status in the United Kingdom, city and unitary authority in Hampshire, England. Most of Portsmouth is located on Portsea Island, off the south coast of England in the Solent, making Portsmouth the only city in En ...
,
Derby County,
Sunderland
Sunderland () is a port City status in the United Kingdom, city and metropolitan borough in Tyne and Wear, England. It is a port at the mouth of the River Wear on the North Sea, approximately south-east of Newcastle upon Tyne. It is the most p ...
,
Arsenal
An arsenal is a place where arms and ammunition are made, maintained and repaired, stored, or issued, in any combination, whether privately or publicly owned. Arsenal and armoury (British English) or armory (American English) are mostly ...
, and
Watford
Watford () is a town and non-metropolitan district with Borough status in the United Kingdom, borough status in Hertfordshire, England, northwest of Central London, on the banks of the River Colne, Hertfordshire, River Colne.
Initially a smal ...
. Poom made his international debut on 3 June 1992 in the Estonia national team's first official match since restoration of independence, a 1–1 draw against
Slovenia
Slovenia, officially the Republic of Slovenia, is a country in Central Europe. It borders Italy to the west, Austria to the north, Hungary to the northeast, Croatia to the south and southeast, and a short (46.6 km) coastline within the Adriati ...
in a friendly. He made a total of 120 appearances for Estonia and was the team's
captain
Captain is a title, an appellative for the commanding officer of a military unit; the supreme leader or highest rank officer of a navy ship, merchant ship, aeroplane, spacecraft, or other vessel; or the commander of a port, fire or police depa ...
. Poom won the
Estonian Footballer of the Year award six times, in 1993, 1994, 1997, 1998, 2000 and 2003, the second highest number of times won, behind only
Ragnar Klavan. In November 2003, Poom was named Estonia's
Golden Player. He ended his career on 10 June 2009, after a 0–0 draw against
Portugal
Portugal, officially the Portuguese Republic, is a country on the Iberian Peninsula in Southwestern Europe. Featuring Cabo da Roca, the westernmost point in continental Europe, Portugal borders Spain to its north and east, with which it share ...
.
Early life
Poom was born in
Tallinn
Tallinn is the capital city, capital and List of cities in Estonia, most populous city of Estonia. Situated on a Tallinn Bay, bay in north Estonia, on the shore of the Gulf of Finland of the Baltic Sea, it has a population of (as of 2025) and ...
and grew up in
Mustamäe. He graduated from the
Tallinn Secondary School No. 49 with a gold medal and enrolled at the
Tallinn University of Technology
Established in 1918, Tallinn University of Technology (TalTech; ) is the only Institute of technology, technical university in Estonia. TalTech, in the capital city of Tallinn, is a university for engineering, business, public administration a ...
, but didn't finish his studies, focusing on football.
Club career
Early career
Poom started playing football with Tallinna Lõvid (), before moving to
Soviet Second League
The Soviet Second League (, Soviet football championship (Second League)) was the third highest division of Soviet Union, Soviet football (soccer), football, below the Soviet First League. The league was formed in 1971 in place of the Class A Se ...
club
Sport Tallinn in 1989.
KuPS
In 1992, Poom joined Finnish
Veikkausliiga
Veikkausliiga () is a professional association football league in Finland and the highest level of the Finnish football league system. The league comprises the top 12 clubs of the country. Its main sponsor is the Finnish national betting agenc ...
club
KuPS. He played only 9 games in Finland, before returning to Estonia.
Flora
Back in Estonia, Poom and signed for
Meistriliiga
Meistriliiga (), officially known as A. Le Coq Premium Liiga for sponsorship reasons, and commonly known as the Premium Liiga, is the highest division of the Estonian Football Association annual football championship. The league was founded i ...
club
Flora
Flora (: floras or florae) is all the plant life present in a particular region or time, generally the naturally occurring (indigenous (ecology), indigenous) native plant, native plants. The corresponding term for animals is ''fauna'', and for f ...
, the successor of the Lõvid team.
Wil
On 1 August 1993, Poom left Flora and joined
Nationalliga B side
Wil for a reported transfer fee of £128,000.
Portsmouth
On 4 August 1994, Poom moved to England and signed for
First Division side
Portsmouth
Portsmouth ( ) is a port city status in the United Kingdom, city and unitary authority in Hampshire, England. Most of Portsmouth is located on Portsea Island, off the south coast of England in the Solent, making Portsmouth the only city in En ...
for a reported transfer fee of £170,000. He made four league appearances for Portsmouth.
Flora (loan)
In 1995, Poom joined his former club Flora on loan, where he broke the club record by keeping a clean sheet for 756 minutes.
Derby County
On 26 March 1997, Poom joined
Derby County for a reported transfer fee of £595,000, following a strong performance for Estonia (a 0–0 draw against
Scotland
Scotland is a Countries of the United Kingdom, country that is part of the United Kingdom. It contains nearly one-third of the United Kingdom's land area, consisting of the northern part of the island of Great Britain and more than 790 adjac ...
, in a
rearranged match played in
Monaco
Monaco, officially the Principality of Monaco, is a Sovereign state, sovereign city-state and European microstates, microstate on the French Riviera a few kilometres west of the Regions of Italy, Italian region of Liguria, in Western Europe, ...
). He made his
Premier League
The Premier League is a professional association football league in England and the highest level of the English football league system. Contested by 20 clubs, it operates on a system of promotion and relegation with the English Football Lea ...
debut on 5 April 1997, against
Manchester United
Manchester United Football Club, commonly referred to as Man United (often stylised as Man Utd) or simply United, is a professional association football, football club based in Old Trafford (area), Old Trafford, Greater Manchester, Engl ...
in Derby's 3–2 away win at
Old Trafford, becoming the first player from
Estonia
Estonia, officially the Republic of Estonia, is a country in Northern Europe. It is bordered to the north by the Gulf of Finland across from Finland, to the west by the Baltic Sea across from Sweden, to the south by Latvia, and to the east by Ru ...
to play in the PL. Poom soon became a fan favourite, with supporters often confusing unfamiliar commentators with a low chant of 'Pooooom' before games, which sounded like booing. Poom was named
Derby County's Player of the Year in the
1999–2000 season and in 2022, the best footballer of the 2000s decade by Derby County
Sunderland
On 18 November 2002, following Derby County's relegation to the
First Division in the
2001–02 season, Poom joined
Sunderland
Sunderland () is a port City status in the United Kingdom, city and metropolitan borough in Tyne and Wear, England. It is a port at the mouth of the River Wear on the North Sea, approximately south-east of Newcastle upon Tyne. It is the most p ...
on loan. The move was made permanent on 10 January 2003, for a fee of £3.19 million. On 20 September 2003, he headed a 90th-minute equaliser for Sunderland against Derby County at
Pride Park. This was described as "the best goal ever scored by a goalkeeper in the 90th minute on his first match against his former club" by the commentator. The goal was cheered by both sets of fans. Poom's career in Sunderland was beset by several injuries, and he was forced to spend much of the
2004–05 season on the sidelines, making 11 league appearances as Sunderland won the
2004–05 Football League Championship.
Arsenal

On 31 August 2005, Poom was signed by
Arsenal
An arsenal is a place where arms and ammunition are made, maintained and repaired, stored, or issued, in any combination, whether privately or publicly owned. Arsenal and armoury (British English) or armory (American English) are mostly ...
on loan as temporary cover for
Jens Lehmann and
Manuel Almunia. The move was made permanent on 23 January 2006. He was Arsenal's third-choice keeper, and did not play a single match in the
2005–06 season. However, he became the first Estonian to receive a Champions League runners-up medal after Arsenal lost to
Barcelona
Barcelona ( ; ; ) is a city on the northeastern coast of Spain. It is the capital and largest city of the autonomous community of Catalonia, as well as the second-most populous municipality of Spain. With a population of 1.6 million within c ...
in the
2006 UEFA Champions League Final
The 2006 UEFA Champions League final was an association football match between Barcelona of Spain and Arsenal of England at the Stade de France in Saint-Denis, Paris, France, on Wednesday, 17 May 2006. It was the final match of the 2005–06 ...
. Poom did not play nor did he make the substitutes' bench for the final, but was in Arsenal's 25-man European squad, each of whom won a silver medal.
He made his debut for Arsenal on 8 November 2006 in a
League Cup match against
Everton, replacing the injured Manuel Almunia at half-time. Arsenal won the match 1–0 from an
Emmanuel Adebayor goal. His first and only appearance for Arsenal in the Premier League, came on the last day of the
2006–07 season, against his former club,
Portsmouth
Portsmouth ( ) is a port city status in the United Kingdom, city and unitary authority in Hampshire, England. Most of Portsmouth is located on Portsea Island, off the south coast of England in the Solent, making Portsmouth the only city in En ...
, in a 0–0 draw.
Watford
On 26 May 2007, Poom signed for
Watford
Watford () is a town and non-metropolitan district with Borough status in the United Kingdom, borough status in Hertfordshire, England, northwest of Central London, on the banks of the River Colne, Hertfordshire, River Colne.
Initially a smal ...
, who had recently been relegated from the Premier League, for an undisclosed fee. He started the new season as Watford's first choice, but went on to lose his place to
Richard Lee.
Poom returned to the side for the start of the
2008–09 season, but sustained a dislocated shoulder in a game against
Reading
Reading is the process of taking in the sense or meaning of symbols, often specifically those of a written language, by means of Visual perception, sight or Somatosensory system, touch.
For educators and researchers, reading is a multifacete ...
on 20 September 2008 that ruled him out for the majority of the season. Although he returned to training before the end of the season, he was not considered for the first-team squad and he was released from his contract, which was due to end in June, on 30 April 2009.
International career
Poom made his international debut for the
Estonia national team on 3 June 1992, in a historic 1–1 friendly draw against
Slovenia
Slovenia, officially the Republic of Slovenia, is a country in Central Europe. It borders Italy to the west, Austria to the north, Hungary to the northeast, Croatia to the south and southeast, and a short (46.6 km) coastline within the Adriati ...
. The match was Estonia's first official match since restoration of independence and Slovenia's first match ever. In November 2003, the
Estonian Football Association
The Estonian Football Association (EJL; ) is the governing body of football (soccer), football, beach soccer and futsal in Estonia. Established on 14 December 1921, it organizes the football league, including the championship which is called Mei ...
named Poom Estonia's
greatest player of the last 50 years. Poom ended his international career with a
testimonial match on 10 June 2009, after a 0–0 friendly draw against
Portugal
Portugal, officially the Portuguese Republic, is a country on the Iberian Peninsula in Southwestern Europe. Featuring Cabo da Roca, the westernmost point in continental Europe, Portugal borders Spain to its north and east, with which it share ...
in
Tallinn
Tallinn is the capital city, capital and List of cities in Estonia, most populous city of Estonia. Situated on a Tallinn Bay, bay in north Estonia, on the shore of the Gulf of Finland of the Baltic Sea, it has a population of (as of 2025) and ...
. He made 120 appearances, keeping a clean sheet in 31 matches.
Personal life
Poom and his wife, Lissel, have three sons:
Markus, Andreas and Patrick. Markus is also a footballer, while Andreas is a music artist.
Career statistics
Club
International
Honours
Sunderland
*
Football League Championship
The English Football League Championship, known simply as the Championship and for sponsorship purposes as Sky Betting & Gaming, Sky Bet Championship, is a professional association football league in England and Wales. Contested by 24 clubs, i ...
:
2004–05
Arsenal
*
Football League Cup
The English Football League Cup, often referred to as the League Cup and currently known as the Carabao Cup for sponsorship reasons, is an annual Single-elimination tournament, knockout competition in men's domestic football in England.
Orga ...
runner-up:
2006–07
*
UEFA Champions League
The UEFA Champions League (UCL) is an annual club association football competition organised by the UEFA, Union of European Football Associations (UEFA) that is contested by List of top-division football clubs in UEFA countries, top-divisio ...
runner-up:
2005–06
Individual
*
Estonian Footballer of the Year: 1993, 1994, 1997, 1998, 2000, 2003
*
Derby County Player of the Year:
1999–2000
*
UEFA Jubilee Awards To celebrate the Union of European Football Associations (UEFA)'s 50th anniversary in 2004, each of its member associations was asked by UEFA to choose one of its own players as the single most outstanding player of the past 50 years (1954–2003). ...
– Greatest Estonian Footballer of the last 50 Years (Golden Player): 2003
*
Order of the White Star, 4th Class
See also
*
List of men's footballers with 100 or more international caps
In association football, a cap is traditionally awarded in international football to a player making an official appearance for their national team. This article lists all men's football players who have played in 100 or more official internat ...
References
External links
*
*
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Poom, Mart
1972 births
Living people
Footballers from Tallinn
Estonian men's footballers
Men's association football goalkeepers
UEFA Golden Players
Soviet men's footballers
Kuopion Palloseura players
FC Flora players
Meistriliiga players
FC Wil players
Portsmouth F.C. players
Derby County F.C. players
Sunderland A.F.C. players
Arsenal F.C. players
Watford F.C. players
Veikkausliiga players
English Football League players
Premier League players
Estonia men's international footballers
FIFA Men's Century Club
Estonian expatriate men's footballers
Expatriate men's footballers in Finland
Estonian expatriate sportspeople in Finland
Expatriate men's footballers in Switzerland
Estonian expatriate sportspeople in Switzerland
Expatriate men's footballers in England
Estonian expatriate sportspeople in England
Recipients of the Order of the White Star, 4th Class
Association football goalkeeping coaches
SK Tallinna Sport players