Mart Poom

Early career

Poom started playing football with Tallinna Lõvid (English: Lions of Tallinn), before moving to Soviet Second League club Sport Tallinn in 1989.

KuPS

In 1992, Poom joined Finnish Veikkausliiga club KuPS. He played only 9 games in Finland, before returning to Estonia.

Flora

Back in Estonia, Poom and signed for Meistriliiga club Flora, 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 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, in a rearranged match played in Monaco). He made his Premier League debut on 5 April 1997, against Manchester United in Derby's 3–2 away win at Old Trafford, becoming the first player from Estonia 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…

Poom made his international debut for the Estonia national team on 3 June 1992, in a historic 1–1 friendly draw against Slovenia. 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 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 in Tallinn. He made 120 appearances, keeping a clean sheet in 31 matches.

Mart Aro Poom was born on 3 February 1972 in Tallinn, 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, but did not finish his studies, focusing on football.

Poom and his wife, Lissel, have three sons: Markus, Andreas and Patrick. Markus is also a footballer, while Andreas is a music artist.