Martin Vetkal
Estonian footballer
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Martin Vetkal (born 21 February 2004) is an Estonian professional footballer who plays as a midfielder for Dutch Eerste Divisie club Dordrecht 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 | Midfielder | ||
| Team information | |||
Current team | Dordrecht | ||
| Number | 21 | ||
| Youth career | |||
| –2011 | JK Püsivus Kohila | ||
| 2012–2019 | Tallinna Kalev | ||
| 2020–2024 | Roma | ||
| Senior career* | |||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) |
| 2019–2020 | Tallinna Kalev | 19 | (1) |
| 2023–2024 | Roma | 0 | (0) |
| 2024–2025 | IF Brommapojkarna | 4 | (0) |
| 2025– | Dordrecht | 21 | (0) |
| International career‡ | |||
| 2018 | Estonia U16 | 1 | (0) |
| 2019 | Estonia U17 | 11 | (1) |
| 2021–2023 | Estonia U19 | 13 | (1) |
| 2022–2023 | Estonia U21 | 5 | (0) |
| 2023– | Estonia | 15 | (1) |
|
* Club domestic league appearances and goals as of 3 February 2026 ‡ National team caps and goals as of 2 December 2025 | |||
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 clubs such as Genoa, SPAL and 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] During his time with Roma, he was called up to the senior squad only once, in December 2023 for the Europa League game against Sheriff Tiraspol, and remained on the bench in that game.[11]
On 18 July 2025, Vetkal signed a three-year contract with Dordrecht in the Netherlands.[12]
International career
Vetkal has represented Estonia at various youth international levels.[13][14][15] 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.[16]
On 13 October 2023, Vetkal made his senior debut for Estonia in a Euro qualification against Azerbaijan in the 63rd minute as a substitute.[17] On 21 March 2024, he scored his first goal for the national team in a 1–5 Euro qualifying play-off loss against Poland.[18]
Career statistics
International
- As of match played 21 March 2024[19]
| 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
Roma U19
- Coppa Italia Primavera: 2022–23
