Raio Piiroja

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Raio Piiroja
Personal information
Date of birth	(1979-07-11) 11 July 1979
Place of birth	Pärnu, Estonia
Height	1.90 m (6 ft 3 in)
Playing position	Centre back
Youth career
	Pärnu JK Rivaal
	JK Pärnu
Senior career*
Years	Team	Apps^†	(Gls)^†
1995–1996	JK Pärnu	8	(1)
1996–1997	FC Lelle	20	(1)
1998–1999	Lelle SK	22	(3)
1999–2004	FC Flora Tallinn	102	(14)
2000	→ JK Pärnu (loan)	1	(0)
2001	→ FC Warrior Valga (loan)	1	(0)
2003	→ Vålerenga IF (loan)	11	(1)
2004–2011	Fredrikstad FK	158	(12)
2011–2012	Vitesse	2	(0)
2012	FC Flora Tallinn	0	(0)
2013	Chengdu Blades	18	(1)
National team^‡
1998–2013	Estonia^[1]	113	(8)
* Senior club appearances and goals counted for the domestic league only and correct as of 4 December 2013. † Appearances (Goals). ‡ National team caps and goals correct as of 4 December 2013

Raio Piiroja (born 11 July 1979 in Pärnu) is an Estonian retired professional footballer.

Club career

He started his career in Pärnu before joining FC Flora Tallinn under then manager Teitur Thordarson. He then joined Vålerenga IF in Norway on loan before signing a permanent contract with Fredrikstad. In season 2006, he scored two goals in the Norwegian Football Cup final against Sandefjord Fotball in a 3–0 victory. In the end of the 2010 season, Piiroja scored 2 goals in the playoffs for promotion to the Norwegian Premier League against Hönefoss BK. He is known for his impressing ability in the air, winning headers. As a captain for the Estonia national football team, Raio is always in the heart of the defense. As he is the captain of the squad, he is a central figure in all of their games – always fighting to give his all on the pitch and motivate his team not to give in.

International career

For Estonia, Piiroja has been capped 113 times, scoring 8 goals. He made his 100th appearance in a 2–0 friendly win over Uruguay.

International goals

#	Date	Venue	Opponent	Score	Result	Competition
1	4 September 1999	Svangaskarð, Toftir	Faroe Islands	2–0	2–0	UEFA Euro 2000 qualifying
2	11 June 2000	Kadrioru Stadium, Tallinn	Georgia	1–0	1–0	Friendly match
3	28 March 2001	Tsirion Athletic Centre, Limassol	Cyprus	2–2	2–2	2002 FIFA World Cup qualification
4	16 February 2004	Ta' Qali National Stadium, La Valletta	Malta	2–2	2–5	2004 Malta Tournament
5	22 August 2007	A. Le Coq Arena, Tallinn	Andorra	1–0	2–1	UEFA Euro 2008 qualifying
6	12 September 2007	Gradski Stadion Skopje, Skopje	Macedonia	1–0	1–1	UEFA Euro 2008 qualifying
7	14 October 2009	A. Le Coq Arena, Tallinn	Belgium	1–0	2–0	2010 FIFA World Cup qualification
8	11 August 2010	A. Le Coq Arena, Tallinn	Faroe Islands	2–1	2–1	UEFA Euro 2012 qualifying

Personal life

In 2011 Norwegian police launched an investigation of his former player contract with the Norwegian club Fredrikstad.^[2] Piiroja was charged with tax evasion.^[3]

Career stats

Club

Season	Club	Country	League	Apps	Goals
2011–12	Vitesse	Netherlands	Eredivisie	2	0
2011	Fredrikstad FK	Norway	Norwegian Premier League	15	0
2010			Adeccoligaen	28	4
2009			Norwegian Premier League	25	2
2008				23	2
2007				22	3
2006				25	0
2005				12	1
2004				9	0
2004	FC Flora Tallinn	Estonia	Meistriliiga	15	1
2003	Vålerenga IF	Norway	Norwegian Premier League	11	1
2002	FC Flora Tallinn	Estonia	Meistriliiga	26	9
2001				24	2
2000				26	1
1999				11	1
1999	Lelle SK		III liiga	7	2
1998				6	1
1997				7	8
1996	JK Tervis Pärnu		'II liiga	0	0
1995	JK Tervis Pärnu		'II liiga	8	1

Honours

Club

FC Flora Tallinn
- Estonian Top Division: 2001, 2002
  - Runners Up: 2000
- Estonian Cup
  - Runners Up: 2001
- Estonian SuperCup: 2002
  - Runners Up: 1999
Fredrikstad FK
- Norwegian Top Division
  - Runners Up: 2008
- Norwegian Cup: 2006

Individual

Estonian Footballer of the Year: 2002, 2006, 2007, 2008, 2009

References

↑ "Kõik Eesti internatsionaalid" [All Estonian internationals] (in Estonian). Eesti Jalgpalli Liit. Retrieved 11 September 2011.
↑ http://www.dagsavisen.no/sport/article525169.ece
↑ http://www.dagbladet.no/2011/12/22/sport/fotball/raio_piiroja/fredrikstad_fk/tippeligaen/19519873/

External links

Fredrikstad FK profile

v t e Estonian Footballer of the Year

1992 Hepner 1993 Poom 1994 Poom 1995 Reim 1996 Lemsalu 1997 Poom 1998 Poom 1999 Oper 2000 Poom 2001 Zelinski 2002 Oper/Piiroja 2003 Poom 2004 Stepanov 2005 Oper 2006 Piiroja 2007 Piiroja 2008 Piiroja 2009 Piiroja 2010 Vassiljev 2011 Vassiljev 2012 Klavan 2013 Vassiljev

Chengdu Blades F.C. – current squad

1 Zhang Chen
2 Piiroja
3 Chen Bo
4 Yang Ting
5 Wang Yongxin
6 Wang Kai
7 Gao Xiang
8 Wu Bo
9 Zakov
10 Rodić
11 Zhang Zhichao
13 Wang Erzhuo
14 Song Yueming
15 Zhang Bo
16 Yang Hao
17 Yang Zhezhi
19 Wang Hanlin
20 Wu Pan
21 Zhang Qi
22 Wang Yi
23 Zhang Li
24 Xi Sunbin
25 Yang Wenfeng
26 Arpat Mijit
27 Chen Kai
28 Gan Yingbo
29 Zhang Yinou
30 Wang Peng
31 Shen Zhaolin
32 Zou You
33 Xue Chen
35 Peng Xinli
36 Gong Liangxuan
40 Jovial
Manager: Aussems

Persondata
Name	Piiroja, Raio
Alternative names
Short description	footballer
Date of birth	11 July 1979
Place of birth	Pärnu, Estonia
Date of death
Place of death

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