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Andres Oper

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Andres Oper
Oper with Estonia in 2005
Personal information
Date of birth (1977-11-07) 7 November 1977 (age 47)
Place of birth Tallinn, Estonia
Height 1.85 m (6 ft 1 in)
Position(s) Forward
Team information
Current team
 Estonia U17 (head coach)
Youth career
1987–1993 LMSK/Pantrid
1994 Lelle
1994 Flora
Senior career*
Years Team Apps (Gls)
1995–1999 Flora 73 (44)
1996 → Tervis Pärnu (loan) 9 (3)
1999–2003 AaB 117 (28)
2003–2005 Torpedo Moscow 53 (8)
2005–2009 Roda JC 103 (32)
2009 Shanghai Shenhua 6 (0)
2010 ADO Den Haag 12 (1)
2010–2011 AEK Larnaca 21 (3)
2012–2013 Nea Salamina 42 (8)
Total 436 (127)
International career
1995 Estonia U19 3 (1)
1995–1996 Estonia U21 4 (0)
1995–2014 Estonia 134 (38)
Managerial career
2015–2016 Accrington Stanley U16
2016–2019 Estonia (assistant)
2019–2021 Levadia (assistant)
2021–2023 Estonia (assistant)
2024– Estonia U17
*Club domestic league appearances and goals

Andres Oper (born 7 November 1977) is an Estonian football coach and former professional player. With 38 goals in 134 appearances, Oper is Estonia's all-time record goalscorer.

Oper played as a forward for Lelle, Flora, Tervis Pärnu, AaB, Torpedo Moscow, Roda JC, Shanghai Shenhua, ADO Den Haag, AEK Larnaca, Nea Salamina and the Estonia national team. Oper was named Estonian Footballer of the Year three times, in 1999, 2002 and 2005, and won the Estonian Silverball award twice; in 2001 and 2005.[1]

Early life

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Oper was born in Tallinn. He graduated from the Tallinn Secondary School No. 37. He started playing football with Tallinna Jalgpallikool (English: Tallinn Football Academy) under Aivar Tiidus, before moving to Taivo Uibo's Uibo Poisid and then LMSK/Pantrid, coached by Aavo Sarap.[1]

Club career

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Flora

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In 1995, Oper signed for Flora. He won his first Meistriliiga title in the 1994–95 season. Oper soon became a first team regular and one of the team's leading goalscorers. He won two more league titles in the 1997–98 and the 1998 seasons, as well as the 1997–98 Estonian Cup and the 1998 Estonian Supercup.[1] In 1998, Oper had a trial at Arsenal.[2]

AaB

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On 2 July 1999, Oper signed for Danish Superliga champions AaB, on a five-year contract for a transfer fee of $1 million (EEK 15 million).[3] In the process, he became the first one million dollar transfer in Estonian top flight's history.[4]

Torpedo Moscow

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On 10 July 2003, Oper signed a two-year contract with Russian Premier League club Torpedo Moscow.[5] Often inconsistent in Russia, scoring 8 goals in 53 appearances, Oper was placed on the transfer list after he suffered an injury to his right foot. In 2005, he was close to a transfer to Premier League's Sunderland in England, but the contract was never signed.[6][4]

Roda JC

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Oper with Roda JC in 2007

On 31 August 2005, Oper signed a one-year contract with Dutch Eredivisie club Roda JC for an undisclosed fee.[7] He scored his first Eredivisie goal on 1 October 2005, in a 3–2 win against Vitesse Arnhem.[8] Oper finished the 2005–06 Eredivisie season as the team's joint top scorer alongside Simon Cziommer with 8 goals and signed a contract extension for two more seasons.[9] He was the team's top scorer in the 2006–07 Eredivisie season, scoring 12 goals in the league and 1 in the play-offs. On 16 May 2007, he signed another contract extension with Roda JC until summer 2009.[10]

Shanghai Shenhua

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On 19 July 2009, Oper signed a half-year contract with Chinese Super League club Shanghai Shenhua.[11] He made his debut for the club on 2 August 2009, in an away match against Jiangsu Sainty. However, he suffered an injury and eventually terminated his contract with the club.[12]

ADO Den Haag

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After an unsuccessful spell in China, Oper returned to the Netherlands and on 21 January 2010, he signed a half-year contract with an option for another year with ADO Den Haag.[13][14] He made his debut for the club on 13 February 2010 in a home match against Willem II. Oper scored his first goal for ADO Den Haag on 18 April 2010, in a 4–0 win against RKC Waalwijk. His contract extension stalled due to negotiations over personal terms, eventually no agreement was settled and the extension was cancelled. The contract expired in summer.[15]

AEK Larnaca

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On 9 September 2010, Oper signed a one-year contract with Cypriot First Division club AEK Larnaca.[16] He scored on his debut against Ethnikos Achna.

Nea Salamina

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In January 2012, Oper joined Cypriot First Division club Nea Salamina. He scored his first goal for the club on 3 March in a 2–0 win against Enosis Neon Paralimni.[17]

In February 2014, Andres Oper announced his retirement from professional football.[18] Since then, Oper has occasionally played for Viimsi JK in Estonian Cup or lower league matches. In 2021, he notably scored the winning goal in an Estonian Cup match against top flight club Pärnu Vaprus.[19]

International career

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Oper in action against Frank de Boer in 2001

Oper made his international debut for the Estonia national football team on 19 May 1995, in a 0–2 1995 Baltic Cup defeat against Latvia. He scored his first goal for Estonia on 8 June 1997, in a 2–3 1998 FIFA World Cup qualification loss against Sweden. He won the Estonian Silverball award twice, in 2001 and 2005.[1] On 2 September 2006, Oper played his 100th match for Estonia, a 0–1 UEFA Euro 2008 qualifying defeat against Israel. He ended his international career with a testimonial match on 26 May 2014, after a 1–1 friendly draw against Gibraltar at A. Le Coq Arena.[20] With 38 goals in 134 international appearances, Oper is Estonia's all-time record goalscorer.[1] He played for the Estonia national team for eighteen consecutive seasons.[21]

Career statistics

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Club

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Appearances and goals by club, season and competition
Club Season League Cup Continental Other[a] Total
Division Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals
Flora 1994–95 Meistriliiga 1 0 0 0 0 0 1 0
1995–96 9 2 1 0 0 0 10 2
1996–97 18 13 2 0 0 0 20 13
1997–98 22 15 2 0 0 0 24 15
1998 13 10 2 1 1 0 16 11
1999 10 4 0 0 0 0 10 4
Total 73 44 7 1 1 0 81 45
Tervis Pärnu (loan) 1995–96 Meistriliiga 9 3 — 0 0 9 3
AaB 1999–2000 Superliga 30 7 4 1 34 8
2000–01 29 6 4 0 33 6
2001–02 31 4 — 31 4
2002–03 27 11 — 27 11
Total 117 28 8 1 125 29
Torpedo Moscow 2003 Russian Premier League 14 3 5 2 19 5
2004 24 4 — 24 4
2005 15 1 — 15 1
Total 53 8 5 2 58 10
Roda JC 2005–06 Eredivisie 24 8 4 5 0 0 1 0 29 13
2006–07 32 11 4 0 — 2 1 38 12
2007–08 20 7 3 1 — 2 0 25 8
2008–09 27 6 1 1 — 0 0 28 7
Total 103 32 12 7 0 0 5 1 120 40
Shanghai Shenhua 2009 Chinese Super League 6 0 — 0 0 0 0 6 0
ADO Den Haag 2009–10 Eredivisie 12 1 0 0 — 0 0 12 1
AEK Larnaca 2010–11 Cypriot First Division 21 3 2 — 0 0 21 5
Nea Salamina 2011–12 Cypriot First Division 14 3 — 0 0 14 3
2012–13 28 5 — 0 0 28 5
Total 42 8 0 0 — 0 0 42 8
Career total 436 127 12 9 20 4 6 1 474 141
  1. ^ Includes the Estonian Supercup and Eredivisie play-offs

International

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Appearances and goals by national team and year
National team Year Apps Goals
Estonia 1995 3 0
1996 5 0
1997 14 2
1998 13 2
1999 13 5
2000 9 6
2001 11 2
2002 8 4
2003 6 2
2004 7 2
2005 9 5
2006 4 2
2007 6 1
2008 4 2
2009 2 0
2010 4 1
2011 2 0
2012 10 2
2013 3 0
2014 1 0
Total 134 38
Scores and results list Estonia's goal tally first, score column indicates score after each Oper goal.
List of international goals scored by Andres Oper[22]
No. Date Venue Cap Opponent Score Result Competition
1 8 June 1997 Kadriorg Stadium, Tallinn, Estonia 16  Sweden 1–3 2–3 1998 FIFA World Cup qualification
2 22 June 1997 Kuressaare Linnastaadion, Kuressaare, Estonia 17  Andorra 3–0 4–1 Friendly
3 4 June 1998 Kadriorg Stadium, Tallinn, Estonia 25  Faroe Islands 4–0 5–0 UEFA Euro 2000 qualifying
4 22 June 1998 Kuressaare Linnastaadion, Kuressaare, Estonia 26  Andorra 2–1 2–1 Friendly
5 9 June 1999 Kadriorg Stadium, Tallinn, Estonia 41  Lithuania 1–0 1–2 UEFA Euro 2000 qualifying
6 9 October 1999 Kadriorg Stadium, Tallinn, Estonia 44  Bosnia and Herzegovina 1–0 1–4 UEFA Euro 2000 qualifying
7 1 November 1999 Mohammad bin Zayed Stadium, Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates 46  United Arab Emirates 2–1 2–2 Friendly
8 18 December 1999 Trikala Municipal Stadium, Trikala, Greece 48  Greece 1–1 2–2 Friendly
9 2–1
10 23 February 2000 Rajamangala National Stadium, Bangkok, Thailand 49  Finland 2–4 2–4 2000 King's Cup
11 26 April 2000 Stade Josy Barthel, Luxembourg City, Luxembourg 51  Luxembourg 1–0 1–1 Friendly
12 4 June 2000 Kadriorg Stadium, Tallinn, Estonia 52  Belarus 1–0 2–0 Friendly
13 2–0
14 3 September 2000 Kadriorg Stadium, Tallinn, Estonia 55  Portugal 1–3 1–3 2002 FIFA World Cup qualification
15 7 October 2000 Estadi Comunal, Andorra la Vella, Andorra 56  Andorra 2–0 2–1 2002 FIFA World Cup qualification
16 19 March 2001 Cairo International Stadium, Cairo, Egypt 58  Egypt 1–1 3–3 Friendly
17 2 June 2001 A. Le Coq Arena, Tallinn, Estonia 61  Netherlands 1–0 2–4 2002 FIFA World Cup qualification
18 14 March 2002 Stadio Enzo Mazotti, Montecatini Terme, Italy 69  Saudi Arabia 2–0 2–0 Friendly
19 27 March 2002 A. Le Coq Arena, Tallinn, Estonia 70  Russia 1–0 2–1 Friendly
20 2–1
21 20 November 2002 A. Le Coq Arena, Tallinn, Estonia 76  Iceland 2–0 2–0 Friendly
22 29 March 2003 A. Le Coq Arena, Tallinn, Estonia 78  Canada 1–1 2–1 Friendly
23 2–1
24 4 September 2004 A. Le Coq Arena, Tallinn, Estonia 86  Luxembourg 3–0 4–0 2006 FIFA World Cup qualification
25 13 October 2004 Skonto Stadium, Riga, Latvia 88  Latvia 1–1 2–2 2006 FIFA World Cup qualification
26 26 March 2005 A. Le Coq Arena, Tallinn, Estonia 91  Slovakia 1–0 1–2 2006 FIFA World Cup qualification
27 4 June 2005 A. Le Coq Arena, Tallinn, Estonia 93  Liechtenstein 2–0 2–0 2006 FIFA World Cup qualification
28 3 September 2005 A. Le Coq Arena, Tallinn, Estonia 96  Latvia 1–0 2–1 2006 FIFA World Cup qualification
29 12 October 2005 Stade Josy Barthel, Luxembourg City, Luxembourg 98  Luxembourg 1–0 2–0 2006 FIFA World Cup qualification
30 2–0
31 15 November 2006 A. Le Coq Arena, Tallinn, Estonia 102  Belarus 1–0 2–1 Friendly
32 2–1
33 17 November 2007 Estadi Comunal, Andorra la Vella, Andorra 108  Andorra 1–0 2–0 UEFA Euro 2008 qualifying
34 20 August 2008 A. Le Coq Arena, Tallinn, Estonia 109  Malta 2–1 2–1 Friendly
35 6 September 2008 Stade Maurice Dufrasne, Liège, Belgium 110  Belgium 2–3 2–3 2010 FIFA World Cup qualification
36 21 May 2010 A. Le Coq Arena, Tallinn, Estonia 115  Finland 1–0 2–0 Friendly
37 1 June 2012 Tamme Stadium, Tartu, Estonia 123  Finland 1–2 1–2 2012 Baltic Cup
38 16 October 2012 Estadi Comunal, Andorra la Vella, Andorra 129  Andorra 1–0 1–0 2014 FIFA World Cup qualification

Honours

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Flora

Individual

References

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  1. ^ a b c d e "Oper, Andres" (in Estonian). ESBL. Retrieved 16 September 2016.
  2. ^ "Oper reflects on record-breaking Estonia career". UEFA.com. 1 June 2014.
  3. ^ "Andres Oper lahkub Aalsborgi" (in Estonian). Õhtuleht. 2 July 1999. Retrieved 20 September 2016.
  4. ^ a b Kalvet, Madis (6 June 2023). "Andres Oper. Eesti jalgpalli esimene miljonitehing ja viimasel sekundil katki jäänud Premier League'i lepingu tagamaad". Delfi Sport (in Estonian).
  5. ^ "Oper kirjutas alla lepingule Torpedoga" (in Estonian). Soccernet.ee. 10 July 2003. Retrieved 20 September 2016.
  6. ^ «Лобановский орал: вы нас убить хотите?» Из Эстонии — в Лондон к Венгеру, «Торпедо» и Китай sport24.ru
  7. ^ "Andres Oper jätkab karjääri Hollandi liigas" (in Estonian). Soccernet.ee. 31 August 2005. Retrieved 20 September 2016.
  8. ^ "Oper lõi Rodas esimese värava" (in Estonian). Eesti Päevaleht. 1 October 2005. Archived from the original on 7 September 2012. Retrieved 20 September 2016.
  9. ^ "Andres Oper usub Roda potentsiaali" (in Estonian). Soccernet.ee. 28 March 2006. Retrieved 20 September 2016.
  10. ^ "Andres Oper pikendas Rodaga lepingut" (in Estonian). Soccernet.ee. 28 March 2006. Retrieved 20 September 2016.
  11. ^ "Oper heads to Shanghai". Fifa.com. Archived from the original on 27 December 2010.
  12. ^ Андрес Опер: Играл в Шанхае, но столько, как Халку, мне не платили sportsdaily.ru
  13. ^ "ADO Den Haag bevestigt komst transfervrije Oper" (in Dutch). Voetbalzone. 22 January 2010. Retrieved 22 January 2010.
  14. ^ "Oper komt selectie versterken". ADO Den Haag. 22 January 2010. Archived from the original on 20 July 2011. Retrieved 22 January 2010.
  15. ^ "Oper ei jätka siiski ADO-s" (in Estonian). Soccernet.ee. 9 July 2010. Retrieved 20 September 2016.
  16. ^ "Ametlik teadaanne – Operil uus klubi" (in Estonian). Oper.ee. 9 September 2010. Archived from the original on 20 July 2011.
  17. ^ "Oper avas uues klubis väravaarve" (in Estonian). Soccernet.ee. 3 March 2012. Retrieved 3 March 2012.
  18. ^ "Star Striker Andres Oper Retires". ERR. 5 February 2014.
  19. ^ "Pudeli vett krae vahele saanud Oper: väga tähtis võit! Esiliiga B satsina tegime ikkagi meistriliiga omadele ära!". Soccernet.ee. 9 July 2021.
  20. ^ "Eesti viigistas Operi lahkumismängus Gibraltariga" (in Estonian). ERR. 26 May 2014. Retrieved 24 October 2018.
  21. ^ Эстонский экс-футболист Андрес Опер: в Москве мне моментально объяснили, что означает по-русски моя фамилия! Archived 11 March 2018 at the Wayback Machine baltnews.ee
  22. ^ "Andres Oper - Century of International Appearances". Rec.Sport.Soccer Statistics Foundation.
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