Erik Endel Paartalu (born 3 May 1986) is an Australian professional

footballer A football player or footballer is a sportsperson who plays one of the different types of football. The main types of football are association football, American football, Canadian football, Australian rules football, Gaelic football, rugby le ...

Estonia Estonia, formally the Republic of Estonia, is a country by the Baltic Sea in Northern Europe. It is bordered to the north by the Gulf of Finland across from Finland, to the west by the sea across from Sweden, to the south by Latvia, a ...

n descent who plays as a

defensive midfielder A midfielder is an outfield position in association football. Midfielders may play an exclusively defensive role, breaking up attacks, and are in that case known as defensive midfielders. As central midfielders often go across boundarie ...

. He has played professionally in

Scotland Scotland (, ) is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. Covering the northern third of the island of Great Britain, mainland Scotland has a border with England to the southeast and is otherwise surrounded by the Atlantic Ocean to the ...

Australia Australia, officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a Sovereign state, sovereign country comprising the mainland of the Australia (continent), Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous List of islands of Australia, sma ...

China China, officially the People's Republic of China (PRC), is a country in East Asia. It is the world's most populous country, with a population exceeding 1.4 billion, slightly ahead of India. China spans the equivalent of five time zones and ...

Qatar Qatar (, ; ar, قطر, Qaṭar ; local vernacular pronunciation: ), officially the State of Qatar,) is a country in Western Asia. It occupies the Qatar Peninsula on the northeastern coast of the Arabian Peninsula in the Middle East; it sh ...

South Korea South Korea, officially the Republic of Korea (ROK), is a country in East Asia, constituting the southern part of the Korea, Korean Peninsula and sharing a Korean Demilitarized Zone, land border with North Korea. Its western border is formed ...

Thailand Thailand ( ), historically known as Siam () and officially the Kingdom of Thailand, is a country in Southeast Asia, located at the centre of the Indochinese Peninsula, spanning , with a population of almost 70 million. The country is bo ...

and

India India, officially the Republic of India (Hindi: ), is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by area, the second-most populous country, and the most populous democracy in the world. Bounded by the Indian Ocean on the so ...

Club career

NSL

Paartalu began his career with Northern Spirit in the

National Soccer League The National Soccer League (NSL) was the top-level soccer league in Australia, run by Soccer Australia and later the Australian Soccer Association. The NSL, the A-League's predecessor, spanned 28 seasons from its inception in 1977 until its d ...

, after stints with the Spirit youth team and the

New South Wales Institute of Sport The New South Wales Institute of Sport (NSWIS) is a high performance sports training institute located in New South Wales, Australia. The New South Wales government agency provides world leading coaching, performance support and daily training ...

. His NSL career at the Spirit was however limited to a single appearance as a substitute on 11 January 2004 against the

Melbourne Knights Melbourne Knights Football Club is an Australian professional soccer club based in the suburb of Sunshine North, Melbourne. The club currently competes in the National Premier Leagues Victoria, the second-tier of the Australian soccer league ...

. After the dissolution of the Northern Spirit, Paartalu moved to the Northern Tigers in the

New South Wales Winter Super League The NSW League One Men is an Australian semi-professional association football league comprising teams from New South Wales. The league sits at Level 2 on the New South Wales league system, behind the National Premier Leagues NSW, (Level 3 of th ...

where he played 17 matches scoring four goals in the 2004 season. During 2004 Paartalu moved to the

Parramatta Eagles Parramatta Football Club, commonly known as Parramatta Melita Eagles or just Melita, are a semi-professional Australian soccer club based in South Granville, New South Wales. The club was established by Maltese migrants in 1956 and played sev ...

who were then playing in the

National Premier Leagues NSW The National Premier Leagues NSW is a semi-professional soccer competition in New South Wales, Australia. The competition is conducted by Football NSW, the organising body in New South Wales (the other being the National Premier Leagues Northern ...

. He continued with the Eagles until the latter half of the 2006 season, before he decided to take his chances on a career in the United Kingdom.

Scotland

After a trial with

Doncaster Doncaster (, ) is a city in South Yorkshire, England. Named after the River Don, it is the administrative centre of the larger City of Doncaster. It is the second largest settlement in South Yorkshire after Sheffield. Doncaster is situated in ...

League One The English Football League One (often referred to as League One for short or Sky Bet League One for sponsorship purposes, and known as the Football League One from 2004 until 2016) is the second-highest division of the English Football Leag ...

it was expected he would sign a contract until the departure of manager

Dave Penney David Mark Penney (born 17 August 1964) is an English football manager and former player. Born in Wakefield, West Riding of Yorkshire, Penney entered professional football at the relatively late age of 21. He had been working as a bricklayer and ...

put an end to the deal. Arriving at Gretna in September Paartalu was signed on a short-term contract after a trial. A number of impressive performances led to a two and a half-year contract being signed in January 2007. Paartalu joined

Stirling Albion Stirling Albion Football Club is a Scottish football club based in the city of Stirling. The club was founded in 1945 following the demise of King's Park after World War II. The club currently competes in Scottish League Two as a member of the ...

on 1 January 2008 on a loan deal from Gretna until the end of the 2007/2008 season. Paartalu made his debut for ''the Binos'' against

Hamilton Hamilton may refer to: People * Hamilton (name), a common British surname and occasional given name, usually of Scottish origin, including a list of persons with the surname ** The Duke of Hamilton, the premier peer of Scotland ** Lord Hamilt ...

on 5 January 2008 at

New Douglas Park New Douglas Park, currently known as the ZLX Stadium for sponsorship purposes, is a football stadium in Hamilton, South Lanarkshire, Scotland, which serves as the home of Scottish Championship side Hamilton Academical and Scottish League One sid ...

. In his second game he scored his first and only goal for the club, in a 4–1 defeat to

Livingston Livingston may refer to: Businesses * Livingston Energy Flight, an Italian airline (2003–2010) * Livingston Compagnia Aerea, an Italian airline (2011–2014), also known as Livingston Airline * Livingston International, a North American custom ...

. Paartalu was released by Gretna in March 2008 due to them entering administration. He then joined

Greenock Morton Greenock Morton Football Club is a Scottish professional football club, which plays in the Scottish Championship. The club was founded as Morton Football Club in 1874, making it one of the oldest senior Scottish clubs. Morton was renamed Green ...

. After helping Morton stay in the First Division, Paartalu signed a two-year deal at the end of April 2008 to keep him at

Cappielow Cappielow, also known as Cappielow Park supported by Dalrada Technology UK for sponsorship reasons, is a football stadium in Greenock, Inverclyde, Scotland. It is the home ground of Scottish Professional Football League club Greenock Morton, w ...

until 2010.

Brisbane Roar

With his contract at Morton running out in the summer, Paartalu signed a pre-contract agreement with

Brisbane Roar Brisbane Roar Football Club is an Australian professional soccer club based in Brisbane, Queensland and has won the domestic title on three occasions, as well as holding the longest unbeaten record of 36 league matches without defeat. Brisba ...

on 24 February 2010. Paartalu became an important player for Brisbane, a linchpin in the midfield and scoring crucial goals. Paartalu's defining moment at the Roar came in the 2011 A-League Grand Final, where he scored the equaliser with the last touch of the game in the 120th minute. He also went on to score the Roar's second penalty in the shootout against the Mariners. Paartalu was awarded the A-League Solo Goal of the Year for the 2010–11 season for his volley against

Gold Coast United Gold Coast United Football Club is an Australian soccer club based in Gold Coast, Queensland. The earliest incarnation of the club formed in 1966 and its home ground was at Nikiforides Family Park in Broadbeach. The first era of Gold Coast Unit ...

in the last game of the regular season. In Brisbane's first match of the 2011–12 finals series, Paartalu's powerful strike sealed a 2–0 win for Brisbane in the first leg against the Central Coast. Paartalu started in 85 consecutive games for Brisbane Roar in the A-League and the AFC Champions League in both the 2010–11 and 2011–12 seasons, including the A-League finals series.Brisbane Roar player Erik Paartalu is the ironman of the team having played every game for the last two seasons
'The Courier Mail''

Tianjin Teda

On 21 January 2013 it was confirmed that Paartalu had signed a three-year deal with

Tianjin Teda Tianjin Jinmen Tiger Football Club is a professional Chinese football club that currently participates in the Chinese Super League under licence from the Chinese Football Association (CFA). The team is based in Tianjin, and their home stadium is t ...

in the

Chinese Super League The Chinese Football Association Super League, commonly known as Chinese Super League or CSL, currently known as the China Ping An Chinese Football Association Super League for sponsorship reasons, is the highest tier of professional football in ...

Muangthong United

After leaving Tianjin Teda in February 2014, Paartalu signed for

Muangthong United Muangthong United Football Club ( th, สโมสรฟุตบอลเมืองทอง ยูไนเต็ด) is a Thai professional football club based in Muang Thong Thani, Nonthaburi province. The club plays in the Thai League ...

in the

Thai Premier League The Thai League 1 ( th, ไทยลีก 1), often referred to as T1, is the top level of the Thai football league system. Contested by 16 clubs, it operates on a system of promotion and relegation with Thai League 2. Seasons run from August ...

Melbourne City

In July 2014, Paartalu was offered a to be signed as a domestic marquee player by

Newcastle Jets Newcastle United Jets Football Club, commonly known as Newcastle Jets, is an Australian professional soccer club based in Newcastle, New South Wales. It competes in the country's premier competition, the A-League, under licence from The Australia ...

, but he opted to see out his contract with Muangthong United. In September Newcastle Jets reopened talks with Paartalu, following the departure of

Craig Goodwin Craig Alexander Goodwin (born 16 December 1991) is an Australian professional soccer player who plays for Adelaide United and the Australian national team. He is Adelaide United's all-time leading goalscorer. Club career Early career He start ...

from the club. However, despite the courting and lucrative offer by Newcastle Jets, on 15 September Paartalu signed a four-year deal with Melbourne City under the salary cap, saying "I want to be at a club with an ambition to be successful on and off the field and Melbourne City FC is that club." After 40 games and 7 goals for the club across nearly two season, Paartalu was released by the club to pursue opportunities in

Jeonbuk Hyundai Motors

Following his release from Melbourne City, Paartalu joined

K League Classic The K League 1 (Hangul: K리그1) is the men's top professional football division of the South Korean football league system. The league is contested by twelve clubs. History The South Korean professional football league was founded in 1 ...

side

Jeonbuk Hyundai Motors Jeonbuk Hyundai Motors ( ko, 전북 현대 모터스) is a South Korean professional football club based in Jeonju, North Jeolla Province that competes in the K League 1, the top tier of South Korean football. Playing at the Jeonju World Cup S ...

on a one-year deal. However, after just three months with the team, Paartalu was dropped from the squad, with coach Chio Kang-hee asking the midfielder to train alone.

Al Kharaitiyat

In October 2016, Paartalu joined Qatari Stars League club

Al Kharaitiyat Al Kharaitiyat ( ar, الخريطيات, Al Khurayţīyāt) is a town in the municipality of Umm Salal in Qatar. Etymology "Kharaitiyat" is the plural form of the Arabic term "khurat", which roughly translates to "map-like". The town received its ...

Bengaluru FC

On 5 July 2017, Paartalu joined

Indian Super League The Indian Super League (ISL) is an Indian professional league for men's association football clubs. At the top of the Indian football league system, it is the country's primary football competition. Organised by the All India Football Federat ...

club

Bengaluru FC Bengaluru Football Club () is an Indian professional football club based in Bangalore, Karnataka. The club competes in the Indian Super League, the top flight of Indian football. The club was established on 20 July 2013, and began its first ...

on a one-year deal. In November, he scored a brace against

Delhi Dynamos Odisha Football Club () is an Indian professional football club based in Bhubaneswar, Odisha, that competes in the Indian Super League, the top flight of Indian football. Prior to the inaugural Indian Super League season, the club was founded ...

. On 14 March 2018, his contract was extended until the end of 2020. Paartalu was part of the

2018–19 Indian Super League season The 2018–19 Indian Super League season was the fifth season of the Indian Super League, one of the top Indian professional football leagues. It was established in 2013. The regular season began on 29 September 2018 and concluded on 17 March 20 ...

winning squad and ended the following 2019–20 season as the club's highest assist getter with five contributions to his name. Paartalu signed a two-year extension to his contract with Bengaluru FC at the end of the 2019-20 campaign. "Bengaluru has held a special place in my heart for the past three years. Every time I leave the city, I am somehow drawn back to it," Paartalu said after putting pen to paper. In September 2021, Bengaluru FC announced that Paartalu and the club had parted ways.

International career

Paartalu represented Australia at the

2003 FIFA U-17 World Championship The 2003 FIFA U-17 World Championship, was the tenth edition of FIFA U-17 World Championship. It was held in the cities of Helsinki, Tampere, Lahti and Turku in Finland between 13 and 30 August 2003. Players born after 1 January 1986 could particip ...

. Paartalu played in all three of Australia's three games in the tournament, including losses against Argentina and Nigeria. On 21 February 2012 he was selected to play for the "Socceroos" against

Saudi Arabia national football team The Saudi Arabia national football team ( ar, المنتخب العربي السعودي لكرة القدم) represent Saudi Arabia in men's international football. They are known as ''Al-Suqour Al-Khodhur'' (The Green Falcons) in reference to ...

in a

World Cup qualification The FIFA World Cup qualification is a competitive match that a national association football team takes in order to qualify for one of the available berths at the final tournament of the (men's) FIFA World Cup. Qualifying tournaments are hel ...

match. Paartalu also represented the Australian National Team in two games at the

2013 EAFF East Asian Cup The 2013 EAFF East Asian Cup was the 5th edition of this regional competition, the football championship of East Asia. Two preliminary competitions were held during 2012. Mongolia were suspended from the EAFF and could not compete in any EAFF co ...

, with appearances against

and

China PR China, officially the People's Republic of China (PRC), is a country in East Asia. It is the world's List of countries and dependencies by population, most populous country, with a Population of China, population exceeding 1.4 billion, slig ...

Career statistics

Club

Honours

Club

Gretna *

Scottish Football League First Division The Scottish Football League First Division was the second tier in the Scottish football league system between 1975 and 2013. History The First Division was introduced in 1975–76 to replace the old Scottish Football League Division Two, as t ...

: 2006–07 Brisbane Roar *

A-League A-League Men (known as the Isuzu UTE A-League for sponsorship reasons) is the highest-level professional men's soccer league in Australia and New Zealand. At the top of the Australian league system, it is the country's premier men's competiti ...

Championship: 2010–11, 2011–12 *

Premiership: 2010–11 Jeonbuk Hyundai Motars *

AFC Champions League The AFC Champions League (abbreviated as ACL) is an annual continental club football competition organised by the Asian Football Confederation, and contested by Asia's top-division football clubs. It is the most prestigious club competition ...

: Winner

2016 File:2016 Events Collage.png, From top left, clockwise: Bombed-out buildings in Ankara following the 2016 Turkish coup d'état attempt; the impeachment trial of Brazilian President Dilma Rousseff; Damaged houses during the 2016 Nagorno-Karabakh ...

Bengaluru * Indian Super League : 2017-18 (Table Toppers) *

: 2018–19 (Table Toppers + Cup) * Super Cup:

2018 File:2018 Events Collage.png, From top left, clockwise: The 2018 Winter Olympics opening ceremony in PyeongChang, South Korea; Protests erupt following the Assassination of Jamal Khashoggi; March for Our Lives protests take place across the United ...

International

Australia U-17 *

OFC U-17 Championship The OFC U-16 Championship is a biennial football tournament for players under the age of 16. The tournament decides the only two qualification spots for the Oceania Football Confederation (OFC) and its representatives at the FIFA U-17 World Cup, w ...

2003 File:2003 Events Collage.png, From top left, clockwise: The crew of STS-107 perished when the Space Shuttle Columbia disintegrated during reentry into Earth's atmosphere; SARS became an epidemic in China, and was a precursor to SARS-CoV-2; A des ...

Individual

* A-League Goal of the Year: 2010–11

References

External links

Indian Super League ProfileOzFootball profile
* {{DEFAULTSORT:Paartalu, Erik 1986 births Living people Soccer players from Sydney Association football midfielders Australian expatriate soccer players Australian expatriate sportspeople in Scotland Expatriate footballers in Scotland Expatriate footballers in China Scottish Premier League players National Soccer League (Australia) players A-League Men players Chinese Super League players Brisbane Roar FC players Greenock Morton F.C. players Gretna F.C. players Northern Spirit FC players Stirling Albion F.C. players Tianjin Jinmen Tiger F.C. players

Erik Paartalu Erik Endel Paartalu (born 3 May 1986) is an Australian professional Association football, footballer of Estonian descent who plays as a Midfielder#Defensive midfielder, defensive midfielder. He has played professionally in Scotland, Australia, ...

Melbourne City FC players Jeonbuk Hyundai Motors players Al Kharaitiyat SC players Scottish Football League players Australian people of Estonian descent Parramatta FC players Expatriate footballers in Thailand K League 1 players Bengaluru FC players Qatar Stars League players Australian expatriate sportspeople in Thailand Australian expatriate sportspeople in China Australian expatriate sportspeople in India Australian soccer players Australia international soccer players Expatriate footballers in India