Sander Puri (born 7 May 1988) is an Estonian former 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 lea ...

who played as a

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. He played for the Estonia national team.

Club career

Levadia

Puri was born in

Tartu Tartu is the second largest city in Estonia after Tallinn. Tartu has a population of 97,759 (as of 2024). It is southeast of Tallinn and 245 kilometres (152 miles) northeast of Riga, Latvia. Tartu lies on the Emajõgi river, which connects the ...

, Tartu County. In 2005, at the age of 16, Puri started his professional career with FCI Levadia Tallinn. He scored his first

Meistriliiga Meistriliiga (), officially known as A. Le Coq Premium Liiga for sponsorship reasons, and commonly known as the Premium Liiga, is the highest division of the Estonian Football Association annual football championship. The league was founded i ...

goal on 1 June 2005, in a 2–0 victory over

Kuressaare Kuressaare () is a populated places in Estonia, town on the island of Saaremaa in Estonia. It is the administrative centre of Saaremaa Municipality and the seat of Saare County. Kuressaare is the westernmost town in Estonia. The recorded popul ...

. On 30 July 2007, Sander and his twin brother Eino Puri joined Tulevik a half-year

loan In finance, a loan is the tender of money by one party to another with an agreement to pay it back. The recipient, or borrower, incurs a debt and is usually required to pay interest for the use of the money. The document evidencing the deb ...

. He played 14 league matches, scoring four goals. In 2008, Puri had two trials with

Bundesliga The Bundesliga (; ), sometimes referred to as the Fußball-Bundesliga () or 1. Bundesliga (), is a professional association football league in Germany and the highest level of the German football league system. The Bundesliga comprises 18 teams ...

club

Borussia Dortmund Ballspielverein Borussia 09 e. V. Dortmund, often known simply as Borussia Dortmund () or by its initialism BVB (), or just Dortmund by International fans, is a German professional sports club based in Dortmund, North Rhine-Westphalia. It is ...

and in late 2009 with

Scottish Premier League The Scottish Premier League (SPL) was the Scottish football league system, top-level league competition for professional Association football, football clubs in Scotland. The league was founded in 1998, when it broke away from the Scottish Foo ...

club

Celtic Celtic, Celtics or Keltic may refer to: Language and ethnicity *pertaining to Celts, a collection of Indo-European peoples in Europe and Anatolia **Celts (modern) *Celtic languages **Proto-Celtic language *Celtic music *Celtic nations Sports Foot ...

Larissa

On 14 December 2009, Puri signed a five-year contract with

Super League Greece The Super League Greece 1 (), or Stoiximan Super League for sponsorship reasons, is a professional association football league in Greece and the highest level of the Greek football league system. The league was formed on 16 July 2006 and repla ...

club

Larissa Larissa (; , , ) is the capital and largest city of the Thessaly region in Greece. It is the fifth-most populous city in Greece with a population of 148,562 in the city proper, according to the 2021 census. It is also the capital of the Larissa ...

. On 18 March 2010, Puri scored the winning goal against

PAOK PAOK (, Πανθεσσαλονίκειος Αθλητικός Όμιλος Κωνσταντινοπολιτών, ''Panthessalonikeios Athlitikós Ómilos Constantinopoliton'', ''Pan-Thessalonian Athletic Club of Constantinopolitans''), commonly ...

, in the final moment of the match with a tap in from close range. However, in his second season, Puri's place in the team became increasingly limited which resulted him being loaned out twice. His contract was mutually terminated on 31 January 2012.

Loan spells with Korona Kielce and Pápa

In January 2011, Puri went on loan to

Ekstraklasa (; meaning "Extra Class" in Polish), officially known as PKO Bank Polski Ekstraklasa due to its Sponsor (commercial), sponsorship by PKO Bank Polski, is a professional association football league in Poland and the highest level of the Polish foo ...

club Korona Kielce, on a contract until the end of the season. He made his debut in a 1–1 draw against

Zagłębie Lubin Zagłębie Lubin S.A. () is a Polish professional association football, football club based in Lubin. Founded in 1945 as ''OMTUR Lubin'', the club competes in the Ekstraklasa. History The football team was founded in 1945 as OMTUR Lubin by lo ...

on 26 February 2011. Puri scored his first goal for the club in a 3–3 home draw against Polonia Bytom on 12 March 2011. However, due to injuries he only made eight appearances for the club. In July 2011, Puri was loaned to

Nemzeti Bajnokság I The Nemzeti Bajnokság (, ), also known as NB I or Fizz Liga after its title sponsor, OTP Bank's webshop subsidiary, is a professional association football league in Hungary and the highest level of the Hungarian football league system. Twelve ...

club Pápa. On 23 July 2011, Puri made his debut in a 2–0 home win over

Siófok Siófok (; ; ) is a town in Somogy County, Hungary on the southern bank of Lake Balaton. It is the Somogy County#Municipalities, second largest municipality in Somogy County and the seat of Siófok District. It covers an area of about between Lak ...

. On 21 September 2011, Puri scored his first goal in a 10–0 win against Győrszemere in the third round of the 2011–12 Magyar Kupa. The loan contract was mutually terminated on 19 January 2012 after spending six months at the club. At Pápa, Puri made 14 appearances, scoring one goal.

KuPS

Puri joined

Veikkausliiga Veikkausliiga () is a professional association football league in Finland and the highest level of the Finnish football league system. The league comprises the top 12 clubs of the country. Its main sponsor is the Finnish national betting agenc ...

club KuPS on 27 March 2012 on a contract until the end of the season, after a successful trial. He made his debut after starting in a 1–0 away win over VPS in the 2012 Finnish League Cup group stage on 25 February. His first goal came in a 5–1 away win over JJK on 11 June 2012. Puri scored for KuPS in the UEFA Europa League qualifying 1–0 home win against

Bursaspor Bursaspor Kulübü Derneği, commonly known as Bursaspor, is a Turkey, Turkish professional sports club based in the city of Bursa. Founded in 1963, the club is best known for its football team, which has a rich history in Football in Turkey, Turk ...

. He scored the winning goal against MYPA in the semi-final of the 2012 Finnish Cup on 30 August, but received a straight red card in the final, which the team lost to Honka. On 12 December 2012, Puri was released by the club after one season. After his release, Puri was offered a contract with A Group club Beroe Stara Zagora, but he rejected the move.

St Mirren

On 15 March 2013, Puri signed a contract until the end of 2012–13 with

club St Mirren, despite the interest of divisional rivals

Kilmarnock Kilmarnock ( ; ; , ), meaning "the church of Mernóc", is a town and former burgh in East Ayrshire situated in southwest Scotland. The town has served as the administrative centre of East Ayrshire Council since 1996 and is the region's main ...

, but was not offered a contract following a trial. He made his debut on 31 March 2013 as an 88th-minute substitute in a league match against Celtic. Having made three appearances for the club, Puri was released on 15 May 2013.

York City

Puri signed for League Two club York City on 13 June 2013 on a one-year contract with the option of a one-year extension. He made his debut in a 1–0

home A home, or domicile, is a space used as a permanent or semi-permanent residence for one or more human occupants, and sometimes various companion animals. Homes provide sheltered spaces, for instance rooms, where domestic activity can be p ...

win over

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on 3 August 2013, in the first match of 2013–14. He was released by York in May 2014.

Sligo Rovers

Puri signed for

League of Ireland Premier Division The League of Ireland Men's Premier Division (), also known as the SSE Airtricity Men's Premier Division for sponsorship reasons, is a professional association football league in the Republic of Ireland and the highest level of the Republic of I ...

club

Sligo Rovers Sligo Rovers Football Club is an Irish professional association football, football club playing in the Premier Division of the League of Ireland. The club is based in Sligo in the west of Ireland. The club was founded in 1928 and have been in ...

after a successful trial on 1 February 2015. On 22 May 2015, he scored his first goal in a 1–1 away draw with Derry City, after rounding the ball past goalkeeper Shaun Patton.

Karviná

Puri signed for

Czech National Football League The Czech National Football League (, ''FNL''), known as Chance Národní Liga due to sponsorship reasons, is the second level professional association football league in the Czech Republic. Before 2013 it was known as 2. liga or Druhá liga. The ...

club

Karviná Karviná (; , ) is a city in the Moravian-Silesian Region of the Czech Republic. It has about 49,000 inhabitants. It lies on the Olza (river), Olza River in the historical region of Cieszyn Silesia. Karviná is known as an industrial city with t ...

on 18 February 2016.

Nõmme Kalju

In August 2016, Puri returned to Estonia and signed a contract with Nõmme Kalju.

Waterford

In January 2017, Puri signed for

League of Ireland First Division The League of Ireland First Division, also known as the SSE Airtricity League First Division for sponsorship reasons, is the second-highest division in both the League of Ireland and the Republic of Ireland football league system. The division w ...

club

Waterford Waterford ( ) is a City status in Ireland, city in County Waterford in the South-East Region, Ireland, south-east of Ireland. It is located within the Provinces of Ireland, province of Munster. The city is situated at the head of Waterford H ...

. He made his debut in a 1–0 defeat to Athlone Town on 24 February 2017. A lengthy injury absence prevented Puri being involved with Waterford from March to July 2017. Despite returning to training in July it was only on 18 August Puri made a return for Waterford as he appeared as an unused substitute in the teams crucial 1–0 win over UCD. The Estonian international finally made his long-awaited return for Waterford in the 1–1 draw against Shelbourne on 1 September and he nearly scored a late winner on two occasions, his first effort struck the post and then he was only inches away from tapping home from close range but his outstretched leg couldn't convert. His impressive cameo earned him a start for the game against

Wexford Wexford ( ; archaic Yola dialect, Yola: ''Weiseforthe'') is the county town of County Wexford, Republic of Ireland, Ireland. Wexford lies on the south side of Wexford Harbour, the estuary of the River Slaney near the southeastern corner of the ...

on 15 September, he assisted Mark O'Sullivan for his second goal in that game, Waterford beat Wexford 3–0. That win coupled with Cobh Ramblers 3–0 defeat to

Cabinteely Cabinteely () is a suburb of Dublin's southside. It is in Dún Laoghaire–Rathdown, County Dublin, Ireland. The population of all electoral divisions labelled as Cabinteely was 15,864 as of the 2022 census. Geography Cabinteely lies around t ...

crowned Waterford as league champions with two games to spare. Puri signed a new one-year contract with Waterford for the 2018 season as the club entered the

. Puri scored his first goal for Waterford in their 1–0 win over Bohemians.

Nõmme Kalju

In February 2019 Puri returned to Nõmme Kalju, signing a two-year contract.

TJK Legion

On 7 February 2021, Puri signed a contract with TJK Legion. Puri made his debut for the new club in a 3–4 Loss against FCI Levadia Tallinn.

Tartu Tammeka

Puri signed for Tartu Tammeka in 2022..

Retirement

Puri announced on

Instagram Instagram is an American photo sharing, photo and Short-form content, short-form video sharing social networking service owned by Meta Platforms. It allows users to upload media that can be edited with Social media camera filter, filters, be ...

that he would retire at the end of the

2023 Meistriliiga The 2023 Meistriliiga, also known as A. Le Coq Premium Liiga due to sponsorship reasons, was the 33rd season of the Meistriliiga, the top Estonian league for association football clubs since its establishment in 1992. It was the first Meistrili ...

season.

International career

Puri was capped by Estonia at under-17, under-19 and under-21 level. He made his debut for the senior national team on 30 May 2008 against

Latvia Latvia, officially the Republic of Latvia, is a country in the Baltic region of Northern Europe. It is one of the three Baltic states, along with Estonia to the north and Lithuania to the south. It borders Russia to the east and Belarus to t ...

in the 2008 Baltic Cup. He scored his first national team goal on 22 November 2008, in a 1–1 draw against

Lithuania Lithuania, officially the Republic of Lithuania, is a country in the Baltic region of Europe. It is one of three Baltic states and lies on the eastern shore of the Baltic Sea, bordered by Latvia to the north, Belarus to the east and south, P ...

in a Mayors Cup match. A goal against

Saint Kitts and Nevis Saint Kitts and Nevis, officially the Federation of Saint Christopher (St Kitts) and Nevis, is an island country consisting of the two islands of Saint Kitts and Nevis, both located in the West Indies, in the Leeward Islands chain of the Less ...

saw him awarded the Estonian Silverball, for the best goal scored for Estonia in 2015.

Personal life

Puri is one of three triplets: his brother, Eino Puri, is also a footballer and his sister, Kadri Puri, is a volleyball player.

Career statistics

Club

International

International goals

:''Scores and results list Estonia's goal tally first, score column indicates score after each Puri goal.''

Honours

FCI Levadia Tallinn *

2006 2006 was designated as the International Year of Deserts and Desertification. Events January * January 1– 4 – Russia temporarily cuts shipment of natural gas to Ukraine during a price dispute. * January 12 – A stampede during t ...

2008 2008 was designated as: *International Year of Languages *International Year of Planet Earth *International Year of the Potato *International Year of Sanitation The Great Recession, a worldwide recession which began in 2007, continued throu ...

2009 2009 was designated as the International Year of Astronomy by the United Nations to coincide with the 400th anniversary of Galileo Galilei's first known astronomical studies with a telescope and the publication of Astronomia Nova by Joha ...

* Estonian Cup: 2004–05 Waterford *

2017 2017 was designated as the International Year of Sustainable Tourism for Development by the United Nations General Assembly. Events January * January 1 – Istanbul nightclub shooting: A gunman dressed as Santa Claus opens fire at the ...

Individual * Estonian Silverball: 2015

References

External links

* * * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Puri, Sander 1988 births Living people Footballers from Tartu Estonian men's footballers Estonian expatriate men's footballers Estonia men's youth international footballers Estonia men's under-21 international footballers Estonia men's international footballers Men's association football wingers FCI Levadia Tallinn players FCI Levadia U21 players Viljandi JK Tulevik players Athlitiki Enosi Larissa F.C. players Korona Kielce players Pápai FC footballers Kuopion Palloseura players St Mirren F.C. players York City F.C. players Sligo Rovers F.C. players MFK Karviná players Nõmme Kalju FC players Waterford F.C. players Tallinna JK Legion players Tartu JK Tammeka players Esiliiga players Meistriliiga players Super League Greece players Ekstraklasa players Nemzeti Bajnokság I players Veikkausliiga players Scottish Premier League players English Football League players League of Ireland players Czech National Football League players Expatriate men's footballers in the Czech Republic Expatriate men's footballers in England Expatriate men's footballers in Finland Expatriate men's footballers in Greece Expatriate men's footballers in Hungary Expatriate men's association footballers in the Republic of Ireland Expatriate men's footballers in Poland Expatriate men's footballers in Scotland Estonian expatriate sportspeople in the Czech Republic Estonian expatriate sportspeople in England Estonian expatriate sportspeople in Finland Estonian expatriate sportspeople in Greece Estonian expatriate sportspeople in Hungary Estonian expatriate sportspeople in Ireland Estonian expatriate sportspeople in Poland Estonian expatriate sportspeople in Scotland 21st-century Estonian sportsmen