Raio Piiroja
| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Date of birth | 11 July 1979 | ||
| Place of birth | Pärnu, Estonia | ||
| Height | 1.90 m (6 ft 3 in) | ||
| Playing position | Centre back | ||
| Youth career | |||
| Rivaal | |||
| Pärnu | |||
| Senior career* | |||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) |
| 1995–1996 | Pärnu | 8 | (1) |
| 1996–1999 | Lelle | 22 | (3) |
| 1999–2004 | Flora | 102 | (17) |
| 2000 | → Tervis Pärnu (loan) | 1 | (0) |
| 2001 | → Valga (loan) | 1 | (0) |
| 2003 | → Vålerenga (loan) | 11 | (1) |
| 2004–2011 | Fredrikstad | 158 | (12) |
| 2011–2012 | Vitesse | 2 | (0) |
| 2012 | Flora | 0 | (0) |
| 2013 | Chengdu Blades | 18 | (1) |
| 2014 | Flora | 0 | (0) |
| 2015 | Pärnu Linnameeskond | 0 | (0) |
| Total | 323 | (35) | |
| National team | |||
| 1993 | Estonia U16 | 2 | (0) |
| 1996–1997 | Estonia U19 | 7 | (0) |
| 1997–1998 | Estonia U21 | 13 | (0) |
| 1998–2015 | Estonia | 114 | (9) |
| * Senior club appearances and goals counted for the domestic league only. |
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Raio Piiroja (born 11 July 1979 ) is a former professional footballer and current president of Pärnu Linnameeskond. Piiroja was named Estonian Footballer of the Year in 2002, 2006, 2007, 2008, and 2009. Internationally, Piiroja represented Estonia and was the team's captain. He made 114 appearances for the team, scoring 9 goals. He was known for his impressing ability in the air for winning headers.
Piiroja started his career in his hometown Pärnu before moving to the Tallinn side Flora, under then manager Teitur Thordarson. With Flora, Piiroja won two consecutive Meistriliiga titles in the 2001 and the 2002 seasons.
In 2003, he joined Norwegian side Vålerenga on loan.
In 2004, Piiroja signed a contract with Norwegian side Fredrikstad. In 2006, he scored two goals in the Norwegian Football Cup final against Sandefjord in a 3–0 victory. In 2010, Piiroja scored 2 goals in the Norwegian Premier League promotion play-offs against Hønefoss.
Piiroja made his international debut for the Estonia national football team on 21 November 1998, at the age of 19, in a 1–2 defeat against Armenia, replacing Viktor Alonen at the 85th minute of the match. Piiroja became the national team captain after Mart Poom. He made his 100th appearance in a 2–0 friendly win over Uruguay and finished his international career in 2015, with 114 appearances and 9 goals scored.
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