FC Levadia Tallinn

This article is about the club which was known as FC Levadia Maardu between 1998–2004. For its current feeder club, which was known as FC Levadia Tallinn between 2000–2004, see FC Levadia II Tallinn. For Levadia women's team, see FC Levadia Tallinn (women).
Levadia
Full name Football Club Levadia Tallinn
Founded 22 October 1998 (1998-10-22)
Ground Kadriorg Stadium
Ground Capacity 5,000[1]
President Viktor Levada
Manager Igor Prins
League Meistriliiga
2016 Meistriliiga, 2nd
Website Club home page

FC Levadia Tallinn, commonly known as Levadia Tallinn, or simply as Levadia, is a professional football club, based in Tallinn, Estonia.

Founded in 1998, the club has played in the Meistriliiga since 1999 and have never been relegated from the Estonian top division. Levadia has won 9 Meistriliiga, 8 Estonian Cup and 5 Estonian Supercup trophies.

History

Early history

Levadia was founded on 22 October 1998, when metal manufacturing company OÜ Levadia became the official sponsor of Maardu based Esiliiga club Olümp, subsequently renamed Levadia. The club won the 1998 Esiliiga season and was promoted to Meistriliiga. Before the next season, the club merged with Meistriliiga club Tallinna Sadam and hired Sergei Ratnikov as a manager.

Levadia had tremendously successful start, winning the 1999 Meistriliiga, the 1998–99 Estonian Cup and the 1999 Estonian Supercup. Toomas Krõm won the goal scoring title with 19 goals in Meistriliiga. The club managed to defend the Meistriliiga title in the next 2000 season, along with winning another Estonian Cup and Estonian Supercup trophy. In the 2000–01 UEFA Champions League, Levadia defeated Total Network Solutions 2–6 on aggregate in the first qualifying round but lost to Shakhtar Donetsk 2–9 on aggregate in the second qualifying round. Following the loss to Shakhtar Donetsk, Ratnikov was sacked.

In January 2001, Valeri Bondarenko was appointed as a manager. Bondarenko began the season by winning the Estonian Supercup but failed to defend the Meistriliiga title, finishing the season in third place behind the winners Flora and runners-up TVMK. In 2002, Pasi Rautiainen took over as a manager. Under Rautiainen, Levadia finished the 2002 Meistriliiga season second, just two points behind Flora. After the season, Rautiainen left the club and returned to Finland for personal reasons and was replaced by Franco Pancheri. Pancheri coached Levadia for just 9 Meistriliiga matches, before he was sacked due being unable to maintain the level achieved with Rautiainen. In June 2003, Levadia hired former Estonia national football team manager Tarmo Rüütli and finished the season in third place.

Relocation to Tallinn

In 2004, Levadia moved to Tallinn, while the previously Tallinn-based reserve team with the same name changed its name to Levadia II. Under Rüütli, Levadia won the 2004 Meistriliiga season but failed to defend the title in 2005, coming second behind TVMK. Levadia defeated both Haka and Twente 2–1 on aggregate in the 2006–07 UEFA Cup qualifying rounds but lost to Newcastle United 1–3 on aggregate in the first round. Levadia won two more Meistriliiga titles in 2006 and 2007. In 2008, Rüütli left Levadia, having been hired by the Estonian Football Association to coach the Estonia national football team and was replaced by the previous assistant manager Igor Prins.[2]

Under Prins, Levadia won two consecutive Meistriliiga titles in 2008 and 2009 and an Estonian Cup in 2010. In August 2010, Prins was sacked due to disagreements with the club's board and replaced by Levadia II manager Aleksandr Pushtov.[3] Levadia finished the 2010 season second behind Flora. During the 2010–11 winter transfer window, Levadia lost several key players, including Estonian international players Tarmo Neemelo, Eino Puri and Vladimir Voskoboinikov. In July 2011, Pushtov was sacked after disappointing results in the Meistriliiga and the Champions League and replaced by Sergei Hohlov-Simson. Levadia finished the 2011 season in fourth place, lowest since the club was promoted to the Meistriliiga.

Recent history

In January 2012, Marko Kristal was hired as a manager. Levadia won the 2011–12 Estonian Cup and finished the 2012 Meistriliiga season in second place behind Nõmme Kalju. Under Kristal, Levadia won the Meistriliiga title in 2013 and defended the title in 2014, while Igor Subbotin scored club record 32 goals. Levadia failed to defend the title in the 2015 season, finishing in second place. After the season, it was announced that Sergei Ratnikov will return to Levadia after 15 years and replace Kristal as a manager. Ratnikov's second tenure as Levadia's manager lasted until 11 July 2016, when he was sacked after a 0–1 loss to Pärnu Linnameeskond in the Meistriliiga. He was replaced by another returning manager, Igor Prins.[4] Levadia finished the 2016 season as runners-up, behind the first-time champions Infonet.

Honours

Domestic

Winners (9): 1999, 2000, 2004, 2006, 2007, 2008, 2009, 2013, 2014
Runners-up (6): 2002, 2005, 2010, 2012, 2015, 2016
Third place (2): 2001, 2003
Winners (1): 1998
Winners (8): 1998–99, 1999–2000, 2003–04, 2004–05, 2006–07, 2009–10, 2011–12, 2013–14
Runners-up (1): 2001–02
Winners (6): 1999, 2000, 2001, 2010, 2013, 2015
Runners-up (7): 2004, 2005, 2007, 2008, 2009, 2011, 2014

Regional

Runners-up (2): 2005, 2008

Stadium

Kadriorg Stadium

Kadriorg Stadium
Main article: Kadriorg Stadium

The club's home ground is the 5,000-seat Kadriorg Stadium. Built from 1922–1926 and opened on 13 June 1926, it is one of the oldest football stadiums in Estonia. Kadriorg Stadium used to be the home ground of the Estonia national football team until the completion of the A. Le Coq Arena in 2001.[5][6]

The stadium is located in Kadriorg, at Roheline aas street 24, Tallinn.

Levadia uses Sportland Arena and Maarjamäe Stadium artificial turfs during winter and early spring months for training and home matches.

Players

First-team squad

As of 23 July 2016.[7] Note: Flags indicate national team as defined under FIFA eligibility rules. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.

No. Position Player
2 Estonia DF Hindrek Ojamaa
3 Estonia DF Raido Kannel
4 Cameroon DF Luc Manga
5 Estonia MF Gregor Aru
6 Estonia MF Ilja Antonov
7 Estonia MF Pavel Marin
9 Cameroon MF Marcellin Gando
10 Estonia MF Rasmus Peetson
11 Russia MF Anton Miranchuk (on loan from Lokomotiv Moscow)
12 Estonia GK Sergei Lepmets
16 Estonia FW Kevin Kauber (on loan from Jelgava)
No. Position Player
18 Estonia DF Alger Džumadil
21 Estonia MF Kaspar Mutso
23 Estonia MF Marek Kaljumäe
25 Estonia DF Maksim Podholjuzin
26 Estonia DF Igor Morozov
27 Estonia DF Andreas Raudsepp
28 Estonia FW Rimo Hunt (captain)
30 Estonia GK Priit Pikker
35 Estonia GK Vladislav Tsvetkov
81 Russia FW Alan Gatagov
99 Russia FW Yevgeni Kobzar

Out on loan

Note: Flags indicate national team as defined under FIFA eligibility rules. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.

No. Position Player
1 Estonia GK Kristjan Tamme (at Pärnu Linnameeskond)
No. Position Player
33 Estonia MF Mark Oliver Roosnupp (at Paide Linnameeskond)

Reserves and academy

Further information: FC Levadia U21

Personnel

Current technical staff

Position Name
Manager Estonia Igor Prins
Assistant manager Estonia Sergei Pareiko
Goalkeeping coach Estonia Ain Tammus
Doctor Estonia Gennadi Kuzmin
Administrator Estonia Pavel Kazakov

Managerial history

Manager Career
Estonia Vladimir Plešakov1998
Estonia Sergei Ratnikov1999–2000
Estonia Ants Kommussaar2000
Estonia Eduard Võrk2000
Estonia Valeri Bondarenko2001
Finland Pasi Rautiainen2002
Italy Franco Pancheri2003
Estonia Tarmo Rüütli2003–2008
Estonia Igor Prins2008–2010
Russia Aleksandr Pushtov2010–2011
Estonia Sergei Hohlov-Simson2011
Estonia Marko Kristal2012–2015
Estonia Sergei Ratnikov2016
Estonia Igor Prins2016–

Statistics

League and Cup

Meistriliiga Esiliiga

Europe

Player records

As of 5 November 2016.[8] Active players in bold.

Most Meistriliiga games

Rank Player Career Games
1Estonia Vitali Leitan2000–2012350
2Estonia Andrei Kalimullin2000–2011318
3Estonia Konstantin Nahk1999–2000, 2002, 2004–2011289
4Estonia Tihhon Šišov2000–2001, 2003–2008, 2009199
5Estonia Maksim Podholjuzin2009–2014, 2016–188
6Estonia Igor Morozov2006–2012, 2016–172
7Estonia Igor Subbotin2009–2014, 2015170
8Estonia Deniss Malov2006–2010153
9Estonia Indrek Zelinski2005–2009151
10Estonia Taijo Teniste2005–2011148

Most Meistriliiga goals

Rank Player Career Goals
1Estonia Vitali Leitan2000–2012133
2Estonia Konstantin Nahk1999–2000, 2002, 2004–201193
3Estonia Indrek Zelinski2005–200984
4Russia Nikita Andreev2006–200969
5Estonia Igor Subbotin2009–2014, 201565
6Estonia Toomas Krõm1999–200263
7Estonia Ingemar Teever2012–201553
8Estonia Vladimir Tšelnokov2000–200551
9Estonia Konstantin Vassiljev2003–200750
10Estonia Rimo Hunt2012–2013, 2016–40
Estonia Tarmo Kink2006–2008, 201540

References

  1. ↑ "Kadrioru staadion". fclevadia.ee. Retrieved 16 June 2008.
  2. ↑ "Tarmo Rüütli kinnitati Eesti koondise peatreeneriks". Postimees. Retrieved 22 November 2007.
  3. ↑ "Levadia lõpetas peatreener Igor Prinsiga lepingu". Postimees. Retrieved 3 August 2010.
  4. ↑ "Ratnikov lahkus Levadiast, uus peatreener on Prins" (in Estonian). Soccernet.ee. 11 July 2016.
  5. ↑ "Kadrioru staadion" (in Estonian). FC Levadia.
  6. ↑ "Ajalugu". kadriorustaadion.ee. Retrieved 10 July 2008.
  7. ↑ "Esindusmeeskond". FC Levadia (in Estonian). Retrieved 5 March 2016.
  8. ↑

External links

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