Joel Lindpere

Joel Lindpere is an Estonian attacking midfielder born on 5 October 1981 in Tallinn. He currently plays for Chicago Fire in the American MLS.

Aged only 15, Joel made his first-team debut with a hometown club Nõmme Kalju. Shortly afterwards he moved to Lelle SK where played for two years. However, Lindpere’s career really took off when he joined Estonian top-flight club Flora Tallinn in 2000. During a seven-year stint, Lindpere scored 37 goals in 130 appearances. In the 2001/02 and 2004/05 seasons, he played for Valga and the Bulgarian CSKA Sofia respectively on loan from Flora Tallinn.

In 2007, Joel joined the Norwegian side Tromsø IL from the country’s top division. Just in a few days after signing the contract, the Estonian player scored his maiden goal for a new club against Molde. All in all, he made a total of 75 strong appearances for two seasons with Tromsø.

In January 2010, Lindpere moved to the USA to join the powerhouse New York Red Bulls in the top division. He made his mark in the 2010 Major League Soccer opening match netting the winning goal against Chicago Fire. Thanks to his futher terrific club performances, Joel was awarded the Most Valuable Player for New York Red Bulls title in 2010.

In 2013 he moved to Chicago Fires.

Joel Lindpere is a regular international for the Estonia national team since 1999.