Estonia national team captain Karol Mets will leave FC St. Pauli after three and a half years at the club following their relegation from the Bundesliga at the end of the season.
“My time at St. Pauli is over. All the tears have been cried, all the emotions let out. Despite all the difficulties, these three and a half years were the best of my career,” Mets told Postimees.
According to the 33-year-old centre-back, the club’s relegation ultimately became the decisive factor regarding his future. Mets revealed that an agreement had already been reached a month before the end of the season that his contract would be extended if St. Pauli managed to stay in the Bundesliga.
Mets initially joined St. Pauli in early 2023 on loan from Swiss side FC Zürich while the Hamburg club was still playing in Germany’s second division. After the initial six-month loan spell, St. Pauli permanently signed the Estonian international.
The defender later helped the club earn promotion to the Bundesliga, where St. Pauli spent the following two seasons before suffering relegation this year.
During his time in Germany’s top flight, Mets made 33 Bundesliga appearances in total – playing 10 matches during the club’s first season back in the league and 23 during the recently concluded campaign. Mets scored his only Bundesliga goal just a month ago in a draw against Köln.
The Estonian international, who has made 104 appearances for Estonia, has previously played abroad for Viking in Norway, NAC Breda in the Netherlands, AIK in Sweden, Al-Ettifaq in Saudi Arabia, CSKA Sofia in Bulgaria and FC Zürich in Switzerland before moving to Germany. During his time with Zürich, he also won the Swiss league title.
