Estonia’s World Cup qualifying preparations took a fresh twist ahead of tonight’s home match against Moldova, with veteran defender Joseph Saliste left out of the squad and 17-year-old forward Marten-Chris Paalberg drafted back into the final 23. The decision caps a remarkable few weeks for one of this season’s Premium Liiga sensations – a teenager whose scoring run for Pärnu Vaprus has resonated both domestically and among international observers.
Only a week ago, Paalberg was on the outside looking in. Named to the wider camp but omitted from the matchday group for the Italy fixture, his place went instead to emergency goalkeeping cover Henri Perk after Karl Andre Vallner’s injury. It looked like a temporary setback – a reminder that in Jürgen Henn’s meritocratic but pragmatic Estonia, timing still matters. Yet when the final list for the Moldova game was announced, Paalberg’s name reappeared, signalling that his momentum at club level had proven too persuasive to ignore.
Henn’s decision to replace Saliste, who started against Italy, with an attacking option rather than a defensive one, reflects more than tactical adjustment. It is a statement about direction. Estonia’s manager has long stressed that form outweighs seniority, and that principle now finds its purest expression in a call-up that bridges raw potential and strategic foresight. Paalberg’s 13 goals in 20 top-flight games have already marked him as one of the league’s breakout performers; his inclusion in a competitive squad merely formalises that recognition.
For the young prospect, tonight represents not yet a test of impact but one of proximity – the chance to train, travel, and prepare as part of the senior setup, to feel the rhythms of international football. For Henn, it is another small step in a process he has described as “rolling through” emerging talents: identifying, exposing, and evaluating them in real time rather than waiting for a perfect moment that never quite arrives.
There is, of course, no guarantee that Paalberg will see the pitch against Moldova. But the symbolism matters. As Estonia prepare to close their qualifying campaign at A. Le Coq Arena, kick-off 19:00, the balance of experience and ambition feels subtly recalibrated. A place once filled by a dependable defender now goes to a 17-year-old youngster who may well continue his meteoric rise but now also on an international stage.
