Karl Hein (footballer)

Karl Jakob Hein (born 13 April 2002) is an Estonian professional footballer who plays as a goalkeeper for La Liga club Real Valladolid, on loan from Premier League club Arsenal, and the Estonia national team.

Karl Hein

Hein playing for Arsenal in 2023
Personal information
Full name	Karl Jakob Hein[1]
Date of birth	(2002-04-13) 13 April 2002 (age 23)
Place of birth	Põlva, Estonia
Height	1.93 m (6 ft 4 in)[2]
Position(s)	Goalkeeper
Team information
Current team	Valladolid (on loan from Arsenal)
Number	13
Youth career
2010–2015	Loo
2015–2018	Nõmme United
2018–2022	Arsenal
Senior career*
Years	Team	Apps	(Gls)
2018	Nõmme United	5	(0)
2018–	Arsenal	0	(0)
2022	→ Reading (loan)	5	(0)
2024–	→ Valladolid (loan)	29	(0)
International career‡
2017–2018	Estonia U17	14	(0)
2019	Estonia U19	3	(0)
2019	Estonia U21	2	(0)
2020–	Estonia	37	(0)
*Club domestic league appearances and goals, correct as of 22:10 13 May 2025 (UTC) ‡ National team caps and goals, correct as of 22:10 13 May 2025 (UTC)

Club career

Nõmme United

Hein began his youth career at JK Loo at the age of eight, before moving to the youth team of Nõmme United in 2015.^[3] He made five senior appearances for Nõmme United in the Estonian third tier, Esiliiga B,^[4] before joining the academy of English club Arsenal in May 2018.^[5]

Arsenal

Hein signed his first professional contract with the club in May 2019.^[6] He appeared in the Arsenal squad as an unused substitute for the first time on 29 October 2020, in the Europa League match against Dundalk.^[7][8]

After playing for the Arsenal first-team in the 2021–22 pre-season, including his non-competitive debut against Hibernian, Hein signed a new long-term contract with Arsenal on 17 September 2021.^[9]

On 10 November 2022, Hein made his debut for the Arsenal first-team in the EFL Cup third round against Brighton & Hove Albion at the Emirates Stadium, conceding a foul in the penalty area and the resulting spot-kick against Danny Welbeck as Arsenal lost 3–1.^[10]

Loan to Reading

On 24 January 2022, Reading announced the signing of Hein on loan from Arsenal until the end of the 2021–22 season.^[11][12]

Loan to Valladolid

On 13 August 2024, Hein completed a season-long loan move to newly-promoted La Liga side Real Valladolid.^[13][14]

Hein and Valladolid started the season with a clean-sheet and a 1–0 victory over Espanyol.^[15]

International career

Hein was capped by Estonia at under-17, under-19 and under-21 level.^[16] He made his international debut for the Estonia national team on 5 September 2020, in a 0–1 loss against Georgia in the UEFA Nations League.^[17] Since his debut, Hein has become a regular starter for Estonia.

Career statistics

Club

As of match played 13 May 2025

Appearances and goals by club, season and competition^{[citation needed]}

Club	Season	League			National Cup		League Cup		Europe		Other		Total
		Division	Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals
Nõmme United	2018	Esiliiga B	5	0	0	0	—		—		—		5	0
Arsenal
	2018–19	Premier League	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0
	2019–20		0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	—		0	0
	2020–21		0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0
	2021–22		0	0	0	0	0	0	—		—		0	0
	2022–23		0	0	0	0	1	0	0	0	—		1	0
	2023–24		0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0
	2024–25		0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0
	Total		0	0	0	0	1	0	0	0	0	0	1	0
Arsenal U21	2020–21	—	—		—		—		—		1[a]	0	1	0
	2021–22	—	—		—		—		—		1[a]	0	1	0
	2022–23	—	—		—		—		—		1[a]	0	1	0
	2023–24	—	—		—		—		—		1[a]	0	1	0
	Total		0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	4	0	4	0
Reading (loan)	2021–22	Championship	5	0	0	0	0	0	—		—		5	0
Real Valladolid (loan)	2024–25	La Liga	29	0	1	0	—		—		—		30	0
Career total			39	0	1	0	1	0	0	0	4	0	44	0

1. Appearance(s) in EFL Trophy

International

As of match played 22 March 2025^[18]

Appearances and goals by national team and year

National team	Year	Apps	Goals
Estonia	2020	6	0
	2021	6	0
	2022	6	0
	2023	9	0
	2024	9	0
	2025	1	0
Total		37	0

Honours

International

• Baltic Cup: 2020, 2024^[19]

Individual

• Estonian Young Footballer of the Year: 2020,^[20] 2021^[21]