Estonia sending another soldier to battle England
Artur Pikk, a then 21-year-old army conscript, made his full national team debut against England a year ago and became somewhat of a tabloid celebrity for turning up to post-match interviews in his military gear. Now Estonia has named another conscript, Ilja Antonov, in the football team against England and Switzerland in a few weeks.
Pikk played against Wayne Rooney, a footballer reportedly earning around 250,000 euros per week, then returned to his barracks straight after the game in 2014. He has now completed his mandatory military service and is also in the team against England on October 9 and Switzerland on October 12.
Antonov and fellow FC Levadia player Andreas Raudsepp began their military service this week. Antonov will join the national team with permission from the Defense Forces.
The defensive midfielder has played 19 games for Estonia.
Editor: J.M. Laats