548:
536:
29:
543:
Kuremaa was the guest of honour when
Estonia faced Latvia in an unofficial match on 18 July 1990, where he took the ceremonial kick-off. The match was held to commemorate their last meeting exactly half a century earlier in 1940. Estonia regained its independence in the following year, on 20 August
459:
2–1, with
Kuremaa scoring both of the goals. Considering the context surrounding the entire match, the fixture has been later interpreted as 'the last breath of free Estonia' due to being one of the very last public events where Estonians were able to express their nationality under the
377:
Richard
Kuremaa made a name for himself in football already during his school days and after graduating from Jakob Westholm Gymnasium in 1931, he received offers from a number of clubs. He first joined VVS Puhkekodu Tallinn, but moved to
523:
to death for treason. Kuremaa sent a pardon request to the
Presidium of the Supreme Council of the Soviet Union and his sentence was changed to ten years of imprisonment. Kuremaa, Uukkivi and Tepp were sent to a prison camp in
528:, where Uukkivi and Tepp died in 1943. Kuremaa was released from the prison camp in 1952, after which the former footballer returned to Estonia, but was initially not allowed to live closer than 101 km to
1041:
504:. He was imprisoned and allegedly sentenced to death, but according to a legend, recognised by the German soldiers, who remembered his impressive performance against Germany in
1016:
1021:
1031:
888:
451:
Kuremaa was the protagonist in
Estonia's last official match before the country became a part of Soviet Union. The match took place on 18 July 1940 at the
960:
824:
806:
761:
734:
708:
436:
and scored 19 goals, making him
Estonia's second highest goalscorer during the country's first period of independence. He debuted on 11 June 1933 against
406:
399:
920:
1011:
437:
515:
After a Soviet advance, Kuremaa was retained as a prisoner by the Soviet authorities, who subsequently sentenced him and his former teammates
1026:
691:
674:
662:
650:
618:
606:
1036:
1006:
465:
1001:
509:
358:
433:
347:
314:
122:
456:
938:
500:
among others. Kuremaa was sent to the front line in the following year and was captured by the
Germans during the
441:
645:
501:
539:
Richard
Kuremaa with the ceremonial kick-off during the Estonia-Latvia commemorative match on 18 July 1990
74:
476:
In July 1941, 12 months after his last football match for the national team, Richard
Kuremaa was sent to
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746:
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391:
291:
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996:
991:
547:
535:
719:
395:
273:
686:
387:
237:
489:
379:
201:
405:
Kuremaa returned to Tartu and led the club to their first
Estonian Championship title in the
630:
516:
452:
847:
461:
445:
552:
126:
78:
985:
505:
921:"IMELINE ELLUJÄÄMISLUGU ⟩ Jalgpallur, kes aitas Pätsil eesti rahvaga hüvasti jätta"
819:
801:
421:
414:
410:
351:
343:
870:
976:
556:
497:
493:
383:
219:
520:
28:
327:*Club domestic league appearances and goals, correct as of 1 January 2009
354:'s record goalscorer during the country's first period of independence.
529:
339:
104:
100:
70:
485:
481:
366:
546:
534:
477:
362:
525:
413:
reached Estonia and the country was eventually occupied by the
468:
was nominally established three days later, on 21 July 1940.
420:
Although he never won the top scorer award, Kuremaa remained
329:‡ National team caps and goals, correct as of 1 January 2009
939:"100 spordihetke | Eesti – Läti jalgpallimatš 1940. aastal"
398:
and lifted his first Estonian Top Division title in the
386:, where he played for three seasons. After stints with
544:
1991. Richard Kuremaa passed away on 1 October 1991.
308:
303:
285:
267:
249:
231:
213:
195:
179:
163:
137:
132:
118:
110:
96:
84:
66:
51:
43:
38:
365:and spent more than a decade in prison camps in
424:'s record goalscorer until 1995 with 65 goals.
382:in the following year. In 1933, Kuremaa joined
1042:World War II prisoners of war held by Germany
8:
21:
409:. That proved to be the last season before
342:footballer – one of the most famous before
512:, and thus spared him from the execution.
338:(1 December 1912 – 1 October 1991) was an
147:
27:
20:
567:
432:Richard Kuremaa made 42 appearances for
1017:Estonia men's international footballers
859:
570:
7:
954:
952:
914:
912:
910:
908:
906:
904:
902:
865:
863:
350:, scoring 19 goals. Kuremaa was the
155:
1022:Men's association football forwards
551:Richard Kuremaa (on the left) with
1032:8th Estonian Rifle Corps personnel
959:Schwede, Indrek (9 October 1991).
114:1.80 m (5 ft 11 in)
14:
945:(in Estonian). 22 September 2023.
369:, before being released in 1952.
919:Pulk, Meinhard (24 June 2020).
488:with fellow Estonian sportsmen
434:Estonia national football team
348:Estonia national football team
1:
361:in 1940, Kuremaa was sent to
359:Soviet Union occupied Estonia
1058:
1012:Estonian men's footballers
1037:Estonian prisoners of war
1007:People from Kreis Harrien
772:
745:
718:
644:
602:
576:
573:
510:1938 World Cup qualifiers
455:, where Estonia defeated
346:. He played 42 times for
326:
121:
113:
99:
87:
69:
54:
47:Richard Ferdinand Kuremaa
46:
26:
1002:Footballers from Tallinn
1027:Pärnu JK Tervis players
502:Battle of Velikiye Luki
564:Club career statistics
560:
540:
75:Governorate of Estonia
550:
538:
462:blue-black-white flag
444:. He also lifted the
422:Estonian top division
352:Estonian top division
428:International career
304:International career
39:Personal information
472:Life after football
440:with a goal at the
23:
16:Estonian footballer
795:JS Estonia Tallinn
603:Puhkekodu Tallinn
561:
541:
396:JS Estonia Tallinn
274:JS Estonia Tallinn
895:. 4 October 1991.
889:"Richard Kuremaa"
871:"Richard Kuremaa"
820:Estonian champion
802:Estonian champion
782:
781:
490:Kristjan Palusalu
394:, Kuremaa joined
333:
332:
185:Puhkekodu Tallinn
1049:
969:
968:
961:"Jumalaga, Riks"
956:
947:
946:
935:
929:
928:
916:
897:
896:
885:
879:
878:
867:
568:
517:Heinrich Uukkivi
453:Kadriorg Stadium
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91:
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31:
24:
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982:
981:
977:Profile on ESBL
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937:
936:
932:
925:Postimees Sport
918:
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869:
868:
861:
856:
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833:
815:
797:
792:
787:
590:Hermes Tallinn
566:
559:on 18 July 1990
474:
446:1938 Baltic Cup
430:
375:
336:Richard Kuremaa
328:
309:
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268:
250:
232:
214:
196:
180:
164:
89:
62:1 December 1912
57:
55:
34:
33:Kuremaa in 1938
22:Richard Kuremaa
17:
12:
11:
5:
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1009:
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994:
984:
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979:
971:
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948:
930:
927:(in Estonian).
898:
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837:
834:
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829:
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587:
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583:
579:
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572:
565:
562:
553:Ralf Veidemann
473:
470:
448:with Estonia.
442:Olympiastadion
429:
426:
407:1939–40 season
400:1937–38 season
374:
371:
331:
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169:Hermes Tallinn
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133:Senior career*
130:
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127:Second striker
120:
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108:
107:
98:
97:Place of death
94:
93:
92:(aged 78)
88:1 October 1991
86:
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79:Russian Empire
68:
67:Place of birth
64:
63:
53:
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32:
15:
13:
10:
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6:
4:
3:
2:
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839:
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831:International
830:
826:
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813:Tartu OlĂĽmpia
812:
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789:
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771:
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750:
748:
747:Tartu OlĂĽmpia
744:
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736:
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732:
728:
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723:
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704:Tartu OlĂĽmpia
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629:
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584:
581:
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569:
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537:
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531:
527:
522:
518:
513:
511:
507:
503:
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495:
491:
487:
483:
479:
471:
469:
467:
464:, before the
463:
458:
454:
449:
447:
443:
439:
435:
427:
425:
423:
418:
416:
412:
408:
403:
401:
397:
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392:Tartu OlĂĽmpia
389:
385:
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372:
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364:
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292:Tartu OlĂĽmpia
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256:Tartu OlĂĽmpia
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117:
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102:
95:
85:Date of death
83:
80:
76:
72:
65:
52:Date of birth
50:
42:
37:
30:
25:
19:
964:
942:
933:
924:
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687:Pärnu Tervis
542:
514:
475:
466:Estonian SSR
450:
431:
419:
415:Soviet Union
411:World War II
404:
388:Pärnu Tervis
376:
356:
344:World War II
335:
334:
238:Pärnu Tervis
153:
146:
141:
90:(1991-10-01)
18:
997:1991 deaths
992:1912 births
875:www.esbl.ee
557:Edmund Karp
508:during the
498:Aksel Kuuse
494:Gustav Sule
478:hard labour
373:Club career
363:hard labour
119:Position(s)
986:Categories
893:Spordileht
854:References
843:Baltic Cup
720:JS Estonia
521:Elmar Tepp
506:Königsberg
357:After the
58:1912-12-01
965:Päevaleht
310:1933–1940
287:1939–1940
215:1933–1935
181:1931–1932
44:Full name
751:1938–39
724:1937–38
340:Estonian
836:Estonia
825:1939–40
807:1937–38
785:Honours
762:1939–40
735:1938–39
709:1937–38
577:League
574:Season
530:Tallinn
526:Kalinin
315:Estonia
123:Forward
105:Estonia
101:Tallinn
773:Total
585:Goals
486:Russia
482:Kotlas
457:Latvia
438:Sweden
367:Russia
111:Height
635:1932
631:Kalev
593:1930
582:Apps
571:Club
380:Kalev
202:Kalev
138:Years
71:Reval
848:1938
790:Club
692:1936
675:1935
663:1934
651:1933
619:1932
607:1931
555:and
519:and
496:and
390:and
322:(19)
299:(13)
281:(16)
269:1938
263:(??)
251:1937
245:(16)
233:1936
227:(16)
197:1932
165:1930
148:Apps
142:Team
943:ERR
778:65
768:13
698:16
646:TJK
480:in
384:TJK
220:TJK
209:(3)
191:(1)
175:(0)
156:Gls
988::
963:.
951:^
941:.
923:.
901:^
891:.
873:.
862:^
756:0
741:8
729:8
681:6
669:6
657:4
640:3
625:1
613:0
598:0
532:.
492:,
484:,
417:.
402:.
319:42
296:??
278:??
260:??
242:??
224:??
206:??
188:??
172:??
103:,
77:,
73:,
967:.
877:.
845::
822::
804::
158:)
154:(
125:/
60:)
56:(
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