Reim enters realm of legend

'A nice figure'
Coming on as a 90th-minute substitute in the 1-0 friendly defeat by Slovenia in Domzale, the 35-year-old FC Flora midfielder matched German Lothar Matthäus's record and told uefa.com: "I can't say this number doesn't mean anything to me. It is a nice figure and means a lot. At least I have left some mark in Estonian football history."

Huge understatement
That is some understatement. Since his debut for the newly-independent Estonia, also against Slovenia, in a 1-1 draw in Tallinn on 3 June 1992, Reim has been an integral part of the national team. He has missed just 40 of their 190 games and scored 14 goals, including strikes against Wales, Italy, Croatia, Slovenia and Norway.

Flora achievements
Nurtured at Roman Ubakivi's famous youth team Lõvid (The Lions), Reim started his career in the Estonian Soviet Socialist Republic's top division at the age of 16. Since independence in 1992, he has claimed seven league titles and also reached the Finnish Cup final in his season and a half with Finnish side FC KooTeePee.

Splendid goals
Captain of his country on 80 occasions, the 1995 Estonian Player of the Year's statistics ahead of the 2007 Meistriliiga campaign read 317 league appearances and 63 goals. Three times a winner of the Silverball trophy for the national side's goal of the year, his exemplary performances earned him the silver medal of honour from the Estonian Football Association (EJL) in 2004.

Coaching plans
Married with a daughter, Reim - who holds a degree from Tallinn Technical University - is now working to extend his footballing career, being among the first group of trainees who are about to complete their UEFA Pro Licence in Estonia. "I have already had several offers to become a coach prior to this season, but I decided to continue one more year at club level and then see about a coaching job," he said.

'A good time'
In international terms, however, he was adamant that the Slovenia game provided "a good time to quit". He added: "We have new generations coming through both at club and country level. Of course I would love to play against England in the forthcoming [UEFA EURO 2008™ qualifying] matches, but I also have to be realistic."

Final fling?
While Matthäus will be holding on to at least a part-share of his appearance record for now, the EJL promises a testimonial to all players who reach 100 caps; Reim is due his this year. He may be delighted to bow out as an Estonian legend, but it seems he could yet hang up his boots once and for all as a European record breaker.