Karl Jakob Hein

Karl Jakob Hein (born 13 April 2002) is an Estonian professional footballer who plays as a goalkeeper for club Werder Bremen and the Estonia national team.

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. He made five senior appearances for Nõmme United in the Estonian third tier, Esiliiga B, before joining the academy of English club Arsenal in May 2018.

Arsenal Hein signed his first professional contract with the club in May 2019. 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.

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.

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.

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.

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

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

Werder Bremen On 22 August 2025, Hein completed a season-long loan move to Bundesliga side Werder Bremen.

On 26 September, Hein made his Bundesliga debut for Werder Bremen in a 4–0 away defeat to Bayern Munich. Despite conceding four goals, he was praised for his performance, with Bremen’s managing director Clemens Fritz describing it as “top-notch” and the club captain Marco Friedl naming him their best player on the day.

On 22 May 2026, Werder exercised their option to make the transfer permanent.

International career Hein was capped by Estonia at under-17, under-19 and under-21 level. 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. Since his debut, Hein has become a regular starter for Estonia.

Career statistics Club

International

Honours International Baltic Cup: 2020, 2024

Individual Estonian Footballer of the Year: 2025 Estonian Young Footballer of the Year: 2020, 2021, 2024