Onni Valakari
 | |||
| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Date of birth | 18 August 1999 | ||
| Place of birth | Motherwell, Scotland | ||
| Height | 1.87 m (6 ft 2 in)[1] | ||
| Position(s) |
Attacking midfielder | ||
| Team information | |||
Current team | Pafos | ||
| Number | 24 | ||
| Youth career | |||
| 2007–2013 | KäPa[2] | ||
| 2013–2016 | SJK[3] | ||
| Senior career* | |||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) |
| 2015–2016 | SJK II | 2 | (0) |
| 2017–2018 | TPS | 29 | (10) |
| 2017 | → SalPa (loan) | 2 | (0) |
| 2018–2019 | Tromsø | 42 | (9) |
| 2020– | Pafos | 133 | (40) |
| International career‡ | |||
| Finland U18 | |||
| 2017 | Finland U19 | 1 | (0) |
| 2019–2020 | Finland U21 | 13 | (4) |
| 2020– | Finland[4] | 11 | (1) |
|
*Club domestic league appearances and goals, correct as of 15 April 2024 ‡ National team caps and goals, correct as of 11 June 2023 | |||
Onni Valakari (born 18 August 1999) is a Finnish professional
.Career
Valakari started to play football in the youth sector of Käpylän Pallo (KäPa) in 2007. In 2013, he moved to Seinäjoki with his family and joined local club Seinäjoen Jalkapallokerho (SJK). After making his senior debut with the club's reserve team SJK II in a then third-tier level Kakkonen in 2015, Valakari continued his career with Turun Palloseura (TPS). He played with TPS first in the second-tier Ykkönen in 2017, and in the next 2018 season he debuted in the premier division Veikkausliiga. During the first half of the season, he scored four goals in the league.[3]
On 5 August 2018, Valakari signed with the Norwegian club Tromsø,[5] after his father was named the manager of the club's first team.[3]
In January 2020 he moved to Pafos, competing in Cypriot First Division.[6] On 25 November 2022, Valakari extended his contract with Pafos until June 2026.[7]
International career
He played for Finland at under-19 and under-21 levels.[8]
Valakari made his senior international debut for Finland on 11 November 2020, scoring on his debut in a 2–0 victory over France. The other goalscorer was fellow debutant Marcus Forss.[9]
Valakari was called up for the
Personal life
Valakari's father Simo is a former professional player and a Finnish international, and is currently working as a manager of Riga FC. His brother Paavo has also played football professionally.[11] Onni was born in Scotland when his father had a stint as a player at Motherwell.[12][13][14]
Career statistics
Club
- As of 15 April 2024[15]
| Club | Season | League | Cup | Other | Total | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Division | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | ||
| SJK II | 2015 | Kakkonen | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | 2 | 0 | |
| TPS | 2017 | Ykkönen | 13 | 6 | 0 | 0 | — | 13 | 6 | |
| 2018 | Veikkausliiga | 16 | 4 | 4 | 1 | — | 20 | 5 | ||
| Total | 29 | 10 | 4 | 1 | — | 33 | 11 | |||
| SalPa (loan) | 2017 | Kakkonen | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | 2 | 0 | |
| Tromsø | 2018 | Eliteserien | 13 | 2 | 0 | 0 | — | 13 | 2 | |
| 2019 | Eliteserien | 29 | 7 | 3 | 0 | — | 32 | 7 | ||
| Total | 42 | 9 | 3 | 0 | — | 45 | 9 | |||
| Pafos | 2019–20 | Cypriot First Division | 6 | 5 | 0 | 0 | — | 6 | 5 | |
| 2020–21 | Cypriot First Division | 36 | 13 | 2 | 2 | — | 38 | 15 | ||
| 2021–22 | Cypriot First Division | 26 | 10 | 2 | 1 | — | 28 | 11 | ||
| 2022–23 | Cypriot First Division | 33 | 7 | 6 | 1 | — | 39 | 8 | ||
| 2023–24 | Cypriot First Division | 32 | 5 | 3 | 2 | — | 35 | 7 | ||
| Total | 133 | 40 | 13 | 6 | — | 146 | 46 | |||
| Career total | 207 | 59 | 20 | 7 | 0 | 0 | 220 | 66 | ||
International
- As of 23 September 2022
| National team | Year | Apps | Goals |
|---|---|---|---|
| Finland | 2020 | 4 | 1 |
| 2021 | 5 | 0 | |
| 2022 | 2 | 0 | |
| Total | 11 | 1 | |
- As of match played on 7 June 2022. Scores and results list Finland's goal tally first.
| No | Date | Venue | Cap | Opponent | Score | Result | Competition |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | 11 November 2020 | Stade de France, Saint-Denis, France | 1 |  France |
2–0 | 2–0 | Friendly |
References
- ^ Onni Valakari at Soccerway. Retrieved 19 June 2018.
- ^ Käpylän Pallon kasvatit Suomessa ja ulkomailla, KäPa
- ^ a b c Ilmiöksi yhdessä illassa, Helsingin Sanomat, 13 November 2020
- ^ "Onni Valakari". National Football Teams. Benjamin Strack-Zimmermann. Retrieved 7 April 2021.
- ^ "Valakari klar for Gutan" (in Norwegian). Tromsø IL. 5 August 2018. Retrieved 5 August 2018.
- ^ "onni valakari joins pafos fc".
- ^ "PAFOS FC EXTENDS CONTRACT WITH ONNI VALAKARI". pafosfc.com.cy. Pafos FC. 25 November 2022. Retrieved 14 December 2022.
- ^ Onni Valakari at WorldFootball.net
- ^ "Finland beat world champions France" – via bbc.co.uk.
- ^ "Näillä pelaajilla Huuhkajat lähtevät kohti EM-kisoja – kaksi nimeä kiinnostivat yli muiden" (in Finnish). Helsingin Sanomat. 19 May 2021. Retrieved 24 May 2021.
- ^ Kuparinen, Heikki (12 November 2020). "Marcus Forss ja Onni Valakari nousivat sukujensa parhaiksi maalintekijöiksi A-maajoukkueessa heti debyyteissään".
- ^ Christenson, Marcus; Bloor, Steven; Christenson, Marcus; Bloor, Steven. "Euro 2020: your complete guide to all 622 players" – via www.theguardian.com.
- ^ "Meet Finland's Motherwell-born starlet" – via www.bbc.co.uk.
- ^ McGilvray, Andy (21 June 2021). "Finland star who stunned France was born in Motherwell". Daily Record.
- ^ "Onni Valakari". altomfotball.no (in Norwegian). TV2. Retrieved 26 August 2019.
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