Juhani Pikkarainen
_29.jpg) Pikkarainen with Liefering in 2017 | |||
| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | Juhani Elias Pikkarainen | ||
| Date of birth | 30 July 1998 | ||
| Place of birth | Paimio, Finland | ||
| Height | 1.95 m (6 ft 5 in)[1] | ||
| Position(s) | Centre back | ||
| Team information | |||
Current team | Ilves | ||
| Number | 14 | ||
| Youth career | |||
| –2015 | TPS | ||
| 2015–2016 | Red Bull Salzburg | ||
| Senior career* | |||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) |
| 2016–2018 | Liefering | 1 | (0) |
| 2016–2017 | → Anif (loan) | 23 | (1) |
| 2018 | → Blau-Weiß Linz (loan) | 11 | (0) |
| 2018 | Wacker Innsbruck II | 1 | (0) |
| 2019 | KPV | 15 | (0) |
| 2020–2021 | TPS | 34 | (1) |
| 2022–2023 | VPS | 52 | (2) |
| 2024– | Ilves | 25 | (0) |
| International career‡ | |||
| 2016 | Finland U18 | 3 | (0) |
| 2016–2017 | Finland U19 | 5 | (0) |
| 2017–2019 | Finland U21 | 8 | (1) |
| 2024– | Finland | 1 | (0) |
|
*Club domestic league appearances and goals, correct as of 19 October 2024 ‡ National team caps and goals, correct as of 17 November 2024 | |||
Juhani Elias Pikkarainen (born 30 July 1998) is a Finnish professional footballer who plays as a defender for Veikkausliiga club Ilves and the Finland national team.[2]
Club career
[edit]_47.jpg)
Pikkarainen started playing in Turun Palloseura (TPS), before he signed with RB Salzburg youth academy in 2015.
Pikkarainen spent three years in Austria, before he returned to Finland and signed with newly promoted Veikkausliiga club Kokkolan Palloveikot (KPV) on 11 December 2018 until 2019, with an option to extend the deal until 2020.[1] KPV were relegated back, and he then returned to his former club TPS for the 2020 season, signing a deal until the end of 2021.[3]
On 17 November 2021, he signed a contract with Vaasan Palloseura (VPS) for the 2022 season.[4] On 9 September 2022, his contract with VPS was extended for the 2023 season.[5] Pikkarainen helped VPS to finish 3rd in the league and qualify for the UEFA Conference League qualifiers. He was named in the league's Team of the Season in 2023.
On 6 November 2023, it was announced that Pikkarainen had signed with Veikkausliiga club Ilves on a two-year deal, starting in 2024.[6] He helped Ilves to finish as the runners-up in the league. Pikkarainen was named in the Veikkausliiga Team of the Season again in 2024.
International career
[edit]Pikkarainen is a former youth international for Finland.
On 2 October 2024, Pikkarainen received his first call-up to the Finland senior national team by the head coach Markku Kanerva, for the 2024–25 UEFA Nations League B matches against Ireland and England.[7] He made his debut on 17 November 2024 in a Nations League game against Greece at the Helsinki Olympic Stadium. He started the game and played 67 minutes, as Greece won 2–0.[8]
Personal life
[edit]His father Tommi Pikkarainen is a Finnish football manager and a former player.[9][10]
Career statistics
[edit]Club
[edit]- As of 19 October 2024.
| Club | Season | League | Cup[a] | League cup[b] | Europe | Total | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Division | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | ||
| Liefering | 2016–17 | Austrian 2. Liga | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | – | – | 0 | 0 | ||
| 2017–18 | Austrian 2. Liga | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | – | – | 1 | 0 | |||
| Total | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | – | – | – | – | 1 | 0 | ||
| Anif (loan) | 2016–17 | Austrian Regionalliga West | 23 | 1 | 1 | 0 | – | – | 24 | 1 | ||
| Blau-Weiß Linz (loan) | 2017–18 | Austrian 2. Liga | 11 | 0 | 0 | 0 | – | – | 11 | 0 | ||
| Wacker Innsbruck II | 2018–19 | Austrian 2. Liga | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | – | – | 1 | 0 | ||
| KPV Akatemia | 2019 | Kolmonen | 3 | 0 | – | – | – | 3 | 0 | |||
| KPV | 2019 | Veikkausliiga | 15 | 0 | 7 | 0 | – | – | 22 | 0 | ||
| TPS | 2020 | Veikkausliiga | 10 | 1 | 7 | 0 | – | – | 17 | 1 | ||
| 2021 | Ykkönen | 24 | 0 | 2 | 0 | – | – | 26 | 0 | |||
| Total | 34 | 1 | 9 | 0 | – | – | – | – | 43 | 1 | ||
| VPS | 2022 | Veikkausliiga | 25 | 2 | 4 | 1 | 2 | 0 | – | 31 | 3 | |
| 2023 | Veikkausliiga | 27 | 0 | 2 | 1 | 3 | 1 | – | 32 | 2 | ||
| Total | 52 | 2 | 6 | 2 | 5 | 1 | – | – | 63 | 5 | ||
| Ilves | 2024 | Veikkausliiga | 25 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 5 | 0 | 4[c] | 0 | 35 | 0 |
| Career total | 165 | 4 | 24 | 2 | 10 | 1 | 4 | 0 | 203 | 7 | ||
- ^ Includes Austrian Cup and Suomen Cup
- ^ Includes Finnish League Cup
- ^ Includes UEFA Conference League
International
[edit]- As of 17 November 2024
| National team | Year | Apps | Goals |
|---|---|---|---|
| Finland | 2024 | 1 | 0 |
| Total | 1 | 0 | |
Honours
[edit]VPS
- Veikkausliiga: 2023 3rd place
Ilves
Individual
References
[edit]- ^ a b SOPIMUSUUTISIA: Topparilupaus Juhani Pikkarainen KPV:n , kpv.fi, 11 December 2018
- ^ Juhani Pikkarainen at Soccerway
- ^ JUHO LÄHDE PALAA TPS-PAITAAN – PIKKARAINEN JA SIIRTOLA OVAT NUOREMMAT PALUUMUUTTAJAT, fc.tps.fi, 27 November 2019
- ^ "Juhani Pikkarainen Vepsuun!" (in Finnish). VPS. 18 November 2021. Retrieved 18 January 2022.
- ^ Prosper Ahiabu ja Juhani Pikkarainen jatkavat Vepsussa!, VPS, 9 September 2022
- ^ TERVETULOA ILVEKSEEN, JUHANI PIKKARAINEN!, ilvesedustus.fi
- ^ Huuhkajat nimetty lokakuun UEFA Nations League -otteluihin, Finnish FA, 2 October 2024
- ^ "Finland v Greece game report". ESPN. 17 November 2024.
- ^ TPS 100 vuotta – Veikkausliigan erikoisuus – isä Tommi Pikkarainen valmentaa ja poika Juhani pelaa samassa joukkueessa, jalkipeli.net, 29 June 2020
- ^ Isä ja poika vastakkain torstaina alkavassa liigakarsinnassa – KPV:n Juhani Pikkarainen ja TPS:n Tommi Pikkarainen eivät asiasta keskustele, Keskipohjanmaa, 24 October 2019
- ^ Ilveksen päävalmentaja hopeasta: ”Voitettu mitali”, Yle, 19 October 2024
- ^ Toimittajat äänestivät: Tässä on Veikkausliigan tähdistöjoukkue, Iltalehti, 21 October 2023
- ^ Koplajoukkue 2024 nimetty - jalkapallotoimittajien valinnat vuoden parhaiksi palkitaan lauantaina, veikkausliiga.com, 19 October 2024
External links
[edit]- Juhani Pikkarainen at WorldFootball.net
- 1998 births
- Living people
- People from Paimio
- Finnish men's footballers
- 21st-century Finnish sportsmen
- Finnish expatriate men's footballers
- FC Liefering players
- FC Blau-Weiß Linz players
- FC Wacker Innsbruck (2002) players
- Kokkolan Palloveikot players
- Turun Palloseura footballers
- Vaasan Palloseura players
- Austrian Regionalliga players
- 2. Liga (Austria) players
- Veikkausliiga players
- Men's association football defenders
- Finnish expatriate sportspeople in Austria
- Expatriate men's footballers in Austria
- Sportspeople from Southwest Finland
- Kolmonen players
- Ykkönen players
- Finland men's youth international footballers
- Finland men's under-21 international footballers
- Finland men's international footballers
- FC Red Bull Salzburg players