Ilari Mettälä

Ilari Mettälä

Personal information
Date of birth	(1994-04-26) 26 April 1994 (age 31)
Place of birth	Yläne, Finland
Height	1.92 m (6 ft 4 in)
Position(s)	Forward
Team information
Current team	Gilla FC
Number	77
Senior career*
Years	Team	Apps	(Gls)
2014	Pallo-Iirot	17	(3)
2015–2017	TPS	54	(22)
2015	→ SalPa (loan)	9	(5)
2018–2022	Ilves	48	(13)
2021	→ TPS (loan)	16	(7)
2023–	Gilla FC	17	(24)
2023–	→ Bali Bulldogs (loan)	8	(10)
*Club domestic league appearances and goals

Ilari Mettälä (born 26 April 1994) is a Finnish former professional football forward. ^[1] He plays for Finnish club Gilla FC.

On 27 September 2020, in a Veikkausliiga match between Ilves and TPS, Mettälä suffered a severe injury when he broke his ankle when duelling for a ball against TPS defender Aldayr Hernández. ^{[2] [3]} His ankle never fully recovered, and in May 2022, Mettälä announced his retirement from professional football, at age 28. ^[4]

References

1. Ilari Mettälä at Soccerway. Retrieved 1 July 2018.
2. Ilari Mettälän hirveä loukkaantuminen
3. Ilari Mettälän loukkaantuminen hiljensi Ratinan – "Jalka oli ihan vinksallaan", mtvuutiset.fi, MTV Oy, 27 September 2020
4. Päivittäinen kipu varjosti Ilarin, 29, elämää – nyt ex-ammattiurheilija on osa jättimäistä suomalaisilmiötä: "Tässä pysytään", mtvuutiset.fi, MTV Oy, 27 September 2023