Ilmari Niskanen

Last updated
Ilmari Niskanen
Personal information
Date of birth (1997-10-27) 27 October 1997 (age 27)
Place of birth Kiuruvesi, Finland
Height 1.77 m (5 ft 10 in) [1]
Position(s) Left winger [2]
Team information
Current team
 Exeter City
Number 14
Youth career
–2013 PK-37
Senior career*
YearsTeamApps(Gls)
2013–2020 KuPS 154 (18)
2013 → PK-37 (loan) 22 (9)
2014 → KuFu-98 7 (0)
2014 → PK-37 (loan) 1 (0)
2017 → KuFu-98 1 (1)
2020–2021 FC Ingolstadt 20 (0)
2021–2023 Dundee United 53 (2)
2023– Exeter City 56 (1)
International career‡
Finland U17
2015 Finland U19 [1] 3 (0)
2017–2018 Finland U21 6 (0)
2020– Finland 23 (1)
*Club domestic league appearances and goals, correct as of 17:08, 4 January 2025 (UTC)
‡ National team caps and goals, correct as of 17 November 2024

Ilmari Niskanen (born 27 October 1997) is a Finnish professional footballer who plays as a left winger for EFL League One club Exeter City and the Finland national team. [3]

Contents

Club career

Born in Kiuruvesi, [1] Niskanen spent his youth years with PK-37 in Iisalmi, before starting his professional career in 2013 in a nearby town Kuopio with Kuopion Palloseura (KuPS). [4] In the 2019 Veikkausliiga season, Niskanen helped the club to win its first Finnish championship title in 43 years. [5] He was also named the Veikkausliiga Player of the Month in August 2019 [6] and in July 2020. [2]

In September 2020, Niskanen signed for German club FC Ingolstadt for a transfer fee of €350,000. [7] [8]

In August 2021, Niskanen had a transfer to Scottish Premiership club Dundee United, which was initially delayed due to work permit issues, [9] before eventually completing on 20 August 2021. [10] The transfer fee was reported to be €350,000. [11]

On 15 August 2023, Niskanen signed for League One club Exeter City for an undisclosed fee. [12] On 29 April 2024, Niskanen was named the Exeter City Community Champion in the club's end of season awards. [13] On 15 May 2024, his deal was extended until June 2026. [14] He was named the Exeter City Player of the Month in October 2024. [15]

International career

Niskanen represented Finland at under-17, under-19 and under-21 youth levels, [16] before making his senior international debut in 2020. [17]

On 10 September 2024, in a 2024–25 UEFA Nations League B away match against England, Niskanen was humiliated by the national team head coach Markku Kanerva, by substituting him in for the second half to a wrong position for his expertise. Later Finland conceded goals directly due to Niskanen's errors and eventually lost the game 2–0. [18] [19] [20]

Career statistics

Club

As of match played 4 January 2025 [16]
Appearances and goals by club, season and competition
ClubSeasonLeagueNational CupLeague CupOtherTotal
DivisionAppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoals
KuPS 2013 Veikkausliiga 100000—10
2014 Veikkausliiga410000—41
2015 Veikkausliiga2011000—211
2016 Veikkausliiga25010——260
2017 Veikkausliiga32162——383
2018 Veikkausliiga33464—2 [a] 0418
2019 Veikkausliiga26551—4 [a] 0356
2020 Veikkausliiga13651—2 [b] 0207
Total15418248008018626
PK-37 (loan) 2013 Kakkonen 22900——229
KuFu-98 (loan) 2014 Kakkonen7000——70
PK-37 (loan) 2014 Kakkonen1000——10
KuFu-98 (loan) 2017 Kakkonen1000——10
FC Ingolstadt 2020–21 3. Liga 20000——200
2021–22 2. Bundesliga 0010——10
Total200100000210
Dundee United 2021–22 [21] Scottish Premiership 3313000—361
2022–23 [22] Scottish Premiership20120002 [c] 0241
2023–24 [23] Scottish Championship 000010—10
Total532501020612
Exeter City 2023–24 [23] League One 33000101 [d] 0350
2024–25 [24] League One23120101 [d] 0271
Total561202020621
Career total314303283012036138
  1. 1 2 Appearances in UEFA Europa League
  2. ↑ One appearance in the UEFA Champions League and one appearance in UEFA Europa League
  3. ↑ Appearances in UEFA Europa Conference League
  4. 1 2 Appearance(s) in EFL Trophy

International

As of match played 17 November 2024
Appearances and goals by national team and year [17]
National teamYearAppsGoals
Finland 202061
202110
202260
202330
202470
Total231
Finland score listed first, score column indicates score after each Niskanen goal [17]
List of international goals scored by Ilmari Niskanen
No.DateVenueCapOpponentScoreResultCompetitionRef.
17 October 2020 Stadion Gdańsk, Gdańsk, Poland2Flag of Poland.svg  Poland 1–31–5 Friendly [25]

Honours

KuPS

Individual

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References

  1. 1 2 3 "Ilmari Niskanen". worldfootball.net. Retrieved 26 September 2020.
  2. 1 2 3 "KuPS:n Ilmari Niskanen kuukauden pelaajaksi". www.veikkausliiga.com (in Finnish).
  3. ↑ Tilastot | Niskanen, Ilmari at Veikkausliiga. Retrieved 11 July 2020.
  4. ↑ Tulospalvelu Palloliitto, Finnish FA
  5. ↑ Tässä on Veikkausliigan kauden 2019 mestarijoukkue! IS esittelee kulta-KuPSin pelaaja pelaajalta, Ilta-Sanomat, 19 October 2019
  6. 1 2 Ilmari Niskanen Veikkausliigan kuukauden pelaaja, JPY, 11 September 2019
  7. ↑ "Ilmari Niskanen kommt auf die Schanz". fcingolstadt.de (in German).
  8. ↑ ”On aina valtava kunnia päästä edustamaan Suomea”: Ilmari Niskanen uskoo pääsevänsä takaisin Huuhkajien vahvuuteen piakkoin, suomifutis.com, Joakim Nordström, 23 September 2021
  9. ↑ Woodger, Calum. "EXCLUSIVE: Work permit holding up Ilmari Niskanen transfer as Dundee United agree deal for Finnish winger".
  10. ↑ "Dundee Utd land Levitt & Niskanen" – via www.bbc.co.uk.
  11. ↑ ”On aina valtava kunnia päästä edustamaan Suomea”: Ilmari Niskanen uskoo pääsevänsä takaisin Huuhkajien vahvuuteen piakkoin, suomifutis.com, Joakim Nordström, 23 September 2021
  12. ↑ "Exeter sign Niskanen from Dundee United". BBC Sport. 15 August 2023. Retrieved 15 August 2023.
  13. 1 2 23/24 Awards: The Winners, exetercityfc.co.uk, 29 April 2024
  14. ↑ Ilmari Niskanen pens contract extension, exetercityfc.co.uk, 15 May 2024
  15. 1 2 Ilmari Niskanen Named Your RGB Recruitment Player Of The Month!, exetercityfc.co.uk, 4 November 2024
  16. 1 2 3 4 5 Ilmari Niskanen at Soccerway. Retrieved 20 August 2021.
  17. 1 2 3 "Ilmari Niskanen". National Football Teams. Benjamin Strack-Zimmermann. Retrieved 20 August 2021.
  18. ↑ Huuhkajatuomio: Suomen floppipelaajaa nöyryytettiin Lontoon illassa, Ilta-Sanomat, 11 September 2024
  19. ↑ Englanti rankaisi Huuhkajia vaihtopelaajan virheistä – asiantuntija tyrmäsi Markku Kanervan perustelut, Yle, 11 September 2024
  20. ↑ [https://www.suomifutis.com/2024/09/immulla-oli-vahan-vaikeuksia-markku-kanerva-perusteli-ilmari-niskasen-vaihtoa-ylelle/ ”Immulla oli vähän vaikeuksia” – Markku Kanerva perusteli Ilmari Niskasen vaihtoa Ylelle ], suomifutis.com, 11 September 2024
  21. ↑ "Games played by Ilmari Niskanen in 2021/2022". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 25 August 2023.
  22. ↑ "Games played by Ilmari Niskanen in 2022/2023". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 25 August 2023.
  23. 1 2 "Games played by Ilmari Niskanen in 2023/2024". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 25 August 2023.
  24. ↑ "Games played by Ilmari Niskanen in 2024/2025". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 10 September 2024.
  25. ↑ "Poland 5-1 Finland (7 Oct, 2020) Final Score". ESPN. Retrieved 2023-08-15.
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