Personal information | |||
---|---|---|---|
Date of birth | 27 October 1997 | ||
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* | |||
Years | Team | Apps | (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 | 39 | (0) |
International career‡ | |||
Finland U17 | |||
2015 | Finland U19 [1] | 3 | (0) |
2017–2018 | Finland U21 | 6 | (0) |
2020– | Finland | 21 | (1) |
*Club domestic league appearances and goals, correct as of 11:08, 22 September 2024 (UTC) ‡ National team caps and goals, correct as of 10 September 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]
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]
Niskanen represented Finland at under-17, under-19 and under-21 youth levels, [15] before making his senior international debut in 2020. [16]
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. [17] [18] [19]
Club | Season | League | National Cup | League Cup | Other | Total | ||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Division | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | ||
KuPS | 2013 | Veikkausliiga | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | 1 | 0 | |
2014 | Veikkausliiga | 4 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | 4 | 1 | ||
2015 | Veikkausliiga | 20 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | 21 | 1 | ||
2016 | Veikkausliiga | 25 | 0 | 1 | 0 | — | — | 26 | 0 | |||
2017 | Veikkausliiga | 32 | 1 | 6 | 2 | — | — | 38 | 3 | |||
2018 | Veikkausliiga | 33 | 4 | 6 | 4 | — | 2 [lower-alpha 1] | 0 | 41 | 8 | ||
2019 | Veikkausliiga | 26 | 5 | 5 | 1 | — | 4 [lower-alpha 1] | 0 | 35 | 6 | ||
2020 | Veikkausliiga | 13 | 6 | 5 | 1 | — | 2 [lower-alpha 2] | 0 | 20 | 7 | ||
Total | 154 | 18 | 24 | 8 | 0 | 0 | 8 | 0 | 186 | 26 | ||
PK-37 (loan) | 2013 | Kakkonen | 22 | 9 | 0 | 0 | — | — | 22 | 9 | ||
KuFu-98 (loan) | 2014 | Kakkonen | 7 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | — | 7 | 0 | ||
PK-37 (loan) | 2014 | Kakkonen | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | — | 1 | 0 | ||
KuFu-98 (loan) | 2017 | Kakkonen | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | — | 1 | 0 | ||
FC Ingolstadt | 2020–21 | 3. Liga | 20 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | — | 20 | 0 | ||
2021–22 | 2. Bundesliga | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | — | — | 1 | 0 | |||
Total | 20 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 21 | 0 | ||
Dundee United | 2021–22 [20] | Scottish Premiership | 33 | 1 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | 36 | 1 | |
2022–23 [21] | Scottish Premiership | 20 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 [lower-alpha 3] | 0 | 24 | 1 | |
2023–24 [22] | Scottish Championship | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | — | 1 | 0 | ||
Total | 53 | 2 | 5 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 61 | 2 | ||
Exeter City | 2023–24 [22] | League One | 33 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 [lower-alpha 4] | 0 | 35 | 0 |
2024–25 [23] | League One | 6 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 7 | 0 | |
Total | 39 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 42 | 0 | ||
Career total | 297 | 29 | 30 | 8 | 3 | 0 | 11 | 0 | 341 | 30 |
National team | Year | Apps | Goals |
---|---|---|---|
Finland | 2020 | 6 | 1 |
2021 | 1 | 0 | |
2022 | 6 | 0 | |
2023 | 3 | 0 | |
2024 | 5 | 0 | |
Total | 21 | 1 |
No. | Date | Venue | Cap | Opponent | Score | Result | Competition | Ref. |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1 | 7 October 2020 | Stadion Gdańsk, Gdańsk, Poland | 2 | Poland | 1–3 | 1–5 | Friendly | [24] |
KuPS
Individual
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