Kai Meriluoto

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Kai Meriluoto
UEFA Euro 2023 Qualifiers Austria vs. Finland (2022-06-03) 68 (cropped).jpg
Meriluoto with Finland U21 in 2022
Personal information
Date of birth (2003-01-02) 2 January 2003 (age 21)
Place of birth Siuntio, Finland
Height 1.83 m (6 ft 0 in)
Position(s) Forward
Team information
Current team
HJK
Youth career
KyIF [1]
HJK
Senior career*
YearsTeamApps(Gls)
2019– Klubi 04 52 (29)
2020– HJK 24 (5)
2022Ilves (loan) 25 (10)
2023–2024Stal Mielec (loan) 23 (2)
International career
2018–2019 Finland U16 5 (2)
2019–2020 Finland U17 11 (5)
2021 Finland U19 7 (1)
2021 Finland U20 1 (1)
2022– Finland U21 15 (2)
2023– Finland 2 (0)
*Club domestic league appearances and goals, correct as of 19 October 2024
‡ National team caps and goals, correct as of 9 June 2024

Kai Meriluoto (born 2 January 2003) is a Finnish professional footballer who plays as a forward for Veikkausliiga club HJK. [2]

Contents

Early life

Meriluoto was born in Pori, Finland, [3] to a Japanese Catholic mother from Hakodate, Hokkaido, and to Finnish father. His parents had met in 1989 when they both were studying in Wisconsin, US. [4] When he was a one-year-old, he moved to Vienne, Isère, France, with his family and lived there for five years before returning to Finland. Meriluoto lived in Shanghai, China, due to father's work from when he was ten years old until he was twelve years old. He has dual citizenship of Finland and Japan, and he speaks Finnish, Japanese, French and English fluently. Meriluoto has an older brother, Aki, who is also a footballer and has played for US Lesquin at the semi-pro level in France. [5]

Club career

Ilves (loan)

On 15 February 2022, Meriluoto joined Veikkausliiga club Ilves on loan for the 2022 season. [6] He finished his first full season in the league scoring ten goals for the team. After the season, he returned to HJK.

Return to HJK

In April 2023, he extended his contract with HJK until the end of 2025. [7]

Stal Mielec (loan)

On 14 July 2023, Meriluoto joined Polish Ekstraklasa side Stal Mielec on a season-long loan, with an option to make the move permanent. [2] [8] He scored his first Ekstraklasa goal on 18 September 2023, a header in a 4–2 home win against Zagłębie Lubin. [9] On 9 December 2023, in a match against Cracovia, Meriluoto made a crucial impact after coming in from the bench, when his team was in a 2–0 losing position. He first scored the 2–1 goal on the 86th minute, and one minute later provided an assist to the equalizer. The game eventually ended in a 2–2 draw. [10] During his loan stint, Meriluoto was mainly used as a late substitute, starting only two of his 23 Ekstraklasa appearances. [11] After the season, he returned to HJK.

Personal life

Meriluoto is a religious person. He is a teetotaller and has never drank alcohol. [4]

Career statistics

Club

As of 12 December 2024 [12] [13]
ClubSeasonLeagueCup [a] League Cup [b] EuropeTotal
DivisionAppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoals
Klubi 04 2019 Kakkonen 12712139
2020 Kakkonen1514101614
2021 Ykkönen 24731278
2024 Ykkönen1111
Total52295300005732
HJK 2020 Veikkausliiga 310031
2021 Veikkausliiga00000000
2022 Veikkausliiga0000000000
2023 Veikkausliiga142115200205
2024 Veikkausliiga7200006 [c] 1133
Total245115261369
Ilves (loan) 2022 Veikkausliiga251010322912
Stal Mielec (loan) 2023–24 Ekstraklasa 23231263
Career total12446105846114854

International

As of match played on 12 January 2023.
National teamYearCompetitiveFriendlyTotal
AppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoals
Finland 2023002020
Total002020

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    References

    1. Pikkuhuuhkajat nimetty marraskuun otteluihin, Finnish FA, 7 November 2023
    2. 1 2 "Kai Meriluoto lainalle Puolan pääsarjaan". hjk.fi (in Finnish). 14 July 2023.
    3. Asplund, Bubi (23 April 2021). "Sjundeåkillen Kai Meriluotos klara mål för fotbollskarriären: "Först en plats i HJK, sedan spel i någon av de europeiska toppligorna"". Yle.fi (in Swedish). Yle . Retrieved 18 January 2023.
    4. 1 2 Oletko aina syönyt sushia täysin väärin? Kai Meriluoto, 20, paljastaa nyt ”sisäpiirin” niksin, Ilta-Sanomat, 5 April 2023
    5. Kuparinen, Heikki (7 June 2022). "Pikkuhuuhkajien maailmankansalainen aloitti jalkapallon Ranskassa – nyt hän haluaa viedä Suomen EM-kisoihin, mutta ovi on auki vielä toisellekin maalle: "Katsotaan, jos Japani kiinnostuisi"". SuomiFutis (in Finnish). Retrieved 18 January 2023.
    6. "KAI MERILUOTO LAINASOPIMUKSELLA ILVEKSEEN – "KOIN, ETTÄ TÄMÄ OLI ITSELLENI PARAS STEPPI TULLA ILVEKSEEN"" (Press release) (in Finnish). Ilves. 15 February 2022. Retrieved 16 February 2022.
    7. Mäntylä, Pekka (4 April 2023). "HJK ja Kai Meriluoto jatkosopimukseen". HJK Helsinki (in Finnish). Retrieved 6 April 2023.
    8. Kai Meriluoto: ”Tuntuu, että puolalainen futis sopii minulle hyvin”, Finnish FA, 22 July 2023
    9. "STAL MIELEC VS. ZAGŁĘBIE LUBIN 4 - 2". Soccerway (Press release). Retrieved 26 September 2023.
    10. CRACOVIA VS. STAL MIELEC 2 - 2, int.soccerway.com
    11. Kai Meriluoto kertoi Veikkausliigan ja Ekstraklasan eroista – ei ole ollut yhteyksissä HJK:n kanssa: ”Kaikki on auki”, suomifutis.com, 21 March 2024
    12. Kai Meriluoto at Soccerway. Retrieved 10 August 2020.
    13. "Tulospalvelu".