Mikael Forssell

Last updated

Mikael Forssell
Forssell signs autographs Weiden.jpg
Forssell during Birmingham City's pre-season tour, 2004
Personal information
Full name Mikael Kaj Forssell [1]
Date of birth (1981-03-15) 15 March 1981 (age 43) [1]
Place of birth Steinfurt, West Germany
Height 1.84 m (6 ft 0 in) [2]
Position(s) Striker
Team information
Current team
HJK (assistant coach)
Youth career
1994–1997 HJK
Senior career*
YearsTeamApps(Gls)
1997–1998 HJK 17 (1)
1998–2005 Chelsea 33 (5)
2000Crystal Palace (loan) 13 (3)
2000–2001Crystal Palace (loan) 39 (13)
2003Borussia Mönchengladbach (loan) 12 (7)
2003–2004Birmingham City (loan) 32 (17)
2004–2005Birmingham City (loan) 4 (0)
2005–2008 Birmingham City 65 (13)
2008–2011 Hannover 96 44 (7)
2011–2012 Leeds United 15 (0)
2012–2014 HJK 44 (21)
2014–2015 VfL Bochum 16 (3)
2016 HJK 19 (3)
2017 HIFK 25 (8)
Total383(101)
International career
1999–2014 Finland 87 (29)
Managerial career
2019–2021 HJK (youth)
2024– HJK (assistant)
Medal record
HJK Helsinki
Winner Finnish League Cup 1997
Winner Veikkausliiga 1997
Winner Finnish League Cup 1998
Winner Finnish Cup 1998
Winner Veikkausliiga 2013
Birmingham City
Runner-up Football League Championship 2007
*Club domestic league appearances and goals

Mikael Kaj Forssell (born 15 March 1981) is a Finnish former professional footballer who played as a striker. [2] He is currently working as an assistant coach of HJK Helsinki, having previously worked as a youth coach for the club. [3]

Contents

Forssell began his professional career in 1997 for HJK, having progressed through the team's youth teams, but he only remained at the club for a single season, making 17 league appearances, before he moved to England to join Chelsea in 1998. He never broke into the Chelsea team, making 33 league appearances in seven years, and spent two loan spells at Crystal Palace, one at Borussia Mönchengladbach, and two at Birmingham City. He switched permanently to the latter club in 2005, but injury problems restricted him to 65 league appearances in three seasons. He joined German side Hannover 96 in July 2008 on a free transfer, but once again struggled with form and injury problems, and he left the club in 2011, having made 44 league appearances. This was followed by an unsuccessful season back in England, this time with Leeds United; 15 league games failed to yield a single goal. Forssell returned to HJK in October 2012.

Forssell made his full international debut for Finland in 1999, and was a regular player for his country for the next 15 years. He earned 87 caps for his country, and scored 29 goals, making him Finland's sixth most capped player and second highest goalscorer.

On 2 October 2022, Forssell was named in the HJK Hall of Fame. [4]

Club career

Born in Steinfurt, [5] Germany, and considered one of the most talented Finnish footballers of all time, Forssell made his Veikkausliiga debut for HJK at the age of just 16. [2]

Chelsea

His goal-scoring form for Finland's youth teams made him a target for a host of Europe's top clubs, and in 1998, the 17-year-old striker was snapped up by Chelsea [6] who at the time were managed by Gianluca Vialli. He made his debut as a substitute in a league game against Arsenal in January 1999 [7] and then three days later, Forssell made his first start for the club when he scored two goals against Oxford United in the FA Cup. [8] His first league goal came three weeks later, when he scored against Nottingham Forest. [9] However, when Chelsea signed Chris Sutton for £10 million, Forssell was loaned out twice to Crystal Palace [10] of the then First Division, scoring 16 league goals in just over 50 appearances. [11]

Forssell found it hard to find a place in the Chelsea first team with Gianfranco Zola, Jimmy Floyd Hasselbaink, Tore Andre Flo and Eiður Guðjohnsen, who were all ahead of him in the pecking order. [9] After initially impressing new manager Claudio Ranieri, scoring in four consecutive games, [12] he was sent out on loan again and had spells at Borussia Mönchengladbach [13] of the German Bundesliga [14] and twice to Birmingham City of the Premier League. Forssell scored seven Bundesliga goals for Mönchengladbach in the spring of 2003 and then 17 Premier League goals for Birmingham in the 2003–04 season (more league goals than any other Chelsea player), during which he was the division's fifth highest goalscorer. He was named Premier League Player of the Month for March 2004, [15] a month in which he scored twice in a 4–1 win against Leeds United, [16] and won Birmingham's Player of the Year award. [17]

He returned to Birmingham on loan for the 2004–05 season, but suffered the second serious knee injury of his career. [18] He returned to Chelsea to recuperate, and made occasional appearances for Chelsea that season, [19] playing against Bayern Munich in the Champions League [20] and in the last home match, against Charlton Athletic, as Chelsea celebrated winning their first top-flight title for 50 years. [21]

Birmingham City

In the summer of 2005, Forssell joined Birmingham on a three-year deal for a fee of £3.5 million, [22] after Chelsea decided that he did not figure in their long-term plans. He struggled in the 2005–06 season, not having found his best form after his injury, and could not save Birmingham from relegation. Forssell suffered another cruel injury blow to his other knee during training in October 2006. This left him on the sidelines until he returned to training in February 2007 after undergoing operations on both knees. He remained at Birmingham to have another go at resurrecting his career.

His 2007–08 pre-season performances were good, he scored five goals in five games. His manager, Steve Bruce, was enthusiastic about his return to form. He continued his good form into the start of the season, scoring the opening goal of the match against Chelsea and consolidating his good form with two assists in the next three matches. He scored his first hat-trick at club level on 1 March 2008, in the 4–1 win over Tottenham Hotspur, a so-called "perfect hat-trick" – one goal scored with the left foot, one with the right, and one with the head. [23] In his final season at Birmingham, he finished the season as their top scorer with nine goals as the club were relegated from the Premier League. [24]

Hannover 96

In May 2008, following the club's relegation from Premier League, Forssell signed a pre-contract agreement to join Hannover 96 on a free transfer when his Birmingham contract expired at the end of June. His contract with Hannover ran out at the end of the 2010–11 season. [25] [26]

On his pre-season debut for Hannover, he scored 10 goals including an eight-minute hat-trick in one friendly game against amateurs FC Boffzen. The game ended up as a 23–0 win. [27]

Leeds United

After leaving Hannover when his contract expired at the end of the 2010–11 season, Forssell had trials with clubs including West Ham United [28] and Leeds United [29] of the English Football League Championship (second tier). On 8 September he returned from international duty with Finland to sign a contract with Leeds until the end of the 2011–12 season. [30] Forssell was handed the number 18 shirt and took his place on the bench two days later against his former club Crystal Palace. He came on as a second-half substitute to make his Leeds debut and assisted Ross McCormack for their winning goal in a 3–2 victory. [31] He came on as a substitute against fierce rivals Manchester United in a 3–0 League Cup defeat. [32]

After mainly being used as a substitute and failing to score a single goal for Leeds, Forssell was told by Neil Warnock that his one-year contract wouldn't be renewed at the end of the 2011–12 season and that he would be released from the club at the expiry of his contract. [33]

Return to HJK

On 29 October 2012, it was announced that Forssell would be returning to Finland after spending 14 years abroad, signing a two-year contract with his former club HJK. [34] On 22 April 2013, Forssell opened the scoring by a header, in a 2–0 away win over rivals Honka. He finished the season with 14 league goals, the club's top goalscorer as HJK won their fifth consecutive championship.

After a stint with German side VfL Bochum, Forssell rejoined HJK on 3 March 2016. [35]

HIFK and retirement

On 10 April 2017, Forssell signed a contract for one year with HIFK. [36] Forssell announced his retirement in May 2018. [37]

International career

Forssell was a regular for the Finnish national team for most of the 2000s. He played his first match for Finland on 9 June 1999 against Moldova, and scored his first goal on 28 February 2001 against Luxembourg. [38] He often partnered Jari Litmanen. [39] Forssell also played for Finland in the 2001 FIFA World Youth Championship.

Forssell scored twice against Germany in a 2002 World Cup qualifier; the match ended 2–2. [40]

Forssell scored two hat-tricks for Finland. On 7 September 2005, in Tampere, he scored three goals against FYR Macedonia in qualifying for the 2006 FIFA World Cup. On 17 November 2010, Forssell scored three of Finland's eight goals against San Marino in the Euro 2012 qualifying. [41]

Coaching career

After his playing career, Forssell has coached HJK's U19 youth team. On 6 June 2024, he was appointed an assistant coach of HJK first team. [42]

Personal life

Forssell's older sister, Christina Forssell, was also a footballer who played for HJK and Finland. On 23 August 2013, Forssell married Metti Lukkarila, [43] the couple have Lilia, born in May 2014, [44] and Lucas Mikael, born in August 2016. [45]

Honours

HJK Helsinki

Finland

Individual

Career statistics

Club career

Appearances and goals by club, season and competition
ClubSeasonLeagueNational Cup [lower-alpha 1] League Cup [lower-alpha 2] OtherTotal
DivisionAppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoals
HJK 1997 [49] Veikkausliiga 100010
1998 [49] [50] Veikkausliiga1614 [lower-alpha 3] 0201
Total17140211
Chelsea 1998–99 [51] Premier League 101320000133
1999–2000 [52] Premier League0000101 [lower-alpha 3] 020
2001–02 [53] Premier League22463423 [lower-alpha 4] 0359
2002–03 [54] Premier League0000000000
2003–04 [55] Premier League001 [lower-alpha 3] 010
2004–05 [56] Premier League1000001 [lower-alpha 3] 020
Total3359552605312
Crystal Palace (loan) 1999–2000 [52] First Division 1330000133
2000–01 [57] First Division391320824915
Total521620826218
Borussia Mönchengladbach (loan) 2002–03 [58] Bundesliga 167167
Birmingham City (loan) 2003–04 [55] Premier League321742103719
2004–05 [56] Premier League400040
Birmingham City 2005–06 [59] Premier League2735332358
2006–07 [60] Championship 810020101
2007–08 [61] Premier League3091010329
Total101301057211837
Hannover 96 2008–09 [50] Bundesliga30710317
2009–10 [50] Bundesliga201030
2010–11 [50] Bundesliga12010130
Total44730477
Hannover 96 II 2009–10 [50] Regionalliga Nord 1010
Leeds United 2011–12 [62] Championship1501010170
HJK 2013 [63] [64] Veikkausliiga271420532 [lower-alpha 3] 03617
2014 [63] Veikkausliiga17710541 [lower-alpha 3] 02411
Total442130107306028
VfL Bochum 2014–15 [63] 2. Bundesliga 16310173
HJK 2016 [63] [65] Veikkausliiga19342001 [lower-alpha 5] 0245
HIFK 2017 [63] Veikkausliiga268002 [lower-alpha 6] 0288
Career total38410133123113160464126
  1. Includes Finnish Cup, FA Cup, DFB-Pokal
  2. Includes Finnish League Cup, Football League Cup / EFL Cup, Ligapokal
  3. 1 2 3 4 5 6 Appearance(s) in UEFA Champions League
  4. Appearance(s) in UEFA Cup
  5. Appearance in UEFA Europa League
  6. Appearance in relegation play-off

International

As of 9 March 2016 [11]

Appearances and goals by national team and year

Finland national team
YearAppsGoals
199910
200070
200196
200221
200394
200431
200573
200661
200771
200881
200961
201075
201192
201200
201353
201410
Total8729

International goals

Finland's score given first. As of 26 March 2013. [2]

Mikael Forssell international goals
#DateLocationOpponentResultCompetition
1.28 February 2001 Luxembourg, LuxembourgFlag of Luxembourg.svg  Luxembourg 1–0Friendly
2.2 June 2001 Helsinki, FinlandFlag of Germany.svg  Germany 2–2 2002 FIFA World Cup qualification
3.
4.15 August 2001Helsinki, FinlandFlag of Belgium (civil).svg  Belgium 4–1Friendly
5.5 September 2001Helsinki, FinlandFlag of Greece.svg  Greece 5–12002 FIFA World Cup qualification
6.
7.27 March 2002 Porto, PortugalFlag of Portugal.svg  Portugal 4–1Friendly
8.30 April 2003 Vantaa, FinlandFlag of Iceland.svg  Iceland 3–0Friendly
9.7 June 2003Helsinki, FinlandFlag of Yugoslavia (1992-2003); Flag of Serbia and Montenegro (2003-2006).svg  Serbia and Montenegro 3–0 UEFA Euro 2004 qualifying
10.10 September 2003 Cardiff, WalesFlag of Wales (1959-present).svg  Wales 1–1Euro 2004 qualifying
11.11 October 2003 Tampere, FinlandFlag of Canada (Pantone).svg  Canada 3–2Friendly
12.8 September 2004 Jerevan, ArmeniaFlag of Armenia.svg  Armenia 2–0 2006 FIFA World Cup qualification
13.7 September 2005Tampere, FinlandFlag of North Macedonia.svg  Macedonia 5–12006 FIFA World Cup qualification
14.
15.
16.1 March 2006 Larnaka, CyprusFlag of Belarus.svg  Belarus 2–2Friendly
17.17 November 2007Helsinki, FinlandFlag of Azerbaijan.svg  Azerbaijan 2–1 UEFA Euro 2008 qualifying
18.11 October 2008Helsinki, FinlandFlag of Azerbaijan.svg  Azerbaijan 1–0 2010 FIFA World Cup qualification
19.6 June 2009Helsinki, FinlandFlag of Liechtenstein.svg  Liechtenstein 2–12010 FIFA World Cup qualification
20.7 September 2010 Rotterdam, NetherlandsFlag of the Netherlands.svg  Netherlands 1–2 UEFA Euro 2012 qualifying
21.12 October 2010Helsinki, FinlandFlag of Hungary.svg  Hungary 1–2UEFA Euro 2012 qualifying
22.17 November 2010Helsinki, FinlandFlag of San Marino.svg  San Marino 8–0UEFA Euro 2012 qualifying
23.
24.
25.3 June 2011 Serravalle, San MarinoFlag of San Marino.svg  San Marino 1–0UEFA Euro 2012 qualifying
26.2 September 2011Helsinki, FinlandFlag of Moldova.svg  Moldova 4–1UEFA Euro 2012 qualifying
27.23 January 2013 Chiang Mai, ThailandFlag of Thailand.svg  Thailand 3–1 2013 King's Cup
28.
29.26 March 2013 Luxembourg, LuxembourgFlag of Luxembourg.svg  Luxembourg 3–0Friendly

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