Club career
Valakari started to play football in the youth sector of Käpylän Pallo (KäPa) in 2007. In 2013, he moved to Seinäjoki with his family and joined local club Seinäjoen Jalkapallokerho (SJK). After making his senior debut with the club's reserve team SJK II in a then third-tier level Kakkonen in 2015, Valakari continued his career with Turun Palloseura (TPS). He played with TPS first in the second-tier Ykkönen in 2017, and in the next 2018 season he debuted in the premier division Veikkausliiga. During the first half of the season, he scored four goals in the league. [3]
On 5 August 2018, Valakari signed with the Norwegian club Tromsø, [5] after his father was named the manager of the club's first team. [3] The initial transfer fee was estimated to be around 200,000 NOK, with TPS securing a 15% sell-on clause. [6] [7]
In January 2020 he moved to Cypriot First Division club Pafos for an undisclosed fee, reported to be around €300,000. [7] [8] On 25 November 2022, Valakari extended his contract with Pafos until June 2026. [9] On 18 May 2024, Valakari and Pafos won the 2023–24 Cypriot Cup title, after defeating Omonia 3–0 in the final. [10]
On 26 August 2024, Valakari was loaned out to Swedish Allsvenskan club AIK for the rest of the 2024 season, [11] with a purchase option of around €1 million. [12] On 21 September, he scored his first goal in Allsvenskan, in a 1–0 away win against Kalmar FF. [13] [14] Following his loan, AIK were interested in signing Valakari on a permanent contract, but the clubs were unable to agree on the financial terms, and Valakari returned to Pafos. [15]
In January 2025, Valakari extended his deal with Pafos until 2027, [16] and subsequently signed a season-long loan deal with San Diego FC in MLS, [17] for a €400,000 loan fee, with a purchase option of €1.5 million. [18]
Personal life
Valakari's father Simo is a former professional international player and a current manager; his older brother Paavo is a former professional player, [23] and his younger brother Toivo is playing for Käpylän Pallo in Finnish second-tier. [24] Onni was born in Scotland when his father had a stint as a player at Motherwell. [25] [26] [27]
In May 2024, it was reported that Valakari had been sentenced to a €9,900 fine in Finnish Court of Kymenlaakso for not enrolling to the mandatory conscription service on time in January 2022. [28]
In November 2024, in an interview to Helsingin Sanomat, Valakari sparked controversy with his positive comments on Andrew Tate and Donald Trump, implying also that the media has painted a false picture of them. Valakari stated that Trump's reelection was a positive thing for the USA. He thinks the country and the world needs a strong leader such as Trump, who can bring back the stability to the world and restore the foreign relations. [29] [30]
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