Samuel Pasanen

Last updated

Samuel Pasanen
Personal information
Date of birth (2006-01-02) 2 January 2006 (age 19)
Place of birth Bremen, Germany
Height 1.73 m (5 ft 8 in)
Position(s) Midfielder
Team information
Current team
KuPS
Youth career
Werder Bremen
Kuusysi
–2022 Lahti
Senior career*
YearsTeamApps(Gls)
2022–2024 Reipas Lahti 9 (1)
2022–2024 Lahti 43 (5)
2025– KuPS 1 (0)
International career
2021–2022 Finland U16 5 (1)
2022–2023 Finland U17 13 (3)
2023– Finland U18 5 (1)
2024– Finland U19 4 (0)
Medal record
Finland U18
Gold medal icon.svgBaltic Cup2023 [1]
* Club domestic league appearances and goals as of 6 August 2025
‡ National team caps and goals as of 16 October 2024

Samuel Pasanen (born 2 January 2006) is a Finnish professional footballer who plays as a midfielder for Veikkausliiga club KuPS. [2]

Contents

Club career

FC Lahti

Pasanen started football in the youth sectors of Werder Bremen and Kuusysi before joining FC Lahti organisation. Pasanen signed his first professional contract with FC Lahti on 27 January 2022, on a three-year deal ahead of the 2022 Veikkausliiga season. [3] Pasanen made his Veikkausliiga debut on 24 July 2022, at the age of 16, in a 3–1 home defeat against SJK. [4] He scored his first Veikkausliiga goals on 16 October 2022, a brace against HIFK in a 6–1 home victory. [5]

After the 2024 season, Pasanen was named the Promising Young Player of the Year, by the Football Association of Finland. As his father was awarded the same prize in 1998, they became the first father and a son to win the award.

KuPS

On 6 November 2024, Pasanen signed with reigning Finnish champions Kuopion Palloseura (KuPS) on a multi-year deal. [6] [7] In January 2025, in the last minutes in the pre-season friendly match against MP, Pasanen suffered an ACL injury, and was ruled out for several months. KuPS won the match 9–0. [8]

After recovering from the injury, Pasanen made his KuPS debut on 29 July 2025, in a UEFA Champions League qualification match against Kairat Almaty.

International career

A regular Finnish youth international, Pasanen has represented Finland at under-16, under-17 and under-18 youth national team levels.

In September 2022, Pasanen was named the captain of Finland U17 squad for the 2023 UEFA European Under-17 Championship qualification tournament against Greece, Italy and Kosovo. Finland finished 2nd in the group and qualified to the elite round in March 2023. [9]

Pasanen was part of the Finland U18 squad winning the friendly tournament Baltic Cup in June 2023. [10]

Personal life

Pasanen is the son of former Finland national team defender Petri Pasanen. [11] [12] He was born in Bremen, Germany, when his father was playing for Werder Bremen. He has also lived in Austria and Denmark as a child.

Career statistics

As of 6 August 2025
Appearances and goals by club, season and competition
ClubSeasonLeagueNational cup [a] League cup [b] EuropeTotal
DivisionAppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoals
Reipas Lahti 2022 Kakkonen 4141
2023 Kakkonen4040
2024 Kakkonen1010
Total9100000091
Lahti 2022 Veikkausliiga 32303092
2023 Veikkausliiga1603050240
2024 Veikkausliiga2433061334
Total4359014100666
KuPS 2025 Veikkausliiga1000002 [c] 030
Career total5369014120787

Honours

Finland U18

Individual

References

  1. Finnish FA
  2. Urpunen, Janne (4 April 2023). "Eteenpäin ja ylöspäin, sanoo Kuusysin mies: "Tarvitaan kasvua, lihasta ja kokemusta"". Etelä-Suomen Sanomat (in Finnish). Retrieved 2 October 2023.
  3. Tapiomäki, Riitta (27 January 2022). "Petri Pasasen poika Samuel FC Lahden keskikentälle". Yle (in Finnish). Retrieved 2 October 2023.
  4. Lyytikäinen, Eerikki (24 July 2022). ""Tämä oli ikimuistoinen päivä" - liigadebyytti maistui 16-vuotiaalle Samuel Pasaselle". Etelä-Suomen Sanomat (in Finnish). Retrieved 2 October 2023.
  5. "LAHTI VS. HIFK 6 - 1". soccerway. 16 October 2022. Retrieved 2 October 2023.
  6. KuPS ja Samuel Pasanen sopimukseen, kups.fi, 6 November 2024
  7. Mestari-KuPS veti pisimmän korren Minihuuhkajien lupauksesta, mtvuutiset.fi, MTV Oy, 28 October 2024
  8. Kausi ohi? - KuPS:n Samuel Pasanen Kymppipaikalle: "Eturistiside poikki ja leikkaus edessä", veikkausliiga.com, 17 January 2025
  9. U17-pojat päättää EM-karsinnat tiistaina, Finnish FA/ Palloliitto, 10 October 2022
  10. U18-pojat nimetty kesäkuun Baltic Cupiin, Football Association of Finland, 30 May 2023
  11. Hirvonen, Juho (25 November 2022). "Jotain tuttua! Toisen polven suomalaislupaus Ajaxin testattavana". Suomifutis (in Finnish). Retrieved 2 October 2023.
  12. Samuel Pasanen, 18, kuittaili isälleen onnistumisen jälkeen – vastaus tuli nopeasti, Ilta-Sanomat, 20 April 2024
  13. "Captain's Ball 2022 - Palkitut osa 1". Finnish FA (in Finnish). 1 December 2022. Retrieved 2 October 2023.