Kaan Kairinen

Kaan Kairinen
Kairinen with Inter Turku in 2015
Personal information
Full name Kasper Kaan Özden Kairinen
Date of birth (1998-12-22) 22 December 1998
Place of birth Turku, Finland
Height 1.86 m (6 ft 1 in)
Position Central midfielder
Team information
Current team
 AEK Athens
Number 6
Youth career
TuNL
–2015 Inter Turku[1]
2016–2018 Midtjylland
Senior career*
Years Team Apps (Gls)
2014–2016 Inter Turku 27 (0)
2016–2020 Midtjylland 5 (0)
2017 → Skive IK (loan) 6 (0)
2018 → Inter Turku (loan) 6 (0)
2019 → HJK (loan) 24 (2)
2020 → Lillestrøm (loan) 28 (4)
2021–2022 Lillestrøm 42 (2)
2023–2026 Sparta Prague 103 (4)
2026– AEK Athens 0 (0)
International career‡
2014–2015 Finland U17 10 (0)
2015–2016 Finland U19 7 (0)
2017–2020 Finland U21 19 (4)
2019– Finland 28 (1)
* Club domestic league appearances and goals as of 27 May 2026
‡ National team caps and goals as of 17 March 2026

Kasper Kaan Özden Kairinen (born 22 December 1998) is a Finnish professional footballer who plays as a central midfielder for Greek Super League club AEK Athens and the Finland national team.

Early life

Kairinen was born to a Turkish father and a Finnish mother in Turku, and was raised in Runosmäki neighbourhood.[2]

Club career

Inter Turku

Kairinen is a youth exponent from Inter Turku. He made his Veikkausliiga debut at 25 October 2014 against FF Jaro, coming on as a substitute for Kalle Kauppi after 70 minutes in a 1–0 home defeat.[3] Kairinen became the second-youngest player in Inter Turku's history to play for the club, since he made his debut at the age of 15.

In October 2015, Kairinen was named among the top 50 best young talents in world football by The Guardian.[4] He also spent time with Juventus on trial and was offered a contract.[5]

Midtjylland and loans

On 1 February 2016, it was confirmed by FC Midtjylland, that they had signed with Kairinen for an undisclosed fee.[6]

On 14 November 2018, Midtjylland announced that Kairinen would spend 2019 at HJK Helsinki on a loan deal.[7]

Lillestrøm

Kairinen had a successful loan spell with Lillestrøm in Norway in the 2020 season, after which the club gained a promotion to Eliteserien. After the season, Kairinen transferred to Lillestrøm on a permanent contract, signing a four-year deal, for a transfer fee of €300,000.[8][9] In late 2021, he suffered from a long-lasted foot injury, which was eventually operated in January 2022 by surgeon Lasse Lempainen in Turku, Finland.[10]

Sparta Prague

2022–23 season

On 20 December 2022, it was confirmed by Sparta Prague, that they had signed with Kairinen on a deal until 30 June 2026,[11] for a reported fee of €1.5 million.[12] Kairinen scored a goal and provided an assist in his debut in Czech First League on 5 February 2023, in a 4–1 home win against Mladá Boleslav.[13] During his first season in Prague, he helped the club to win their first Czech championship title since 2014.[14]

2023–24 season

On 16 March 2024, Kairinen extended his contract with Sparta until 30 June 2028.[15][16][17] Kairinen recorded 12 appearances and provided four assists in Sparta's 2023–24 UEFA Europa League campaign, helping his side to advance to the round of 16, where they were eventually defeated by Liverpool.[18]

On 18 May 2024, after an away win against Mladá Boleslav, Kairinen and Sparta secured their second Czech First League championship title in a row.[19] On 22 May 2024, Kairinen and Sparta were crowned the 2023–24 Czech Cup champions after beating Viktoria Plzeň 2–1 in the final,[20] completing Sparta's first double since 2014.

2024–25 season

He missed the start of the 2024–25 season due to a leg injury he suffered in May,[21] and returned to the line-up in the end of July 2024, in a win against FK Teplice.[22] One month later, Kairinen and Sparta qualified for the 2024–25 UEFA Champions League after defeating Malmö FF 4–0 on aggregate in the qualifying play-off round,[23] making it the club's first appearance in the UCL final competition in 19 years.

On 18 September, he scored in his debut in the UCL league phase, an opening goal in a 3–0 home win against RB Salzburg,[24] becoming the 13th Finnish player to score in the Champions League.[25] On 1 October, Kairinen scored again in his second UCL match, an equalizer from a free-kick past Alexander Nübel, in a 1–1 away draw against VfB Stuttgart.[26] After the goal, his player profile in Transfermarkt was temporarily among the most popular profiles in the website.[27][28][29]

AEK Athens

On 7 July 2026, Kairinen signed a four-year contract with Greek Super League club AEK Athens.[30]

International career

A former regular youth international, Kairinen debuted for the Finland senior national team on 8 January 2019[31][32][33] in a friendly match against Sweden, as a substitute for Rasmus Schüller in the 54th minute.[34]

Kairinen scored his first goal for the Finland national team on 24 March 2025, in a 2026 FIFA World Cup qualification match against Lithuania.[35]

Personal life

Kairinen has two siblings; an older brother and a younger sister. Karinen's father died when he was five.[36] He has openly discussed the eating disorder and depression he suffered during his time with Midtjylland, which almost ended his career prematurely.[37][38][39]

Career statistics

Club

As of match played 15 May 2026[40]
Appearances and goals by club, season and competition
Club Season League National cup[a] League cup[b] Europe Total
DivisionAppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoals
Inter Turku 2014 Veikkausliiga 100000—10
2015 Veikkausliiga 2503040—320
2016 Veikkausliiga 000010—10
Total 2603050—340
Midtjylland 2016–17 Danish Superliga 2000—0020
2017–18 Danish Superliga 3000—0030
Total 5000—0050
Skive IK (loan) 2017 Danish 1st Division 6000——60
Inter Turku (loan) 2018 Veikkausliiga 6000——60
HJK (loan) 2019 Veikkausliiga 24251—6[c]0353
Lillestrøm (loan) 2020 Norwegian First Division 28400——284
Lillestrøm 2021 Eliteserien 20110——211
2022 Eliteserien 22120—4[d]0281
Total 422300040492
Sparta Prague 2022–23 Czech First League 15130——181
2023–24 Czech First League 28220—14[e]0442
2024–25 Czech First League 28050—12[f]2452
2025–26 Czech First League 31110—11[d]1432
Total 1024110003731507
AEK Athens 2026–27 Super League Greece 0000—0000
Career total 239122215047331316
  1. ↑ Includes Finnish Cup, Norwegian Football Cup, Czech Cup
  2. ↑ Includes Finnish League Cup
  3. ↑ Four appearances in UEFA Champions League, two appearances in UEFA Europa League
  4. 1 2 Appearances in UEFA Conference League
  5. ↑ Two appearances in UEFA Champions League, twelve appearances in UEFA Europa League
  6. ↑ Appearances UEFA Champions League

International

As of match played on 17 November 2025
National teamYearCompetitive Friendly Total
Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals
Finland 201900 2 0 2 0
202000 0 0 0 0
20212[a]0 1 0 3 0
20222[b]0 0 0 2 0
20238[c]0 0 0 8 0
20243[d]0 1 0 4 0
20258[e]11091
Total 23 1 5 0 28 1
As of match played 24 March 2025
Scores and results list Finland's goal tally first, score column indicates score after each Kairinen goal.
List of international goals scored by Kaan Kairinen
No. Date Venue Cap Opponent Score Result Competition
1 24 March 2025Darius and Girėnas Stadium, Kaunas, Lithuania1  Lithuania1–02–22026 FIFA World Cup qualification

Honours

Midtjylland

Sparta Prague

Individual

References

  1. ↑ "Tulospalvelu Palloliitto". Archived from the original on 31 October 2023. Retrieved 31 October 2023.
  2. ↑ "Interin Kairiselta odotetaan ihmeitä - TS Futis". futis.ts.fi. Archived from the original on 9 August 2016. Retrieved 24 July 2026.
  3. ↑ "Inter Turku vs. Jaro - 25 October 2014". Soccerway. Retrieved 23 May 2015.
  4. ↑ "Next Generation 2015: 50 of the best young talents in world football". The Guardian. Archived from the original on 14 June 2023.
  5. ↑ Virtanen, Jari (3 October 2024). "Mestarien liigassa suuren suomalaisen tarinan ainekset – Kaan Kairinen noussut jo suuriin siirtospekulaatioihin | Aitio". Apu360 (in Finnish). Archived from the original on 4 October 2024. Retrieved 24 July 2026.
  6. ↑ "FCM sikrer sig finsk midtbanetalent". fcm.dk. Archived from the original on 23 February 2016. Retrieved 24 July 2026.
  7. ↑ "Kaan Kairinen udlejes til den finske mesterklub". fcm.dk. Archived from the original on 6 February 2020. Retrieved 24 July 2026.
  8. ↑ "Kaan Kairinen teki sopimuksen Norjan liigaan nousseen Lilleströmin kanssa". Yle Urheilu (in Finnish). 15 December 2020. Archived from the original on 19 November 2023. Retrieved 24 July 2026.
  9. ↑ Innanen, Timo (12 December 2020). "Norjan pääsarjaan nouseva suomalaispelintekijä avoimena – "Kovempi vaatimustaso kuin HJK:ssa"". mtvuutiset.fi (in Finnish). Archived from the original on 19 November 2023. Retrieved 24 July 2026.
  10. ↑ Kuparinen, Heikki (19 January 2022). "IL: Huuhkajien keskikenttämies joutui jalkaleikkaukseen - missaako kauden alun?". SuomiFutis (in Finnish). Archived from the original on 7 January 2024. Retrieved 24 July 2026.
  11. ↑ "Na Spartu přichází Kaan Kairinen". Sparta Prague (in Czech). 20 December 2022. Archived from the original on 20 December 2022. Retrieved 21 December 2022.
  12. ↑ "Miljoonasiirto talvella ja nyt Tšekin mestariksi: Kaan Kairisella huippukevät". Yle (in Finnish). 24 May 2023. Archived from the original on 2 September 2023. Retrieved 2 September 2023.
  13. ↑ "Sparta Prague vs. Mladá Boleslav 4 - 1". soccerway. 5 February 2023. Archived from the original on 4 November 2023. Retrieved 4 November 2023.
  14. ↑ "Sparta v euforii! Remíza na Slovácku odstartovala mistrovské oslavy". Sport.cz (in Czech). Czech News Agency. 23 May 2023. Archived from the original on 23 May 2023. Retrieved 23 May 2023.
  15. ↑ Ikola, Eetu (16 March 2024). "Huuhkajien huippupelaaja teki kovan sopimuksen!". mtvuutiset.fi (in Finnish). MTV Oy. Archived from the original on 16 March 2024. Retrieved 16 March 2024.
  16. ↑ "Kairinen prodloužil smlouvu". Sparta Prague (in Czech). 16 March 2024. Archived from the original on 16 March 2024. Retrieved 16 March 2024.
  17. ↑ "Suomalaistähti teki huippudiilin – Elää kaupungissa, jossa tapahtuu "käsittämättömiä juttuja"". www.iltalehti.fi (in Finnish). Archived from the original on 18 May 2024. Retrieved 24 July 2026.
  18. ↑ "Liverpool murskasi Huuhkajat-tähden". www.iltalehti.fi (in Finnish). Archived from the original on 30 May 2024. Retrieved 24 July 2026.
  19. 1 2 "Liigamestaruus ja cup-pokaali – Huuhkajien pelaajille menestystä eurokentillä". mtvuutiset.fi (in Finnish). 19 May 2024. Retrieved 24 July 2026.
  20. ↑ Neumann, Robert (22 May 2024). "Sparta slaví double! Triumf v nervózním finále trefil Birmančevič". Sport.cz (in Czech). Borgis. Archived from the original on 21 July 2024. Retrieved 23 May 2024.
  21. ↑ Ahokas, Joni (14 May 2024). "Kaan Kairisen loukkaantumisesta synkkä arvio". SuomiFutis (in Finnish). Archived from the original on 13 August 2024. Retrieved 24 July 2026.
  22. ↑ Toimitus (28 July 2024). "Kaan Kairinen palasi pelikentille". Huuhkajat.com (in Finnish). Archived from the original on 13 August 2024. Retrieved 24 July 2026.
  23. ↑ "Kaan Kairisen joukkue Mestarien liigaan". Yle Urheilu (in Finnish). 28 August 2024. Archived from the original on 28 August 2024. Retrieved 24 July 2026.
  24. ↑ Shemeikka, Anssi (18 September 2024). "Suuri suomalainen jalkapallohetki! Kaan Kairinen iski maalin Mestarien liigassa". mtvuutiset.fi (in Finnish). Archived from the original on 18 September 2024. Retrieved 24 July 2026.
  25. ↑ "Kairinen maalasi Mestarien liigassa – Pohjanpalo Serie A:ssa". Palloliitto.fi (in Finnish). Archived from the original on 24 September 2024. Retrieved 24 July 2026.
  26. ↑ Hellanto, Riku (1 October 2024). "Kaan Kairinen täräytti ilmiömäisen maalin Mestarien liigassa – Tuomas Virkkunen repesi liitoksistaan: "Aivan mieletön vapaapotku!"". mtvuutiset.fi (in Finnish). Archived from the original on 2 October 2024. Retrieved 24 July 2026.
  27. ↑ "Jalkapallo | "Tuntematon suomalainen rikkoi internetin" – Kaan Kairinen nousi hetkessä kuumaksi nimeksi". Helsingin Sanomat (in Finnish). 2 October 2024. Archived from the original on 3 October 2024. Retrieved 24 July 2026.
  28. ↑ Huerta, Natasha (2 June 2026). "EU9". Archived from the original on 7 March 2026. Retrieved 24 July 2026.
  29. ↑ "Tämä kuva paljastaa: Suomalaismies on koko futismaailman huulilla". www.iltalehti.fi (in Finnish). Archived from the original on 2 October 2024. Retrieved 24 July 2026.
  30. ↑ "Kairinen po 3,5 letech odešel ze Sparty do Řecka". Sport.cz (in Czech). Borgis. Czech News Agency. 7 July 2026. Archived from the original on 9 July 2026. Retrieved 7 July 2026.
  31. ↑ Sallinen, Juuso (23 March 2023). "Huuhkajien uusiin kasvoihin lukeutuva Kaan Kairinen ottaa askeleita kohti huippua Tšekin suurseurassa". Jalkapallon EM-kisat 2025 (in Finnish). Archived from the original on 17 July 2024. Retrieved 24 July 2026.
  32. ↑ "Pelkkä debyytti ei tyydyttänyt – Huuhkajien ensikertalaisella kova tavoite perjantaina". www.veikkausliiga.com (in Finnish). Archived from the original on 17 July 2024. Retrieved 24 July 2026.
  33. ↑ Välimaa, Mikko (2 January 2019). "Huuhkajien ryhmään vielä muutos – tällä ringillä Ruotsia ja Viroa vastaan". Länsiväylä (in Finnish). Archived from the original on 17 July 2024. Retrieved 24 July 2026.
  34. ↑ "Sweden v Finland game report". Eurosport. 8 January 2019. Archived from the original on 9 August 2020. Retrieved 15 January 2019.
  35. ↑ "Huuhkajille jäi Liettuassa suuhun vain hapan maku – pettynyt Kaan Kairinen oli tyytyväinen yhteen selvään muutokseen". Yle Urheilu (in Finnish). 24 March 2025. Archived from the original on 28 March 2025. Retrieved 24 July 2026.
  36. ↑ Veikkaus. "Pimeydestä valoon". Veikkaus.fi (in Finnish). Archived from the original on 17 March 2024. Retrieved 24 July 2026.
  37. ↑ Lundelin, Katriina (2 June 2022). "Jalkapalloilija Kaan Kairisen syömishäiriö alkoi 17-vuotiaana joukkueen punnituksista: "Vertailimme tuloksiamme – kilpailu meni liian pitkälle"". Seura.fi (in Finnish). Archived from the original on 17 March 2024. Retrieved 24 July 2026.
  38. ↑ "Jalkapallo | Huuhkajien Kaan Kairinen oli suomalaisen jalkapallon suurlupaus, mutta nyt hän sanoo: "Olin tosi paljon yksin"". Helsingin Sanomat (in Finnish). 4 September 2021. Archived from the original on 17 March 2024. Retrieved 24 July 2026.
  39. ↑ "Andrea Pirloon verrattu suomalaislupaus sairastui syömishäiriöön ja ajautui syvälle – Kaan Kairinen sai vaikeuksien jälkeen miljoonasiirron". Yle Urheilu (in Finnish). 6 January 2023. Archived from the original on 17 March 2024. Retrieved 24 July 2026.
  40. ↑ "Kaan Kairinen". soccerway. Archived from the original on 5 October 2023. Retrieved 18 June 2023.
  41. ↑ Kai (30 October 2015). "Tässä ovat Captain's Ball -futisgaalan kaikki palkitut tahot". SuomiFutis (in Finnish). Archived from the original on 2 January 2023. Retrieved 2 January 2023.
  42. ↑ Is, Stt- (3 November 2017). "Filip Valencic on Veikkausliigan kauden paras pelaaja". Ilta-Sanomat (in Finnish). Archived from the original on 2 January 2023. Retrieved 2 January 2023.
  43. ↑ "Kaan Kairinen er månedens spiller i oktober" (in Norwegian). OBOS-ligaen. 3 November 2020. Archived from the original on 7 November 2025. Retrieved 21 September 2025.
This page is issued from Wikipedia. The text is available under Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 4.0 unless otherwise noted. Additional terms may apply for the media files.