Toni Kolehmainen
Finnish footballer (born 1988)
 | |||
| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Date of birth | (1988-07-20) 20 July 1988 (age 36) | ||
| Place of birth | Oulu, Finland | ||
| Height | 1.77 m (5 ft 9+1⁄2 in) | ||
| Position(s) | Defensive midfielder | ||
| Youth career | |||
| 2004–2005 | Blackburn Rovers | ||
| Senior career* | |||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) |
| 2005 | OLS Oulu | 14 | (0) |
| 2006–2007 | AC Oulu | 25 | (3) |
| 2007–2009 | AZ | 0 | (0) |
| 2009 | AC Oulu | 5 | (1) |
| 2010–2012 | TPS Turku | 72 | (7) |
| 2012–2015 | Hønefoss | 43 | (0) |
| 2015–2017 | HJK Helsinki | 36 | (1) |
| 2017 | Wisła Puławy | 10 | (0) |
| International career | |||
| 2008–2010 | Finland U21 | 6 | (0) |
| 2012–2015 | Finland | 10 | (3) |
| *Club domestic league appearances and goals | |||
Toni Kolehmainen (born 20 July 1988) is a Finnish former professional footballer who played as a midfielder.
He had previously played for AZ in Alkmaar, Netherlands. Kolehmainen also played in Blackburn Rovers' youth academy during 2004–05.
Early career
After ending his stay with Blackburn Rovers' youth academy Toni returned to Finland to play for OLS Oulu. In 2006, he joined town rival AC Oulu and helped the club gain promotion to the Veikkausliiga. His play with AC Oulu led to interest from Dutch Eredivisie club AZ Alkmaar who signed Kolehmainen in 2007.
Club career
During his time with AZ he was primarily a member of the reserve squad. In 2008, he was promoted to the first team squad by Louis van Gaal and made his debut in a 3-0 KNVB Cup victory over Achilles '29.[1] Once the 2009 season concluded Kolehmainen did not exercise the option on his contract with AZ and returned to AC Oulu for a brief stay, which led to a promotion after the season.
Kolehmainen however left Oulu and went on signing a two-year contract with TPS in February 2010.[2]
After some promising performances, Kolehmainen was spotted by Hønefoss BK, where he would reunite with a TPS teammate Riku Riski. A long-term contract was signed on 31 August 2012.[3]
Kolehmainen retired in 2017, finishing his career at Polish side Wisła Puławy.[4]
Kolehmainen is currently based in Malta where he works as a director within the gaming industry at Rootz Ltd, often providing insights at events and conferences.
International career
On 22 January 2012 Kolehmainen scored for Finland in his senior level debut, in a friendly match against Trinidad and Tobago.
Career statistics
International goals
| # | Date | Location | Opponent | Score | Result | Competition |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | 22 January 2012 | Port of Spain, Trinidad and Tobago |  Trinidad and Tobago | 2−2 | 2−3 | Friendly |
| 2. | 3 June 2012 | Võru, Estonia |  Latvia | 1−0 | 1−1 (6-7 p) | Baltic Cup final |
| 3. | 14 November 2012 | Nicosia, Cyprus |  Cyprus | 0−3 | 0−3 | Friendly |
Honours
TPS Turku[5]
HJK
Individual
- Veikkausliiga Player of the Month: September 2010[6]
References
- ^ (in Dutch) AZ debut
- ^ TPS vahvisti rivejään Toni Kolehmaisella (TPS signs Toni Kolehmainen) Archived 23 October 2013 at the Wayback Machine; 17 February 2010, Veikkausliiga.com (in Finnish)
- ^ Toni Kolehmainen siirtyy Norjaan Riku Riskin seurakaveriksi (Toni Kolehmainen reunites with Riku Riski in Norway) Archived 23 October 2013 at the Wayback Machine; 31.8.2012; Aamuset.fi (in Finnish)
- ^ Laitinen, Ilkka (19 March 2018). "Vammakierre päätti suomalaispelaajan värikkään uran - Louis van Gaal halusi tehdä hänestä uuden Michael Reizigerin". iltalehti.fi (in Finnish). Iltalehti. Retrieved 4 August 2020.
- ^ a b "Toni Kolehmainen". 90minut.pl (in Polish). Retrieved 20 July 2024.
- ^ Veikkausliigan syyskuun joukkue nimetty (in Finnish)
External links
- Kolehmainen at AZ fan page (in Dutch)
- Kolehmainen player card at AC Oulu (in Finnish)
- A wonderkid from escadinavian soccer
- Toni Kolehmainen at Soccerway
