Niko Hämäläinen facts for kids
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Hämäläinen on the bench for the Finland under-21s against the Austria under-21s in 2015
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| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | Nicholas Antero Hämäläinen | ||
| Date of birth | 5 March 1997 | ||
| Place of birth | West Palm Beach, Florida, United States | ||
| Height | 1.84 m | ||
| Playing position | Left-back | ||
| Youth career | |||
| 2010 | Wellington Wave SC | ||
| 2010–2013 | FC Florida | ||
| 2013–2014 | FC Dallas | ||
| 2014–2015 | Queens Park Rangers | ||
| Senior career* | |||
| Years | Team | Apps† | (Gls)† |
| 2015–2023 | Queens Park Rangers | 30 | (0) |
| 2015 | → Dagenham & Redbridge (loan) | 1 | (0) |
| 2019 | → Los Angeles FC (loan) | 3 | (0) |
| 2019–2020 | → Kilmarnock (loan) | 28 | (0) |
| 2021 | → LA Galaxy (loan) | 14 | (0) |
| 2022 | → Botafogo (loan) | 1 | (0) |
| 2023 | → RWDM (loan) | 4 | (0) |
| 2023 | HJK | 8 | (0) |
| National team‡ | |||
| 2015 | Finland U18 | 12 | (1) |
| 2015 | Finland U19 | 2 | (0) |
| 2017–2018 | Finland U21 | 12 | (0) |
| 2019– | Finland | 12 | (0) |
† Appearances (Goals). |
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Nicholas Antero "Niko" Hämäläinen (born March 5, 1997) is a professional football player from Finland. He plays as a left-back. He recently played for HJK, a club in Finland's top league. Even though he was born and grew up in the United States, he plays for the Finland national team because his father is Finnish. He played for Finland's youth teams before joining the main national team in 2019.
Contents
Club Career Highlights
Starting with Queens Park Rangers
Niko joined Queens Park Rangers (QPR) in 2014 from the FC Dallas Academy. A family friend helped him get a trial, and QPR noticed his talent.
Loan to Dagenham & Redbridge
In 2015, Niko was loaned to Dagenham & Redbridge for a short time. He played his first professional game for them in August 2015. His loan was extended for another month.
Back at QPR
Niko made his first league appearance for QPR in October 2016. He came on as a substitute in a game against Fulham. Later that month, he started his first game for QPR.
Loan to Los Angeles FC
In February 2019, Niko was loaned to Major League Soccer team Los Angeles FC. The team's general manager, John Thorrington, said Niko had a bright future. Niko made his debut for LAFC and even helped set up a winning goal.
Loan to Kilmarnock
In August 2019, Niko was loaned to Scottish Premiership club Kilmarnock. He said his friends who played in Scotland helped him decide to move there. He was named in the Scottish Premiership team of the week twice during his time there.
Loan to LA Galaxy
In August 2021, Niko returned to Major League Soccer, joining LA Galaxy on loan until the end of the 2021 season.
Loan to Botafogo
In April 2022, Niko signed a loan deal with Botafogo FR in Brazil until July.
Loan to RWDM
In January 2023, Niko was loaned to RWDM in Belgium's second-tier league. He left Queens Park Rangers in June 2023 after his contract ended.
Playing for HJK
In July 2023, Niko signed a deal with HJK for the rest of the 2023 season.
International Career
Niko could choose to play for either the United States or Finland. This was because he was born and raised in the U.S., but his father is Finnish. He chose to play for Finland's youth teams first.
He made his first game for the main Finland national football team on January 11, 2019. This was a friendly match against Estonia.
In August 2019, Niko was invited to play for the United States under-23 team. This was his first time being called up by the U.S. at any level.
However, Niko made his first important game for Finland in the UEFA Nations League in September 2020. This meant he was then officially committed to playing for the Finland national team. He was also called up for the UEFA Euro 2020 tournament.
Personal Life
Niko Hämäläinen was born and grew up in the United States. He has both African-American and Finnish family roots. His father, Timo Hämäläinen, also played football in Finland for a club called Koparit before moving to the U.S.
Honours and Achievements
Individual Awards
- Football Association of Finland Promising player of the year: 2015
Club Trophies
HJK
- Veikkausliiga: 2023
See also
In Spanish: Niko Hämäläinen para niños
