Petri Pasanen facts for kids
Pasanen with Red Bull Salzburg in 2011
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| Personal information | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Date of birth | 24 September 1980 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Place of birth | Lahti, Finland | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Height | 1.87 m | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Playing position | Defender | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Senior career* | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Years | Team | Apps† | (Gls)† | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 1996 | Kuusysi | 2 | (0) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 1996–2000 | Lahti | 72 | (2) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 1997 | → Hämeenlinna (loan) | 4 | (0) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 1998 | → Hämeenlinna (loan) | 1 | (0) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 2000–2004 | Ajax | 59 | (7) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 2004 | → Portsmouth (loan) | 12 | (0) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 2004–2011 | Werder Bremen | 144 | (3) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 2011–2012 | Red Bull Salzburg | 18 | (0) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 2012–2014 | AGF | 44 | (2) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 2014–2015 | Lahti | 30 | (1) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Total | 386 | (15) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| National team | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 2000 | Finland U21 | 6 | (0) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 2000–2013 | Finland | 76 | (1) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Teams managed | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Lahti (youth) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 2022–2023 | Lahti (assistant) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Honours
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Petri Pasanen, born on September 24, 1980, is a Finnish football coach and TV presenter. He used to be a professional footballer, playing mainly as a defender. Petri was great at playing in the middle of the defense (called a centre-back). He could also play on the right or left side of the defense.
Pasanen started his football journey in his home country, Finland. Later, he moved to the famous Dutch club Ajax. He spent most of his playing career with the German club Werder Bremen. With Werder Bremen, he played in the top European competition, the UEFA Champions League, many times. He also reached the final of the UEFA Cup in 2009. For his country, Finland, he played 76 games and scored one goal.
Contents
Petri Pasanen's Club Career
Petri Pasanen played for several football clubs during his career. He started in Finland, then moved to big clubs in the Netherlands, England, Germany, Austria, and Denmark.
Starting at FC Lahti
Petri was born in Lahti, Finland. He became a regular player for his local club, FC Lahti, when they were promoted in 1998. In the next two seasons, he played 42 games for the club in Finland's top league, the Veikkausliiga.
Playing for Ajax
Many of Europe's best clubs noticed Petri Pasanen because he was a very promising player. In the summer of 2000, he joined the Dutch club Ajax. The transfer fee was about €1 million. He quickly became a key player in the Ajax defense during his first season.
However, his progress was stopped when he broke his foot in August 2001. This injury made him miss most of the 2001–02 season. The next season, he was back as a regular player. Ajax even reached the quarter-finals of the UEFA Champions League that year.
In the 2003–04 season, he didn't play as much for Ajax. He spent the second half of that season on loan at the English club Portsmouth in the Premier League. The manager at Portsmouth, Harry Redknapp, wanted to buy Pasanen. But he said Ajax's price was too high.
Time at Werder Bremen
After his loan, Petri Pasanen was signed by the German champions Werder Bremen in the summer of 2004. He became a very important player for the club. He helped them finish in the top three in the Bundesliga (Germany's top league). They also reached the second round of the Champions League in his first two seasons. While at Bremen, he played in the final of the UEFA Cup in 2009.
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Moving to Red Bull Salzburg
On June 30, 2011, after his contract with Werder Bremen ended, Petri Pasanen joined Red Bull Salzburg in Austria. On May 12, 2012, Salzburg announced that Petri's contract would not be extended. This meant he could look for a new club that summer.
Playing for AGF Aarhus
On July 28, 2012, Pasanen signed a two-year contract with AGF, a top team in Denmark's Superliga. He scored his first goal for AGF on December 10, 2012. It was in a 3-3 home game against Silkeborg.
Returning to FC Lahti
In May 2014, FC Lahti announced that Petri Pasanen would return to his old club. He signed a contract to play until the end of the 2016 season. On September 29, 2015, Pasanen announced that he would stop playing professional football at the end of that season.
Petri Pasanen's International Career
Petri Pasanen was also a regular player for the Finland national team. He played his first international game on November 15, 2000, against the Republic of Ireland.
For Finland, Pasanen mostly played as a right-back. He also sometimes served as the team's captain. This happened when other captains like Sami Hyypiä and Jari Litmanen were not playing. He scored his only goal for Finland on May 22, 2002. It was in a friendly game at the Helsinki Olympic Stadium against Latvia. Finland won that game 2–1.
Pasanen also played for the Finland national futsal team. Futsal is a type of indoor football. He played six games and scored two goals for the futsal team.
Petri Pasanen's Coaching Career
After he stopped playing football, Petri Pasanen started working as a coach. He coached youth teams for FC Lahti. From 2022 to 2023, he also worked as an assistant coach for the club's main team.
Petri Pasanen's Later Career
After his professional football career, Pasanen also became a football pundit. A pundit is someone who gives their opinion and analysis about games on TV. He worked for Yle from 2014 to 2018. Then he worked for MTV Oy from 2018 to 2020.
Since 2020, Pasanen has been a football studio host for MTV and C More Finland. He hosts shows for UEFA Champions League matches and other big international tournaments. In May 2023, he even worked as a studio host for the 2023 IIHF Ice Hockey World Championship tournament.
Petri Pasanen's Personal Life
Petri Pasanen has a son named Samuel Pasanen. Samuel is also a professional footballer. He plays for FC Lahti in the Veikkausliiga, just like his father did.
Honours and Achievements
Petri Pasanen won several trophies and awards during his career:
With Ajax
- Eredivisie (Dutch League): 2001–02
- KNVB Cup (Dutch Cup): 2001–02
- Johan Cruijff Shield (Dutch Super Cup): 2002
With Werder Bremen
With Red Bull Salzburg
- Austrian Bundesliga (Austrian League): 2011–12
- Austrian Cup: 2011–12
Individual Award
- 2008: Finnish Sports Journalists footballer of the year
