Markus Heikkinen
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| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Date of birth | 13 October 1978 | ||
| Place of birth | Katrineholm, Sweden | ||
| Height | 1.85 m (6 ft 1 in) | ||
| Playing position | Centre back, Defensive midfielder | ||
| Senior career* | |||
| Years | Team | Apps† | (Gls)† |
| 1996–1997 | Oulun Palloseura | 24 | (5) |
| 1997–1999 | TPS | 22 | (0) |
| 1999–2001 | MyPa | 43 | (1) |
| 2001–2003 | HJK | 85 | (1) |
| 2003 | → Portsmouth (loan) | 2 | (0) |
| 2003–2005 | Aberdeen | 68 | (2) |
| 2005–2007 | Luton | 76 | (2) |
| 2007–2013 | Rapid Wien | 173 | (4) |
| 2013 | Start | 10 | (2) |
| 2014–2015 | HJK | 42 | (0) |
| 2016– | AC Oulu | 0 | (0) |
| National team‡ | |||
| Finland U18 | 2 | (0) | |
| Finland U21 | 3 | (0) | |
| 2002–2011 | Finland | 61 | (0) |
|
* Senior club appearances and goals counted for the domestic league only and correct as of 28 October 2015. | |||
Markus "Mako" Heikkinen (born 13 October 1978 in Katrineholm, Sweden) is a Finnish footballer, currently playing for AC Oulu. Heikkinen can play either as a defensive midfielder or central defender.
Club career
An integral part of the Luton side that finished 10th in The Championship in the 2005-2006 season, Heikkinen collected four awards – the Player of the Year trophy, Players’ Player of the Season, Internet Player of the Season and the Luton News Player of the Season.[1]
His previous clubs include OPS, TPS Turku, MyPa, HJK, Portsmouth, Aberdeen and Luton Town.
During his two years with Aberdeen, Heikkinen was popular and important player, who usually featured in central midfield, where he had a reputation as a tough tackling and dependable player. Despite repeated attempts by Aberdeen manager Jimmy Calderwood to get the player to sign a new deal, he indicated that he was unsettled at Aberdeen and wanted to move on.
On 29 December 2006, in a game for Luton against Birmingham City he was feared to have a compound fracture of the fibula, however it was in fact a nasty gash down his leg, after a late challenge by midfielder Fabrice Muamba.[2][3] He returned to action against Stoke City on 17 February 2007.
After his years in England Heikkinen played six seasons for Rapid Wien. He was a key player of the team, making over 170 appearances for the Austrian Bundesliga side.
On 10 August 2013, he signed for Norwegian Tippeliga club Start.[4] Heikkinen helped Start avoid relegation with solid performances.
After years abroad, "Mako" returned to Finland and HJK in December 2013. After two seasons with the Helsinki based side, on September 2nd 2015 it was reported that the 36-year-old Heikkinen had signed a three-year player-coach contract with his hometown team AC Oulu. [5]
International career
Heikkinen made his national team debut on 4 January 2002 against Bahrain. He immediately became an important defensive player to his native team. He often played as defensive midfielder. However he returned to his old position as centre back in 2010, after Hannu Tihinen retired in professional football. He announced his retirement from international football on 26 September 2011.[6]
Career statistics
International
- As of 18 August 2011[7]
| Finland national team | ||
|---|---|---|
| Year | Apps | Goals |
| 2002 | 4 | 0 |
| 2003 | 7 | 0 |
| 2004 | 2 | 0 |
| 2005 | 7 | 0 |
| 2006 | 6 | 0 |
| 2007 | 7 | 0 |
| 2008 | 8 | 0 |
| 2009 | 9 | 0 |
| 2010 | 7 | 0 |
| 2011 | 4 | 0 |
| Total | 61 | 0 |
References
- ↑ Loyal Luton Supporters Club - Luton Town FC - Player of the Year
- ↑ HEIKKINEN BLOW FOR HATTERS | Luton Town | News | News | News
- ↑ HEIKKINEN UPDATE | Luton Town | News | News | News
- ↑ Finsk rutine skal hjelpe Start (Norwegian)
- ↑ Markus "Mako" Heikkinen palaa Ouluun (Finnish)
- ↑ Heikkinen retires from international duties (Finnish)
- ↑ Markus Heikkinen at National-Football-Teams.com
External links
- Markus Heikkinen – UEFA competition record
- Profile at skrapid.at
- Profile at FA of Finland's official website (Finnish)
- Profile at ESPNsoccernet
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