Petri Pasanen

Petri Pasanen

Personal information
Date of birth	24 September 1980
Place of birth	Lahti, Finland
Height	1.87 m (6 ft 1 ^1⁄2 in)
Playing position	Defender
Club information
Current team	Lahti
Senior career*
Years	Team	Apps^†	(Gls)^†
1996	Kuusysi Lahti	2	(0)
1996–2000	Lahti	71	(2)
1997	→ Hämeenlinna (loan)	4	(0)
1998	→ Hämeenlinna (loan)	1	(0)
2000–2004	Ajax	52	(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	29	(1)
National team^‡
	Finland U-16	2	(0)
	Finland U-18	3	(0)
2000	Finland U21	6	(0)
2000–2013	Finland	76	(0)
Honours Finland national football team Runner-up Baltic Cup 2012 AFC Ajax Winner Eredivisie 2002 Winner KNVB Cup 2002 Winner Johan Cruijff Shield 2002 Runner-up Eredivisie 2003 Werder Bremen Runner-up Bundesliga 2006 Runner-up Bundesliga 2008 Runner-up UEFA Europa League 2009 Winner DFB-Pokal 2009 Runner-up DFB-Pokal 2010 FC Red Bull Salzburg Winner Austrian Bundesliga 2012 Winner Austrian Cup 2012
* Senior club appearances and goals counted for the domestic league only and correct as of 9 October 2015. † Appearances (goals) ‡ National team caps and goals correct as of 16 November 2013

Petri Pasanen (born 24 September 1980) is a Finnish former professional football defender. He was most comfortable in central defense, but also played right back and left back as well. Pasanen was born in Lahti, Finland where he played for the local teams before moving to Ajax.

Club career

FC Lahti

Pasanen became a regular for Lahti during the club's promotion season in 1998. During the next two seasons he made 42 appearances for the club in Finland's Veikkausliiga.

Ajax

Many of Europe's top clubs had become interested in the promising Pasanen, and in the summer of 2000 he joined Dutch club Ajax. He became a regular in the Ajax defense in his first season, but his progress was halted when he broke his foot in August 2001, and had to miss most of the 2001–02 season. Next season he was a regular again as Ajax reached the quarter-finals of the UEFA Champions League.

He fell out of favour at Ajax in 2003–04, and spent the second half of the season on loan at English club Portsmouth in the Premier League. Portsmouth manager Harry Redknapp was interested in purchasing Pasanen at the end of the season, but claimed Ajax's asking price was too high.

Werder Bremen

Pasanen was then signed by reigning German champions Werder Bremen in the summer of 2004. He has become a key player for the club, helping them to a top three finish in the Bundesliga and the second round of the Champions League in each of his first two seasons at the club. Whilst at Bremen he played in the 2009 UEFA Cup Final.

Red Bull Salzburg

After the end of his contract on 30 June 2011 he left Werder Bremen,^[1] and signed for Red Bull Salzburg. On 12 May 2012, Salzburg announced that they will not renew Pasanen's contract and he will be free to look for a new club during the summer.^[2]

AGF Aarhus

On 28 July 2012, Pasanen signed a two-year contract with Danish topflight side AGF. He scored his first goal for AGF on 10 December 2012, in a 3−3 home draw against Silkeborg.

Return to Lahti

In May 2014, FC Lahti announced that Pasanen would return to Lahti and that he had signed a contract until the end of the 2016 season.^[3] On 29 September 2015, Pasanen announced that he would retire from professional football at the end of the season.^[4]

International career

Pasanen was also a regular for the Finland national team. He made his international debut on 15 November 2000 against the Republic of Ireland. Pasanen has mostly played at right back for Finland, and has also served as the national team's captain, when Sami Hyypiä and Jari Litmanen have not played.

Pasanen has also played in Finland national futsal team, where he has six caps and two goals.

Honours

Club

Ajax^[5]

• Eredivisie: 2001–02
• KNVB Cup: 2001–02
• Johan Cruijff Shield: 2002

Werder Bremen^[5]

• DFB Ligapokal: 2006
• DFB-Pokal: 2008–09
• UEFA Cup Runner-up: 2008–09

FC Red Bull Salzburg^[5]

• Austrian Bundesliga: 2011–12
• Austrian Cup: 2011–12

Individual

• 2008: Finnish Sports Journalists footballer of the year^[6]

Career statistics

Club

As of 15 March 2015^[5][7]

Club	Season	Division	League		Domestic Cups		Europe		Total
			Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals
Kuusysi
	1996	Ykkönen	2	0	0	0	0	0	2	0
Kuusysi Total			2	0	0	0	0	0	2	0
			FC Hämeenlinna
1997	Ykkönen	4		0	0	0	0	0	4	0
1998	Ykkönen	1		0	0	0	0	0	1	0
FC Hämeenlinna Total			5	0	0	0	0	0	5	0
			FC Lahti
1997	Ykkönen	15		0	0	0	0	0	15	0
1998	Ykkönen	15		1	0	0	0	0	15	1
1999	Veikkausliiga	27		0	0	0	0	0	27	0
2000	Veikkausliiga	15		1	0	0	0	0	15	1
FC Lahti Total			69	2	0	0	0	0	69	2
			Ajax
2000-01	Eredivisie	29		4	0	0	0	0	29	4
2001-02	Eredivisie	1		0	0	0	0	0	1	0
2002-03	Eredivisie	22		3	0	0	0	0	22	3
2003-04	Eredivisie	7		0	0	0	0	0	7	0
Ajax Total			59	7	0	0	0	0	59	7
			Portsmouth
2003-04	Premier League	12		0	0	0	0	0	12	0
Portsmouth Total			12	0	0	0	0	0	12	0
			Werder Bremen
2004–05	Bundesliga	23		1	0	0	0	0	23	1
2005-06	Bundesliga	17		0	0	0	5	0	23	0
2006-07	Bundesliga	17		0	0	0	2	0	19	0
2007-08	Bundesliga	28		2	0	0	8	0	36	2
2008-09	Bundesliga	16		0	0	0	5	0	21	0
2009-10	Bundesliga	19		0	4	1	10	0	33	1
2010-11	Bundesliga	24		0	1	0	7	0	32	0
Werder Bremen Total			144	3	5	1	37	0	186	4
			Salzburg
2011-12	Austrian Bundesliga	18		0	3	0	11	0	32	0
Salzburg Total			18	0	3	0	11	0	32	0
			Aarhus
2012-13	Superliga	23		1	1	0	0	0	24	1
2013-14	Superliga	21		1	0	0	0	0	21	1
Aarhus Total			44	2	1	0	0	0	45	2
			FC Lahti
2014	Veikkausliiga	11		1	1	0	0	0	12	1
2015	Veikkausliiga	0		0	5	0	0	0	5	0
FC Lahti Total			11	1	6	0	0	0	17	1
			Career Total			364	15	15	1	48	0	427	16

International

As of 16 November 2013^[8]

Finland national team
Year	Apps	Goals
2000	1	0
2001	5	0
2002	5	1
2003	6	0
2004	8	0
2005	3	0
2006	7	0
2007	10	0
2008	3	0
2009	9	0
2010	5	0
2011	5	0
2012	3	0
2013	6	0
Total	76	1

International goals

Score and Result lists Finland's goals first

As of 12 June 2013

#	Date	Location	Opponent	Score	Result	Competition
1.	22 May 2002	Helsingin olympiastadion, Helsinki, Finland	Latvia	2–1	2−1	Friendly

References

1. "Pasanen verlässt Werder Bremen" (in German). sueddeutsche.de. 23 March 2011. Retrieved 23 March 2011.
2. "Maajoukkuepakki sai seurastaan lähtöpassit" [Finnish international not given a contract renewal] (in Finnish). 12 May 2012. Retrieved 12 May 2012.
3. "Petri Pasanen palaa FC Lahden paitaan" (in Finnish). FC Lahti. 24 May 2014. Retrieved 22 December 2014.
4. "Petri Pasanen lopettaa uransa kauden jälkeen" (in Finnish). Veikkausliiga. 29 September 2015. Retrieved 9 October 2015.
5. "P. Pasanen". Soccerway. Retrieved 28 October 2015.
6. "Petri Pasanen palaa FC Lahteen" (in Finnish). Palloliitto. 27 May 2014. Retrieved 17 February 2015.
7. "Petri Pasanen". National Football Teams. Retrieved 28 October 2015.
8. "Pasanen Petri" (in Finnish). palloliitto.fi. Retrieved 6 June 2012.

External links

• Petri Pasanen at Aarhus Gymnastikforening (Danish) (English)
• Petri Pasanen – UEFA competition record
• Petri Pasanen – FIFA competition record
• Petri Pasanen at National-Football-Teams.com
• Petri Pasanen career statistics at Soccerbase
• Petri Pasanen at fussballdaten.de (German)
• Petri Pasanen profile at Soccerway
• Profile at FA of Finland's official website (Finnish)
• Profile at Werder Bremen's official website
• Petri Pasanen at ESPN FC