Elias Äijälä
| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | Elias Mikko Ilmari Äijälä | ||
| Date of birth | 24 March 2003 | ||
| Place of birth | Espoo, Finland | ||
| Height | 1.79 m (5 ft 10 in) | ||
| Position(s) | Defender | ||
| Youth career | |||
| 2011–2023 | Honka | ||
| Senior career* | |||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) |
| 2020–2023 | Honka II | 27 | (0) |
| 2022–2023 | Honka | 29 | (0) |
| 2024 | Gnistan | 20 | (1) |
| 2024 | → PKKU (loan) | 1 | (0) |
| International career‡ | |||
| 2024– | Finland U21 | 2 | (0) |
Medal record | |||
|
*Club domestic league appearances and goals, correct as of 26 October 2024 ‡ National team caps and goals, correct as of 9 June 2024 | |||
Elias Mikko Ilmari Äijälä (born 24 March 2003) is a Finnish professional football player who most recently played as a full back for Veikkausliiga side Gnistan.
Career
[edit]Äijälä started in a youth sector of Honka, when he was eight years old.[1] He made his Veikkausliiga debut with Honka first team in 2022. After the 2023 season, Honka was suddenly declared for bankruptcy, and Äijälä was released.
On 16 January 2024, Äijälä signed a one-year deal with newly promoted Veikkausliiga side IF Gnistan.[2][3] He scored his first goal in Veikkausliiga on 30 June, in a 2–1 home defeat against Ekenäs IF.
International career
[edit]Äijälä was called-up to the Finland under-21 national team for a friendly tournament Baltic Cup in early June 2024. He played in two games against Estonia and Lithuania.
Career statistics
[edit]- As of 4 November 2024.
| Club | Season | League | Cup[a] | League cup[b] | Europe | Total | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Division | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | ||
| Honka Akatemia | 2020 | Kakkonen | 1 | 0 | – | – | – | 1 | 0 | |||
| 2021 | Kakkonen | 14 | 0 | – | – | – | 14 | 0 | ||||
| 2022 | Kakkonen | 6 | 0 | – | – | – | 6 | 0 | ||||
| 2023 | Kakkonen | 6 | 0 | – | – | – | 6 | 0 | ||||
| Total | 27 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 27 | 0 | ||
| Honka | 2022 | Veikkausliiga | 18 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 0 | – | 21 | 0 | |
| 2023 | Veikkausliiga | 11 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 5 | 0 | 2[c] | 0 | 21 | 0 | |
| Total | 29 | 0 | 4 | 0 | 7 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 43 | 0 | ||
| Gnistan | 2024 | Veikkausliiga | 20 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 5 | 0 | – | 26 | 1 | |
| PKKU (loan) | 2024 | Ykkönen | 1 | 0 | – | – | – | 1 | 0 | |||
| Career total | 77 | 1 | 5 | 0 | 12 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 96 | 1 | ||
- ^ Includes Suomen Cup
- ^ Includes Finnish League Cup
- ^ Appearances in UEFA Conference League
Honours
[edit]Honka
- Finnish League Cup: 2022
- Finnish Cup runner-up: 2023
References
[edit]- ^ FC Hongan edustusjoukkueessa pelaava Elias Äijälä: Tie 8-vuotiaasta honkalaisesta Veikkausliigaan, fchonka.fi
- ^ ELIAS ÄIJÄLÄ JA GNISTAN SOPIMUKSEEN, gnistan.fi, 16 January 2024
- ^ Gnistan vahvistaa puolustustaan - Elias Äijälä sopimukseen, Veikkausliiga, 16 January 2024
External links
[edit]- Elias Äijälä at Soccerway
- Elias Äijälä at WorldFootball.net
- Living people
- 2003 births
- Finnish men's footballers
- Men's association football defenders
- Kakkonen players
- Ykkönen players
- Veikkausliiga players
- Pallohonka players
- FC Honka players
- IF Gnistan players
- Pallokerho Keski-Uusimaa players
- Footballers from Espoo
- Finland men's youth international footballers
- Finland men's under-21 international footballers