Mikael Forssell
During Birmingham City's pre-season tour, 2004
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| Personal information | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Full name | Mikael Kaj Forssell | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Date of birth | 15 March 1981 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Place of birth | Steinfurt, West Germany | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Height | 1.84 m (6 ft 0 in) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Playing position | Striker | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Club information | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Current team
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HIFK | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Number | 9 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Youth career | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 1994–1997 | HJK | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Senior career* | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 1997–1998 | HJK | 17 | (1) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 1998–2005 | Chelsea | 33 | (5) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 2000 | → Crystal Palace (loan) | 13 | (3) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 2000–2001 | → Crystal Palace (loan) | 39 | (13) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 2003 | → Borussia Mönchengladbach (loan) | 12 | (7) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 2003–2004 | → Birmingham City (loan) | 32 | (17) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 2004–2005 | → Birmingham City (loan) | 4 | (0) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 2005–2008 | Birmingham City | 65 | (13) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 2008–2011 | Hannover 96 | 44 | (7) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 2011–2012 | Leeds United | 15 | (0) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 2012–2014 | HJK | 44 | (21) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 2014–2015 | VfL Bochum | 16 | (3) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 2016 | HJK | 23 | (11) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 2017- | HIFK | 0 | (0) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
| National team‡ | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 1999–2014 | Finland | 87 | (29) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Honours
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| * Senior club appearances and goals counted for the domestic league only and correct as of 10:22, 24 October 2016 (UTC). ‡ National team caps and goals correct as of 8 August 2016 |
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Mikael Kaj Forssell (born 15 March 1981) is a Finnish international football striker currently playing for Veikkausliiga club HIFK.
Forssell began his professional career in 1997 for HJK, having progressed through the team's youth teams, but he only remained at the club for a single season, making 17 league appearances, before he moved to England to join Chelsea in 1998. He never broke into the Chelsea team (making 33 league appearances in seven years), and spent two loan spells at Crystal Palace, one at Borussia Mönchengladbach, and two at Birmingham City. He switched permanently to the latter club in 2005, but injury problems restricted him to 65 league appearances in three seasons. He joined German side Hannover 96 in July 2008 on a free transfer, but once again struggled with form and injury problems, and he left the club in 2011, having made 44 league appearances. This was followed by an unsuccessful season back in England, this time with Leeds United; 15 league games failed to yield a single goal. Forssell returned to current club HJK in October 2012.
Forssell made his full international debut for Finland in 1999, and has been a regular player for his country in almost every year since; the one exception being 2012, where he didn't make a single appearance. He has 86 caps for his country, and has scored 29 goals; making him the sixth most capped Finnish player, and his country's second highest goalscorer.
Born in Steinfurt, Germany, and considered one of the most talented Finnish footballers of all time, Forssell made his Veikkausliiga debut for HJK at the age of just 16.
His goal-scoring form for Finland's youth teams made him a target for a host of Europe's top clubs, and in 1998, the 17-year-old striker was snapped up by Chelsea who at the time were managed by Gianluca Vialli. He made his debut as a substitute against Arsenal and then three days later, Forssell made his first start for the club when he scored two goals against Oxford United. His first league goal came three weeks later, when he scored against Nottingham Forest. However, when Chelsea signed Chris Sutton for £10 million, Forssell was loaned out twice to Crystal Palace of the then First Division, scoring 16 league goals in just over 50 appearances.
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