Personal information | |||
---|---|---|---|
Full name | Mika-Matti Petteri Paatelainen | ||
Date of birth | 3 February 1967 | ||
Place of birth | Helsinki, Finland | ||
Height | 1.83 m (6 ft 0 in) | ||
Playing position | Striker | ||
Senior career* | |||
Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) |
1985–1987 | Valkeakosken Haka | 48 | (18) |
1987–1992 | Dundee United | 133 | (33) |
1992–1994 | Aberdeen | 75 | (23) |
1994–1997 | Bolton Wanderers | 69 | (15) |
1997–1998 | Wolverhampton Wanderers | 23 | (0) |
1998–2001 | Hibernian | 93 | (32) |
2001–2002 | RC Strasbourg | 7 | (0) |
2002–2003 | Hibernian | 24 | (7) |
2003–2004 | St Johnstone | 33 | (11) |
2004–2005 | St Mirren | 16 | (4) |
2005 | Cowdenbeath | 1 | (0) |
Total | 522 | (143) | |
National team | |||
1989–2000 | Finland | 70 | (18) |
Teams managed | |||
2005–2006 | Cowdenbeath | ||
2006–2007 | TPS | ||
2008–2009 | Hibernian | ||
2010–2011 | Kilmarnock | ||
2011–2015 | Finland | ||
2015–2016 | Dundee United | ||
* Senior club appearances and goals counted for the domestic league only. |
Mika-Matti Petteri "Mixu" Paatelainen (born 3 February 1967) is a Finnish football player and manager who was most recently the head coach of Scottish Premiership club Dundee United. He scored 18 goals in 70 appearances for the Finnish national team, which makes him Finland’s all time thirteenth most capped player and fifth top goalscorer. He is the eldest of three brothers, all of whom have played professional football. Their father Matti was also a Finnish international.
Paatelainen had a 20-year playing career, playing for nine different clubs in four countries. Most of his career was spent in the Scottish leagues, with Dundee United, Aberdeen, Hibernian, St Johnstone and St Mirren. He also played for Valkeakosken Haka in Finland, Bolton Wanderers and Wolverhampton Wanderers in England and RC Strasbourg in France. While at Bolton, Paatelainen became the first Finn to play in the Premier League.
After retiring as a player in 2005, Paatelainen became manager of Scottish club Cowdenbeath, where he helped the club win the championship of Scottish Football League Third Division and earn a promotion. After a season coaching in his native Finland with TPS, Paatelainen returned to Scotland as manager of Hibernian. He left that position by mutual consent after 18 months. After a year out of the game, Paatelainen was appointed manager of Kilmarnock. He was Kilmarnock manager for less than one season, but enjoyed personal success during that time. He was appointed manager of the Finnish national team in March 2011, a position he held until June 2015. He was appointed by Dundee United in October 2015, parting company with the club in May 2016 after United's relegation to the Scottish Championship.