Niklas Jokelainen
 Jokelainen with Ilves in 2018 | |||
| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | Niklas Jokelainen | ||
| Date of birth | 30 March 2000 | ||
| Place of birth | Oulu, Finland | ||
| Height | 1.81 m (5 ft 11 in) | ||
| Position(s) | Forward, midfielder | ||
| Team information | |||
Current team | AC Oulu | ||
| Number | 14 | ||
| Youth career | |||
| Tervarit | |||
| Senior career* | |||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) |
| 2015–2016 | AC Oulu | 6 | (0) |
| 2016–2017 | Stoke City | 0 | (0) |
| 2017–2018 | Ilves | 18 | (2) |
| 2018 | → JJK (loan) | 6 | (0) |
| 2019 | RoPS | 20 | (2) |
| 2019 | → RoPS II | 6 | (3) |
| 2020– | AC Oulu | 115 | (21) |
| 2022 | → OLS | 1 | (0) |
| International career | |||
| 2015–2016 | Finland U17 | 10 | (2) |
| 2017–2018 | Finland U18 | 7 | (3) |
| 2018 | Finland U19 | 8 | (0) |
| 2022 | Finland U21 | 1 | (0) |
| *Club domestic league appearances and goals, correct as of 19 October 2024 | |||
Niklas Jokelainen (born 30 March 2000) is a Finnish professional footballer who plays as a midfielder and captains AC Oulu in Veikkausliiga.[1][2]
Career
[edit]AC Oulu
[edit]His senior career began in 2015, after 14-year old Jokelainen signed a professional pre-contract in December 2014.[3] At the age of 15 and one month, Jokelainen became the youngest player to play in the AC Oulu shirt when he made his debut in February 2015. He played in six Ykkönen matches during the 2015 and 2016 seasons, before moving to the Academy of Stoke City in the summer 2016.[4][5]
Ilves
[edit]In August 2017, Jokelainen returned to Finland and joined Ilves, playing in the Veikkausliiga.[6] He made his debut in the league on 8 April 2018, and scored his first league goal on 25 April 2018 against the VPS. In the 2018 season, Jokelainen played a total of 18 league matches and one UEFA Europa League qualifying match, against Slavia Sofia.[7]
RoPS
[edit]On 13 November 2018, Rovaniemen Palloseura (RoPS) announced that they had signed with Jokelainen for the 2019 season.[8] Jokelainen played a total of 20 league matches and scored two goals in his first season with the club. He also played in both UEFA Europa League qualifying matches against Aberdeen.[9][10]
Return to AC Oulu
[edit]Jokelainen returned to AC Oulu for the 2020 season, playing in the second-tier Ykkönen.[11] After the 2020 season, the club won a promotion back to Veikkausliiga and Jokelainen stayed with the club.[12] On 6 October 2022, he extended his contract with AC Oulu on a deal until the end of 2024.[13] In April 2024, Jokelainen was named the captain of his team for the 2024 season.[2] On 18 October, he extended his contract until the end of 2026 with a one-year option.[14]
Career statistics
[edit]- As of 19 October 2024.[15]
| Club | Season | League | Cup[a] | League cup[b] | Europe | Total | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Division | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | ||
| AC Oulu | 2015 | Ykkönen | 5 | 0 | 2 | 1 | — | — | 7 | 1 | ||
| 2016 | Ykkönen | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | — | — | 2 | 0 | |||
| Total | 6 | 0 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 9 | 1 | ||
| Stoke City | 2016–17 | Premier League | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | 0 | 0 | |
| Ilves | 2017 | Veikkausliiga | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | — | 0 | 0 | ||
| 2018 | Veikkausliiga | 18 | 2 | 2 | 1 | — | 1[c] | 0 | 21 | 3 | ||
| Total | 18 | 2 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 21 | 3 | ||
| JJK (loan) | 2018 | Ykkönen | 6 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | — | 6 | 0 | ||
| RoPS | 2019 | Veikkausliiga | 20 | 2 | 5 | 3 | — | 2[c] | 0 | 27 | 5 | |
| RoPS II | 2019 | Kakkonen | 6 | 3 | — | — | — | 6 | 3 | |||
| AC Oulu | 2020 | Ykkönen | 21 | 5 | 6 | 5 | — | — | 27 | 10 | ||
| 2021 | Veikkausliiga | 23 | 2 | 3 | 0 | — | — | 26 | 2 | |||
| 2022 | Veikkausliiga | 22 | 4 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 0 | — | 26 | 4 | ||
| 2023 | Veikkausliiga | 28 | 7 | 5 | 0 | 5 | 0 | — | 38 | 7 | ||
| 2024 | Veikkausliiga | 21 | 3 | 4 | 2 | 4 | 0 | — | 29 | 5 | ||
| Total | 115 | 21 | 20 | 7 | 11 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 146 | 28 | ||
| OLS | 2022 | Kakkonen | 1 | 0 | — | — | — | 1 | 0 | |||
| Career total | 172 | 28 | 30 | 12 | 11 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 216 | 40 | ||
- ^ Includes Suomen Cup
- ^ Includes Finnish League Cup
- ^ a b Includes UEFA Europa League
References
[edit]- ^ Niklas Jokelainen at Soccerway. Retrieved 6 June 2018.
- ^ a b REF AC OULUN KAPTEENISTO ON VALITTU, acoulu.fi, 1 April 2024
- ^ 14-vuotias superlupaus Niklas Jokelainen sopimukseen AC Oulun kanssa, acoulu.fi, 20 December 2014
- ^ Niklas Jokelainen siirtyy Valioliigaseura Stoke City FC:n organisaatioon, acoulu.fi, 1 July 2016
- ^ Enemmän kuin jalkapalloa, iltasanomat.fi, 7 April 2023
- ^ Ilves solmi sopimuksen nuoren hyökkääjän kanssa, ilvesedustus.fi, 13 August 2017
- ^ ILVES VS. SLAVIA SOFIA 0-1, soccerway.com
- ^ RoPS hankki kolmen pelaajan verran nuorta lahjakkuutta, rops.fi, 13 November 2018
- ^ ROPS VS. ABERDEEN 1-2, soccerway.com
- ^ ABERDEEN VS. ROPS 2-1, soccerway.com
- ^ Hyökkääjä Niklas Jokelainen palaa AC Ouluun!, acoulu.fi, 23 December 2019
- ^ AC Oulu varmisti liiganousun murskavoitolla täyden kotikatsomon edessä – Katso kuvia!, Kaleva, 8 November 2020
- ^ NIKLAS JOKELAINEN JATKAA LAIVASTONSINISISSÄ, AC Oulu, 6 October 2022
- ^ KAPTEENI NIKLAS JOKELAINEN JATKAA LAIVASTONSINISISSÄ, acoulu.fi, 18 October 2024
- ^ N. JOKELAINEN, soccerway.com
External links
[edit]- RoPS profile
- Niklas Jokelainen at Soccerway
- 2000 births
- Living people
- Finnish men's footballers
- 21st-century Finnish sportsmen
- AC Oulu players
- Stoke City F.C. players
- Ilves (football) players
- Rovaniemen Palloseura players
- Veikkausliiga players
- Ykkönen players
- Men's association football forwards
- Finnish expatriate men's footballers
- Finnish expatriate sportspeople in England
- Expatriate men's footballers in England
- Footballers from Oulu
- Tervarit players