Paulus Arajuuri
Encyclopedia
Paulus Arajuuri is a Finnish
professional
footballer and central defender who plays for Kalmar FF
in Sweden
.
Originally from Helsinki
, Arajuuri moved to the Åland Islands
and IFK Mariehamn
in 2008. He had already made his debut in the Veikkausliiga
with FC Honka
against rivals HJK Helsinki
.
During his first season with IFK Mariehamn, he participated in all except two games, making it a total of 24 appearances.
During the summer of 2009, Arajuuri was frequently linked with a move to Sweden
, especially to Djurgårdens IF. Arajuuri's player agent, Jonas Wirmola, admitted to one of the major newspapers of Åland that Djurgården and several other clubs had shown interest in the young Finnish defender.
Eventually, Arajuuri signed a four-year deal (on a Bosman
-transfer) with the Swedish champions of 2008, Kalmar FF
on 24 September 2009.
Arajuuri netted his first league goals for Kalmar FF home against GAIS
on 23 June 2011. He scored twice to help the Småland club earn a 2 - 1 victory.
in a friendly against Poland
in Jyväskylä
on 3 June 2008.
Arajuuri has also represented Finland's U-23 national team in the International Challenge Trophy.
Arajuuri was called up to represent Finland in the U-21 national team qualifiers for the 2011 U-21 Euros
. He was a part of the squad that faced Holland
and Poland in September 2009, and has since that become a regular. Arajuuri earned his first cap for Finland
in a friendly against South Korea on 18 January 2010 in Malaga
, Spain
. Arajuuri came on as a substitute in the 84th minute.
Finland
Finland , officially the Republic of Finland, is a Nordic country situated in the Fennoscandian region of Northern Europe. It is bordered by Sweden in the west, Norway in the north and Russia in the east, while Estonia lies to its south across the Gulf of Finland.Around 5.4 million people reside...
professional
Professional
A professional is a person who is paid to undertake a specialised set of tasks and to complete them for a fee. The traditional professions were doctors, lawyers, clergymen, and commissioned military officers. Today, the term is applied to estate agents, surveyors , environmental scientists,...
footballer and central defender who plays for Kalmar FF
Kalmar FF
Kalmar FF is a Swedish football club located in Kalmar. Formed 10 January 1910, the club has won three national cup titles and 1 league title. Kalmar FF currently play in the highest Swedish league, Allsvenskan....
in Sweden
Sweden
Sweden , officially the Kingdom of Sweden , is a Nordic country on the Scandinavian Peninsula in Northern Europe. Sweden borders with Norway and Finland and is connected to Denmark by a bridge-tunnel across the Öresund....
.
Club career
Helsinki
Helsinki is the capital and largest city in Finland. It is in the region of Uusimaa, located in southern Finland, on the shore of the Gulf of Finland, an arm of the Baltic Sea. The population of the city of Helsinki is , making it by far the most populous municipality in Finland. Helsinki is...
, Arajuuri moved to the Åland Islands
Åland Islands
The Åland Islands form an archipelago in the Baltic Sea. They are situated at the entrance to the Gulf of Bothnia and form an autonomous, demilitarised, monolingually Swedish-speaking region of Finland...
and IFK Mariehamn
IFK Mariehamn
IFK Mariehamn is a Finnish football club, based in Mariehamn, capital of the Åland Islands. It currently plays in the Finnish Premier Division . The club's manager is Pekka Lyyski, and it plays its home matches at Wiklöf Holding Arena....
in 2008. He had already made his debut in the Veikkausliiga
Veikkausliiga
Veikkausliiga is the premier division of Finnish football, comprising the top 12 clubs of the country. Veikkausliiga is currently ranked as the 28th best league in Europe. Its main sponsor is the Finnish national betting agency Veikkaus, hence the league's name...
with FC Honka
FC Honka
FC Honka is a Finnish football club, based in Tapiola, Espoo. It was promoted into the Finnish premier division , for the first time in its history, at the end of the 2005 season. The club's manager is Mika Lehkosuo, and it plays its home matches at Tapiolan urheilupuisto...
against rivals HJK Helsinki
HJK Helsinki
Helsingin Jalkapalloklubi , internationally known as HJK Helsinki, is a Finnish football club, based in the capital Helsinki...
.
During his first season with IFK Mariehamn, he participated in all except two games, making it a total of 24 appearances.
During the summer of 2009, Arajuuri was frequently linked with a move to Sweden
Sweden
Sweden , officially the Kingdom of Sweden , is a Nordic country on the Scandinavian Peninsula in Northern Europe. Sweden borders with Norway and Finland and is connected to Denmark by a bridge-tunnel across the Öresund....
, especially to Djurgårdens IF. Arajuuri's player agent, Jonas Wirmola, admitted to one of the major newspapers of Åland that Djurgården and several other clubs had shown interest in the young Finnish defender.
Eventually, Arajuuri signed a four-year deal (on a Bosman
Bosman ruling
Union Royale Belge des Sociétés de Football Association ASBL v Jean-Marc Bosman is a 1995 European Court of Justice decision concerning freedom of movement for workers, freedom of association, and direct effect of article 39 of the EC Treaty...
-transfer) with the Swedish champions of 2008, Kalmar FF
Kalmar FF
Kalmar FF is a Swedish football club located in Kalmar. Formed 10 January 1910, the club has won three national cup titles and 1 league title. Kalmar FF currently play in the highest Swedish league, Allsvenskan....
on 24 September 2009.
Arajuuri netted his first league goals for Kalmar FF home against GAIS
GAIS
Göteborgs Atlet- och Idrottssällskap is a Swedish football club based in Gothenburg, currently playing in Allsvenskan. The club is commonly referred to simply as GAIS, while its fans also refers to the club as grönsvart or the mackerels because of the traditional shirt colours...
on 23 June 2011. He scored twice to help the Småland club earn a 2 - 1 victory.
International career
Arajuuri made his debut in the Finland national under-21 football teamFinland national under-21 football team
The Finnish national under-21 football team is the national under-21 football team of Finland. The team qualified for the UEFA European Under-21 Football Championship final tournament in 2009.-UEFA U-21 Championship Record:...
in a friendly against Poland
Poland national under-21 football team
The Poland national under-21 football team is the national under-21 football team of Poland and is controlled by the Polish Football Association....
in Jyväskylä
Jyväskylä
Jyväskylä is the capital of Central Finland and the largest city on the Finnish Lakeland, north-east of Tampere and north of Helsinki, on northern coast of lake Päijänne. The city has been continuously one of the most rapidly growing cities in Finland since World War II. The city is surrounded...
on 3 June 2008.
Arajuuri has also represented Finland's U-23 national team in the International Challenge Trophy.
Arajuuri was called up to represent Finland in the U-21 national team qualifiers for the 2011 U-21 Euros
2011 UEFA European Under-21 Football Championship
UEFA U-21 Championship 2011 was the 18th staging of UEFA's European Under-21 Football Championship. The final tournament was hosted by Denmark between 11 and 25 June 2011....
. He was a part of the squad that faced Holland
Netherlands national under-21 football team
The Netherlands national under-21 football team is the national under-21 team of the Netherlands and is controlled by the Royal Dutch Football Association. The team competes in the European Under-21 Championship, held every two years....
and Poland in September 2009, and has since that become a regular. Arajuuri earned his first cap for Finland
Finland national football team
The Finland national football team represents Finland in international football competitions and is controlled by the Football Association of Finland....
in a friendly against South Korea on 18 January 2010 in Malaga
Málaga
Málaga is a city and a municipality in the Autonomous Community of Andalusia, Spain. With a population of 568,507 in 2010, it is the second most populous city of Andalusia and the sixth largest in Spain. This is the southernmost large city in Europe...
, Spain
Spain
Spain , officially the Kingdom of Spain languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Spain's official name is as follows:;;;;;;), is a country and member state of the European Union located in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula...
. Arajuuri came on as a substitute in the 84th minute.