Jukka Raitala (born 15 September 1988) is a Finnish professional

footballer A football player or footballer is a sportsperson who plays one of the different types of football. The main types of football are association football, American football, Canadian football, Australian rules football, Gaelic football, rugby le ...

who plays for

Veikkausliiga Veikkausliiga (; sv, Tipsligan) is the premier division of Finnish football, the highest tier of the Finnish football league structure, comprising the top 12 clubs of the country. Its main sponsor is the Finnish national betting agency Veikkau ...

club HJK. He usually plays as a left back in both his club side and the national team but can also operate as a right back or a central defender. Raitala was born in

Kerava Kerava (; sv, Kervo) is a town and municipality within the Uusimaa region of Finland. The municipalities of Vantaa, Sipoo and Tuusula are adjacent to Kerava, which is part of the Helsinki metropolitan area. The town has a population of () an ...

, Finland, where he played for the local youth team before moving to HJK's youth organization.

Club career

Early career

Raitala joined the Keravan Pallo-75 junior team at the age of seven. He played there for ten years before he moved to HJK in 2005. After just one year in the youth team he was promoted to HJK's reserve team,

Klubi-04 Klubi 04 is a Finnish football club based in Helsinki. It is the reserve team of Helsingin Jalkapalloklubi for whom a number of the players are also registered. History Klubi 04 was founded in 2004 when HJK bought FC Jokerit. Initially Klubi 04 ...

. In his lone season with Klubi-04, Raitala made 22 appearances.

HJK

In 2007, he made his first appearance for the senior side at the age of eighteen and was since then a regular in the starting eleven. His success with the

Finland 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 2023 UEFA Euro Under ...

and HJK has made him a transfer target in Finland. For a long time Raitala refused to sign a new contract with HJK, but when the club left him out of the playing squad he chose to sign a new deal that kept him in Helsinki until the end of the 2011 season. In 2008,

SpVgg Greuther Fürth Spielvereinigung Greuther Fürth (), commonly known as Greuther Fürth (), is a German football club based in Fürth, Bavaria. They play in the 2. Bundesliga, the second tier of the German football league system, following relegation from the B ...

scouted him in Helsinki. In October 2008, Finnish sports magazine IS Veikkaaja reported that

AEK Athens A.E.K ( el, AEK , formally Αθλητική Ένωσις Κωνσταντινουπόλεως; Athlitikí Énosis Konstantinoupόleos, ''Athletic Union of Constantinople''), known as A.E.K, is a major Greece, Greek multi-sport club based in Nea ...

Ajax Ajax may refer to: Greek mythology and tragedy * Ajax the Great, a Greek mythological hero, son of King Telamon and Periboea * Ajax the Lesser, a Greek mythological hero, son of Oileus, the king of Locris * ''Ajax'' (play), by the ancient Greek ...

and 1899 Hoffenheim are also scouting him. In Greek Day News, Raitala stated that he is interested in a move to AEK and that he is friends with AEK's Perparim Hetemaj. In November,

West Bromwich Albion West Bromwich Albion Football Club () is an English professional football club based in West Bromwich, West Midlands, England. They compete in the EFL Championship, the second tier of English football. The club was formed in 1878 and has pla ...

invited him for a test period after preparative negotiations with HJK. Raitala never did the trip and stated he does not want to risk playing time by moving. He wants a guarantee for his place in the 2009 Under-21 Euros team. In January 2009,

Newcastle United Newcastle United Football Club is an English professional football club, based in Newcastle upon Tyne, that plays in the Premier League – the top flight of English football. The club was founded in 1892 by the merger of Newcastle East End ...

invited him for a week-long trial with their first team. It was also reported in Finnish IS Veikkaaja that

Udinese Calcio Udinese Calcio, commonly referred to as Udinese, is a professional Football in Italy, Italian association football, football club based in Udine, Friuli-Venezia Giulia, that currently plays in Serie A. It was founded on 30 November 1896 as a ...

and

Middlesbrough F.C. Middlesbrough Football Club ( ) is a professional football club in Middlesbrough, North Yorkshire, England, which competes in the EFL Championship, the second tier of English football. Formed in 1876, they have played at the Riverside Stadium ...

are watching his progress. In April 2009, Express.de wrote that Raitala is 1. FC Köln's top candidate to replace

Pierre Womé Pierre Nlend Womé (born 26 March 1979) is a Cameroonian former professional footballer who played as a defender. A journeyman, Womé was a versatile and skillful left wingback who played for 14 clubs in six countries. At international level, ...

as their left-back. On 23 April, Express.de said that Raitala is going to meet Köln and he has an exit clause in his new contract with HJK. This was later denied by the Finnish club. On 21 April 2009, Raitala signed a new three-year deal with HJK. In May 2009,

Ajax Amsterdam Amsterdamsche Football Club Ajax (), also known as AFC Ajax, Ajax Amsterdam, or simply Ajax, is a Dutch professional football club based in Amsterdam, that plays in the , the top tier in Dutch football. Historically, Ajax (named after the l ...

PSV Eindhoven Philips Sport Vereniging (; en, Philips Sports Association ), abbreviated as PSV and internationally known as PSV Eindhoven (), is a Dutch sports club from Eindhoven, Netherlands. It is best known for its professional football department, whi ...

Bayer Leverkusen Bayer 04 Leverkusen Fußball GmbH, also known as Bayer 04 Leverkusen (), Bayer Leverkusen, or simply Leverkusen, is a professional football club based in Leverkusen in the state of North Rhine-Westphalia. The club competes in the Bundesliga, th ...

AZ Alkmaar Alkmaar Zaanstreek (), better known as AZ Alkmaar or simply AZ (), is a Dutch professional football club from Alkmaar and the Zaan district. The club plays in the Eredivisie, the highest professional football league in the Netherlands, and ho ...

and

Bordeaux Bordeaux ( , ; Gascon oc, Bordèu ; eu, Bordele; it, Bordò; es, Burdeos) is a port city on the river Garonne in the Gironde department, Southwestern France. It is the capital of the Nouvelle-Aquitaine region, as well as the prefectur ...

joined the race to sign Raitala.

1899 Hoffenheim

On 31 August, HJK announced that Raitala had joined Hoffenheim on a season-long loan deal, with an option to buy him after the loan. On 15 March 2010, Raitala made his Bundesliga debut for Hoffenheim playing as a right defender against Werder Bremen. On 1 April 2010,

TSG 1899 Hoffenheim Turn- und Sportgemeinschaft 1899 Hoffenheim e.V., or simply TSG 1899 Hoffenheim or just Hoffenheim () is a German professional football club based in Hoffenheim, a village of Sinsheim municipality, Baden-Württemberg. Originally founded in 1899 ...

signed him for four years. On 31 August 2010, he was loaned to 2. Bundesliga side

SC Paderborn 07 Sport-Club Paderborn 07 e.V., commonly known as simply SC Paderborn 07 () or SC Paderborn, is a German association football club based in Paderborn, North Rhine-Westphalia. The club has enjoyed its greatest successes since the turn of the mille ...

for one season, where he made 29 league appearances in total.

Osasuna

On 28 July 2011, he was loaned again, this time to

Osasuna Club Atlético Osasuna (, ''Osasuna Athletic Club''), or simply Osasuna, is a Spanish professional football club in Pamplona, Navarre. Founded on 24 October 1920, the club currently plays in La Liga, holding home games at the 23,576-capacity El ...

in Spanish

La Liga The Campeonato Nacional de Liga de Primera División, commonly known simply as Primera División in Spain, and as La Liga in English-speaking countries and officially as LaLiga Santander for sponsorship reasons, stylized as LaLiga, is the men's ...

, with the Spaniards having an option to buy him for €1.25 million at the end of the season. On 28 August 2011, Raitala made his La Liga debut for Osasuna playing as a left defender against Atletico Madrid. Although being a starter during the first five league matches, he has since battled for the first-choice status with local prospect

Eneko Satrústegui Eneko Satrústegui Plano (born 25 September 1990) is a Spanish professional footballer who plays for Racing de Santander as a left-back. Club career Born in Pamplona, Navarre, Satrústegui's first professional club was local CD Izarra, to which ...

SC Heerenveen

On 6 June 2012, Raitala signed a four-year contract with a Dutch

Eredivisie The Eredivisie (; ''"Honour Division"'' or ''"Premier Division"'') is the highest level of professional football in the Netherlands. The league was founded in 1956, two years after the start of professional football in the Netherlands. It is c ...

club,

SC Heerenveen Sportclub Heerenveen (; West Frisian: Sportklub It Hearrenfean) is a Dutch football club from Heerenveen. They currently play in the Eredivisie, the top level of football in the Netherlands. History Sportclub Heerenveen was founded on 20 July ...

. His contract was dissolved on 2 February 2015, after he had lost prospect of play time.

FC Vestsjælland & AaB

In 2015, Raitala played in Denmark. He signed a half year contract with

FC Vestsjælland FC Vestsjælland, also known as FCV Vikings, was a professional Danish association football club that played in the Danish 1st Division until its closure in 2015. They played their home matches at Harboe Arena Slagelse in Slagelse, which has a cap ...

on a free transfer. The club ended below the relegation zone, but the Danish media wrote that Raitala had been one of the best players in the club's weakly half year. In the Summer of 2015, Raitala signed for one more half year with AaB. Raitala began very well, and played the first three matches and created one assist. But later was it clear that the competition on the left back-position was too strong. On 30 November 2015, announced the sports director Allan Gaarde, that Raitala had to find a new club. On 3 December 2015 it was announced, that Raitala would leave the club at the end of the season with his contract expiring.

MLS career

On 23 December 2016, Raitala started his journey in

Major League Soccer Major League Soccer (MLS) is a men's professional soccer league sanctioned by the United States Soccer Federation, which represents the sport's highest level in the United States. The league comprises 29 teams—26 in the U.S. and 3 in Canada ...

after

Columbus Crew SC The Columbus Crew, formerly known as Columbus Crew SC, is an Soccer in the United States, American professional soccer club based in Columbus, Ohio. The Crew competes in Major League Soccer (MLS) as a member of the league's Eastern Conference ( ...

acquired him through a Discovery Signing for the 2017 season. After one season with Columbus, on 12 December 2017, Raitala was selected by

Los Angeles FC Los Angeles Football Club, commonly referred to as LAFC, is an American professional Association football team based in Los Angeles. The club competes in Major League Soccer (MLS) as a member club of the league's Western Conference. The club ...

in the

2017 MLS Expansion Draft The 2017 MLS Expansion Draft was a special draft for the Major League Soccer expansion team Los Angeles FC held on December 12, 2017. Lists of protected rosters and draft-eligible players were released by MLS on December 10, 2017. Format The r ...

. He was then immediately traded with fellow expansion draftee

Raheem Edwards Raheem Nathaniel Anfernee Edwards (born July 17, 1995) is a Canadian professional soccer player who plays as a left winger or wing-back for LA Galaxy in Major League Soccer. Club career League1 Ontario In 2014, Edwards joined the new League1 O ...

to Montreal Impact in exchange for defender

Laurent Ciman Laurent Franco Ciman (born 5 August 1985) is a Belgian former professional footballer who played as a defender. He currently serves as an assistant coach for CF Montréal in Major League Soccer. Club career Charleroi Ciman began his career in ...

. Raitala's contract with Montreal expired at the conclusion of the 2020 season. On 28 January 2021, Raitala's

MLS Major League Soccer (MLS) is a men's professional soccer league sanctioned by the United States Soccer Federation, which represents the sport's highest level in the United States. The league comprises 29 teams—26 in the U.S. and 3 in Canada ...

rights were traded to

Minnesota United Minnesota United FC is an American professional soccer club based in Saint Paul, Minnesota that plays in the Western Conference of Major League Soccer. The club began play in 2017 as the league's 22nd club, and replaced the North American So ...

and the club subsequently signed Raitala to a new contract.

Return to HJK

On 21 December 2021, it was announced that Raitala had returned to his first professional club HJK.

International career

When Raitala was 20 years old he made his Finnish national team debut on 4 February 2009, in

Tokyo Tokyo (; ja, 東京, , ), officially the Tokyo Metropolis ( ja, 東京都, label=none, ), is the capital and largest city of Japan. Formerly known as Edo, its metropolitan area () is the most populous in the world, with an estimated 37.468 ...

in a friendly match against

Japan Japan ( ja, 日本, or , and formally , ''Nihonkoku'') is an island country in East Asia. It is situated in the northwest Pacific Ocean, and is bordered on the west by the Sea of Japan, while extending from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north ...

when

Stuart Baxter Stuart William Baxter (born 16 August 1953) is a British football manager and former player who most recently managed South African Premier Soccer League side Kaizer Chiefs. Born in England of Scottish parentage, and brought up in both countr ...

used him as a substitute. He played his first

UEFA European Championship The UEFA European Football Championship, less formally the European Championship and informally the Euro, is the primary association football tournament organised by the Union of European Football Associations (UEFA). The competition is contes ...

qualification game on 3 June 2011 when

Mixu Paatelainen Mika-Matti Petteri Paatelainen (born 3 February 1967) is a Finnish former professional football player and the head coach of Veikkausliiga club HIFK. He scored 18 goals in 70 appearances for the Finnish national team, which makes him Finland's ...

chose him to the starting line up against

San Marino San Marino (, ), officially the Republic of San Marino ( it, Repubblica di San Marino; ), also known as the Most Serene Republic of San Marino ( it, Serenissima Repubblica di San Marino, links=no), is the fifth-smallest country in the world an ...

in Serravalle. During summer 2011 he established himself as a regular in the Finland national team. He was also a regular in the Finnish under-21 team that qualified for the UEFA European Under-21 Football Championship

final tournament Final, Finals or The Final may refer to: *Final (competition), the last or championship round of a sporting competition, match, game, or other contest which decides a winner for an event ** Another term for playoffs, describing a sequence of cont ...

in 2009.

Honours

Club

;HJK Helsinki *

Finnish Cup The Finnish Cup ( fi, Suomen cup; sv, Finlands cup) is Finland's main national cup competition in football. This yearly competition is open for all member clubs of the FA of Finland and has been played since 1955. The winner qualifies for the ...

2008 File:2008 Events Collage.png, From left, clockwise: Lehman Brothers went bankrupt following the Subprime mortgage crisis; Cyclone Nargis killed more than 138,000 in Myanmar; A scene from the opening ceremony of the 2008 Summer Olympics in Beijing; ...

2009 File:2009 Events Collage V2.png, From top left, clockwise: The vertical stabilizer of Air France Flight 447 is pulled out from the Atlantic Ocean; Barack Obama becomes the first African American to become President of the United States; 2009 Iran ...

;Montreal Impact *

Canadian Championship The Canadian Championship (french: Championnat canadien) is an annual soccer tournament contested by premier Canadian professional teams. The winner is awarded the Voyageurs Cup and Canada's berth in the CONCACAF Champions League. It is contest ...

2019 File:2019 collage v1.png, From top left, clockwise: Hong Kong protests turn to widespread riots and civil disobedience; House of Representatives votes to adopt articles of impeachment against Donald Trump; CRISPR gene editing first used to experim ...

Individual

*2009: Finland U21 Player of the Year

Career statistics

Club

International

References

External links

* * * * * * *
Voetbal International profile

Profile at FA of Finland's official website
* {{DEFAULTSORT:Raitala, Jukka 1988 births Living people People from Kerava Men's association football fullbacks Finnish footballers Finland men's youth international footballers Finland men's under-21 international footballers Finland men's international footballers Helsingin Jalkapalloklubi players Klubi 04 players TSG 1899 Hoffenheim players TSG 1899 Hoffenheim II players SC Paderborn 07 players CA Osasuna players SC Heerenveen players FC Vestsjælland players AaB Fodbold players Sogndal Fotball players Columbus Crew players CF Montréal players Minnesota United FC players Veikkausliiga players Ykkönen players Bundesliga players 2. Bundesliga players Regionalliga players La Liga players Eredivisie players Danish Superliga players Eliteserien players Major League Soccer players UEFA Euro 2020 players Finnish expatriate footballers Expatriate footballers in Germany Expatriate footballers in Spain Expatriate footballers in the Netherlands Expatriate men's footballers in Denmark Expatriate footballers in Norway Expatriate soccer players in the United States Expatriate soccer players in Canada Finnish expatriate sportspeople in Germany Finnish expatriate sportspeople in Spain Finnish expatriate sportspeople in the Netherlands Finnish expatriate sportspeople in Denmark Finnish expatriate sportspeople in Norway Finnish expatriate sportspeople in the United States Finnish expatriate sportspeople in Canada Sportspeople from Uusimaa