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Aki Riihilahti

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Aki Riihilahti
Riihilahti playing for HJK in 2010
Personal information
Full name Aki Pasinpoika Riihilahti
Date of birth (1976-09-09) 9 September 1976 (age 48)
Place of birth Helsinki, Finland
Height 1.85 m (6 ft 1 in)
Position(s) Defensive midfielder
Team information
Current team
 HJK (chief executive officer)
Youth career
1982–1994 HJK
Senior career*
Years Team Apps (Gls)
1995–1999 HJK 62 (11)
1996 → Honka (loan) 3 (0)
1999–2000 Vålerenga 51 (5)
2001–2006 Crystal Palace 157 (13)
2006–2007 1. FC Kaiserslautern 10 (1)
2007–2009 Djurgården 12 (0)
2009–2011 HJK 40 (6)
Total 301 (33)
International career
1998–2007 Finland 69 (11)
Managerial career
2014– HJK (chief executive officer)
*Club domestic league appearances and goals

Aki Pasinpoika Riihilahti (born 9 September 1976) is a Finnish sports executive and a former professional footballer. He was known as a hard working defensive midfielder. He is now serving as the CEO of HJK Helsinki. He was voted by leading European clubs to be the vice-chairman of European Club Association (ECA), and has also important positions both in the UEFA club competition committee and in the FIFA stakeholders committee.

Club career

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Riihilahti started his career at HJK where he made his Veikkausliiga debut in 1995. He has won the Finnish championship four times (1997, 2009, 2010 and 2011), the Finnish Cup three times with HJK, and the Finnish League Cup three times, and played a vital part when the first and so far only time a Finnish Club team qualified for the UEFA Champions League in the 1998–99 season. After his first spell in HJK, Riihilahti moved to Norway's Vålerenga I.F. for the 1999 season.

After two seasons in Norway, he joined England's Crystal Palace in 2001, eventually becoming a fans' favourite at the club. In Palace's 2004–05 Premier League season he showed he has what it takes to play in one of Europe's top leagues. Riihilahti was so loved by the Crystal Palace faithful that a Finnish flag with the legend 'AKI 15' across the centre was hung behind one of the Selhurst Park goals for the entire Premier League season. However, his next season, back in the Championship, following Palace's relegation, was not so successful because injuries limited his chances. Despite not playing for most of his last season with Palace, Riihilahti has a place in the club Hall of Fame as he held the club record for gaining the most caps for his country whilst at Palace.[citation needed]

After his contract with Palace expired in the summer of 2006, Riihilahti was picked up by 1. FC Kaiserslautern on a one-year deal. In June 2007, Riihilahti signed a two-and-a-half-year deal with Stockholm club Djurgårdens IF and on 31 July 2009 returned to Finland to sign with HJK in which he has made a crucial contribution in the club's record 5 consecutive championships 2009–2013. On 29 October 2011, Riihilahti celebrated his 100th league match for HJK by scoring once, in the last match of the season, in a 5–2 home win against Haka, and retired after the club won a convincing double that season.

International career

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Riihilahti made his debut for the Finnish national team on 5 February 1998 against Cyprus. He was a regular for Finland for most of the 2000s, and earned 69 caps scoring 11 goals. He is part of the Finnish Golden generation in football, but mainly due to his work as football director at International level he has become one of the most well-known Finnish football person.

Administrative career

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Riihilahti at the Helsinki Book Fair in 2011

Riihilahti has worked as the CEO of HJK Helsinki's stadium Bolt Arena since 2011 and as the CEO of HJK Helsinki since 2013. He graduated from the MBA program of University of Liverpool in 2011 and has done some studies in Harvard University and Yale University as well.[1][2]

Riihilahti had a key role in establishment of the UEFA Europa Conference League which started during the 2021-2022 season.[3][4]

Personal life

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During his career Riihilahti has written columns for newspapers, such as The Times and the Finnish Iltalehti. He has also been involved in many good charity projects like ’'Icehearts and ’'Peace United.

Apart from his careers in sports and media he has been involved in many high profile political and business committees. Riihilahti divorced 2019 and is a father of two children. Riihilahti married his Tanssii Tähtien kanssa-dance partner, Katri Mäkinen in 2023. Katri gave birth to their first child on 2 September 2024.

He is the older brother of Finnish TV and sports reporter Riku Riihilahti,[5] and the uncle of professional footballer Daniel Riihilahti, playing in Brann II.

Career statistics

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Club

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As of 31 December 2020
Appearances and goals by club, season and competition
Club Season League National cup[a] Other Continental Total
Division Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals
HJK 1995 Veikkausliiga 6 0 0 0 0 0 2[b] 0 8 0
1996 Veikkausliiga 3 1 0 0 0 0 3[c] 0 6 1
1997 Veikkausliiga 26 6 0 0 0 0 2[d] 0 28 6
1998 Veikkausliiga 27 4 0 0 0 0 9[e] 1 36 5
Total 62 11 0 0 0 0 16 1 78 12
Honka (loan) 1996 Ykkönen 3 0 — — — 3 0
Vålerenga 1999 Tippeligaen 25 5 0 0 — 1[b] 0 26 5
2000 Tippeligaen 26 0 — — — 26 0
Total 51 5 0 0 0 0 1 0 52 5
Crystal Palace 2000–01 First Division 9 1 — — — 9 1
2001–02 First Division 45 5 1 0 2[f] 1 — 48 6
2002–03 First Division 25 1 2 0 3[f] 0 — 30 1
2003–04 First Division 31 0 0 0 4[f] 0 — 35 0
2004–05 Premier League 31 4 0 0 0 0 — 31 4
2005–06 Championship 15 2 3 0 2[f] 0 — 20 2
Total 157 13 6 0 11 1 0 0 174 14
1. FC Kaiserslautern 2006–07 2. Bundesliga 10 1 1 0 — — 11 1
1. FC Kaiserslautern II 2006–07 Regionalliga Süd 1 0 — — — 1 0
Djurgården 2007 Allsvenskan 10 0 — — — 10 0
2008 Allsvenskan 2 0 1 0 — — 3 0
Total 12 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 13 0
HJK Helsinki 2009 Veikkausliiga 10 3 1 0 0 0 — 11 3
2010 Veikkausliiga 11 0 2 0 0 0 4[e] 0 17 0
2011 Veikkausliiga 19 3 2 0 1[g] 0 6[h] 0 28 3
Total 40 6 5 0 1 0 10 0 56 6
Klubi 04 2013 Kakkonen 1 0 — — — 1 0
Career total 337 36 13 0 12 1 27 1 389 38
  1. ^ Includes Suomen Cup, FA Cup, DFB-Pokal and Svenska Cupen
  2. ^ a b Includes UEFA Intertoto Cup
  3. ^ Includes UEFA Cup
  4. ^ Includes UEFA Cup Winners' Cup
  5. ^ a b Includes UEFA Champions League
  6. ^ a b c d Includes EFL League Cup
  7. ^ Includes Finnish League Cup
  8. ^ Includes UEFA Champions League and UEFA Europa League

Honours

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HJK Helsinki

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Crystal Palace

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References

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  1. ^ "LinkedinIn - Aki Riihilahti". 20 October 2023.
  2. ^ HS, Tero Hakola (22 March 2014). "Riihilahti vie HJK:ta Harvardin opeilla eurokentille". Helsingin Sanomat (in Finnish). Retrieved 20 October 2023.
  3. ^ ""Ägä-Cup" – HJK:n eurosarjalle oudon tylyä pilkkaa". www.sportti.com (in Finnish). Retrieved 20 October 2023.
  4. ^ "Aki Riihilahti on ihminen, joka voisi tappaa itsensä työllä: "Olen hyvä duunissani ja hyvä isä, mutta kaikki muu siltä väliltä on sekavaa"". www.eeva.fi. 5 June 2022. Retrieved 20 October 2023.
  5. ^ Tiesitkö että nämä suomalaisjulkkikset ovat sukua toisilleen? Lue yllättävät yhteydet!, MTV Oy/ mtvuutiset.fi, 31 March 2011
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