Quick Facts
CancerBiography
Matti Peltola (born 3 July 2002) is a Finnish professional footballer who plays as midfielder and defender for Veikkausliiga club HJK and the Finland national team.
Early years
Born in Espoo, Peltola started playing football in Belgium, where his family lived for a couple of years due to father's work. After returning to Finland, Peltola joined Keimolan Kaiku youth team in Vantaa.
Club career
HJK Helsinki
Peltola played in the youth sector of HJK in Munkkiniemi with Santeri Väänänen since the age of ten, before making his debut in the first team in Veikkausliiga on 19 October 2019 against Ilves.
On 21 August 2020, Peltola signed a professional contract with the club, on a two-year deal with an option for an additional year.
On 23 August 2022, HJK announced that they had exercised their option to keep Peltola in Helsinki for the 2023 season. He scored his first goal in the league on 9 May 2023 in away game against KTP.
International career
Peltola represented Finland at various youth levels.
Peltola made his Finland senior national team debut on 12 January 2023, in a friendly match against Estonia. On 26 March 2023, he made his competitive international debut in a 0–1 away win against Northern Ireland. He was capped four times in total for Finland in the UEFA Euro 2024 qualification campaign in 2023.
Personal life
Peltola is a fluent French-speaker and has attended the French–Finnish school of Helsinki. Growing up, he also played ice hockey, before choosing football over it, thanks to his mother's advice.
Career statistics
Club
- As of 9 November 2023
| Club | Season | League | National Cups | Continental | Total | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Division | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | ||
| Klubi 04 | 2018 | Ykkönen | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | 1 | 0 | |
| 2019 | Kakkonen | 21 | 1 | 1 | 0 | — | 22 | 1 | ||
| 2020 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 0 | — | 3 | 1 | |||
| 2021 | Ykkönen | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | 3 | 0 | ||
| 2022 | Kakkonen | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | 3 | 0 | ||
| Total | 29 | 2 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 32 | 2 | ||
| HJK | 2019 | Veikkausliiga | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| 2020 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 1 | — | 4 | 1 | |||
| 2021 | 16 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 9 | 0 | 25 | 0 | ||
| 2022 | 15 | 0 | 5 | 0 | 12 | 0 | 32 | 0 | ||
| 2023 | 21 | 2 | 5 | 0 | 7 | 0 | 33 | 2 | ||
| Total | 53 | 2 | 14 | 1 | 28 | 0 | 95 | 3 | ||
| Career total | 82 | 4 | 17 | 1 | 28 | 0 | 124 | 5 | ||
International
- As of match played on 17 November 2023.
| National team | Year | Competitive | Friendly | Total | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | ||
| Finland | 2023 | 4 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 5 | 0 |
| Total | 4 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 5 | 0 | |
Honours
Club
HJK Helsinki
- Veikkausliiga: 2021, 2022, 2023
- Finnish Cup: 2020
- Finnish League Cup: 2023
Individual
- Veikkausliiga Team of the Year: 2023