Jukka Raitala

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. 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 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 scouted him in Helsinki. In October 2008, Finnish sports magazine IS Veikkaaja reported that AEK Athens, Ajax 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 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 invited him for a week-long trial with their first team. It was also reported in Finnish IS Veikkaaja that Udinese Calcio and…

When Raitala was 20 years old he made his Finland national team debut on 4 February 2009, in Tokyo in a friendly match against Japan when Stuart Baxter used him as a substitute. He played his first UEFA European Championship qualification game on 3 June 2011 when Mixu Paatelainen chose him to the starting line up against San Marino 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 in 2009. He was subsequently a member of the twenty-six players selected by Markku Kanerva to compete in UEFA Euro 2020, the first official international competition for the Finns. On 12 June 2021, he was a starter for Finland's first UEFA Euro 2020 match against Denmark. This encounter resulted in a 1–0 victory for Finland, but is unfortunately famous for seeing Denmark midfielder Christian Eriksen's cardiac arrest. Raitala competed in Finland's all three tournament matches, against Denmark, Russia and Belgium, but eventually they were eliminated from the competition in the group stage with two losses and one win. Raitala retired from the international football in November 2021, at the end of the 2022 FIFA World Cup qualification campaign, after making 63 international appearances for Finland.

Club

As of 11 March 2025

International

As of match played on 21 June 2021.

Club

HJK Helsinki Veikkausliiga: 2009, 2022, 2023 Finnish Cup: 2008 Finnish League Cup: 2023 Montreal Impact Canadian Championship: 2019

Individual

2009: Finland U21 Player of the Year