Mika Aaltonen
Mika Aaltonen (born 16 November 1965) is a Finnish former footballer. His position was an attacking central midfielder. He also played for the Finnish national team.
| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Date of birth | 16 November 1965 | ||
| Place of birth | Turku, Finland | ||
| Height | 1.80 m (5 ft 11 in) | ||
| Playing position(s) | Midfielder | ||
| Senior career* | |||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) |
| 1982–1987 | TPS | 85 | (12) |
| 1987–1988 | Internazionale | 0 | (0) |
| 1988 | → Bellinzona (loan) | 14 | (3) |
| 1988–1989 | → Bologna (loan) | 3 | (0) |
| 1989–1990 | Hertha BSC | 12 | (0) |
| 1990–1993 | TPS | 86 | (7) |
| 1993–1994 | Hapoel Be'er Sheva | 11 | (3) |
| 1994 | TPV | 5 | (1) |
| National team | |||
| 1988–1994 | Finland | 18 | (1) |
| * Senior club appearances and goals counted for the domestic league only | |||
During his career (1982–1994) he played in Finland, Italy, Switzerland, Germany, and Israel for TPS, Internazionale, Bellinzona, Bologna, Hertha BSC, Hapoel Be'er Sheva F.C. and Tampereen Pallo-Veikot. He finished his career at a relatively young age because of a persistent ankle injury, and because of this, he ended up concentrating more on his studies. Aaltonen studied throughout his playing career, and after he retired from football, he earned a doctorate degree in economics.
Aaltonen is best remembered for a goal scored against Italian goalkeeper Walter Zenga in UEFA Cup in 1987 during a match between Turun Palloseura and Inter Milan at the San Siro stadium in Milan.[1] This goal more or less earned him a transfer to Inter shortly afterwards.
References
- "Helsinki Times" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 25 July 2011. Retrieved 27 August 2009.
Sources
- Jalkapallon Pikkujättiläinen (WSOY 2003) ISBN 978-951-0-27037-0