Jarno Parikka

Jarno Parikka (born 21 July 1986, Vantaa, Finland) is a retired Finnish footballer who played as a Striker.[1]

Jarno Parikka
Personal information
Date of birth (1986-07-21) 21 July 1986
Place of birth Vantaa, Finland
Height 1.78 m (5 ft 10 in)
Position(s) Striker
Youth career
1991–2000 Korson Palloseura
2000–2003 HJK Helsinki
Senior career*
Years Team Apps (Gls)
2006–2011 HJK Helsinki 118 (22)
2012−2015 VPS 55 (13)
2016 HJK Helsinki 0 (0)
National team‡
– Finland U-21 19 (2)
2009 Finland 1 (0)
* Senior club appearances and goals counted for the domestic league only and correct as of 12 February 2016
‡ National team caps and goals correct as of 1 September 2011

Parikka was known as a striker who possessed a good footballing brain for bringing his teammates in the game while having an undeniable eye for the goal. His preferred position in the pitch is playing with another striker and lying just behind him. He has been criticized for being somewhat lightweight for a striker.

Biography

Parikka was born and raised in Vantaa. He is a second generation footballer, as his father Jari also played for HJK Helsinki in the 1980s. He played also ice hockey for seven years before moving to HJK and choosing football. He has also played futsal.

Club career

Jarno Parikka got started with football in the age of five, when he joined Korson Palloseura in Vantaa. He joined HJK's youth squad in 2000. He had played as a midfielder for Korso, but was converted from a midfield role to striker in HJK. After three years on the youth team, Parikka made his first appearance for HJK's reserve team Klubi 04 in Kakkonen. His season was successful and for the following season he was promoted to the first team. Unfortunately, he broke his anterior crucial ligament in a pre-season match against FC Inter Turku and lost the whole season 2005.

Parikka made his first appearance for senior side at the age of nineteen, when coach Keith Armstrong let him play in the 1–2 away defeat against FC KooTeePee on 21 April 2006. He succeeded in scoring his first goal on 28 June 2006 in a 3–2 win against TPS.

In 2007, he made seven goals in the Finnish league cup, which is a shared record with Ari Hjelm and Aleksei Kangaskolkka. His final breakthrough came in the season 2008, when he scored 9 league goals. In the 2009 season, he is HJK's vice-captain and a regular in the starting eleven. His former Finland U-17 coach Jyrki Heliskoski has compared him to Raúl González, as he has many similarities with the Spaniard.

On 21 January 2009, Parikka signed a new three-year deal with HJK.[2] On 23 November 2011, after his contract with HJK expired, it was announced that Parikka had signed a 2+1 year-contract with Vaasan Palloseura.[3] He scored his first goal for VPS on 22 April 2012, in a 2−1 home win over newly promoted FC Lahti.

On 16 December 2015, HJK announced the return of Parikka to the club on a one-year contract.[4] Less than two-months later, on 12 February 2016, Parikka announced his retirement from football after a series of knee injuries.[1]

International career

Parikka has played for his country in different national junior teams, most recently the Finland national under-21 football team. In the 2003 FIFA U-17 World Championship he played on the Finnish U-17 team and scored the equalising goal in Finland's 2–1 win against China in the opening fixture.

He was also a part of the Finnish under-21 team, that qualified for the UEFA European Under-21 Football Championship final tournament in 2009.

On 4 February 2009 Parikka made his debut in the Finnish national team in a friendly match against Japan.

Family

Parikka's father Jari is also a footballer who played for also played for HJK. His younger brother Mikko Parikka is a regular cast member of the popular prime time soap opera Salatut elämät.

Career statistics
As of match played 10 August 2014[5][6]
Appearances and goals by club, season and competition
Club Season League National Cup League Cup Continental Other Total
DivisionAppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoals
HJK Helsinki 2005 Veikkausliiga 000041--41
2006 141542010-225
2007 243428740-4012
2008 2297570--3614
2009 24320-00
2010 1534360-00
2011 193217521-3010
Total 11822151--00
VPS 2012 Veikkausliiga 2682172--3511
2013 1841063--257
2014 111101021-152
2015 000000--00
Total 55134114521--7520
Career total 17335172--

International
Finland national team
YearAppsGoals
200910
Total10

Statistics accurate as of match played 4 February 2009[5]

Honours

Club
HJK

Individual
  • The Most Promising Young Player: 2004[7]

References
  1. "Jarno Parikka avslutar karriären". vasabladet.fi (in Finnish). Vasabladet. 12 February 2016. Retrieved 12 February 2016.
  2. "Jarno Parikka jatkaa HJK:ssa vuoteen 2011 asti". hjk.fi. 16 January 2009. Retrieved 21 April 2009.
  3. Parikka joins VPS Archived 5 April 2012 at the Wayback Machine (in Finnish)
  4. "Jarno Parikka palaa Klubiin". www.hjk.fi/ (in Finnish). HJK. 16 December 2015. Retrieved 16 December 2015.
  5. "Jarno Parikka". National-Football-Teams.com. Retrieved 12 February 2016.
  6. "J.Parikka". soccerway.com. Soccerway. Retrieved 12 February 2016.
  7. "SPL palkitsi parhaita Captain's Ball-gaalassa". palloliitto.fi. 31 October 2004. Retrieved 22 April 2009.
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