Juho Mäkelä

Juho Mäkelä (born 23 June 1983) is a Finnish footballer who plays for AC Oulu. He is a striker especially known for his pace.

Juho Mäkelä
Personal information
Date of birth (1983-06-23) 23 June 1983
Place of birth Oulu, Finland
Height 1.90 m (6 ft 3 in)
Position(s) Striker
Club information
Current team
 AC Oulu
Number 18
Youth career
OLS Oulu
Senior career*
Years Team Apps (Gls)
2000–2003 Tervarit 61 (44)
2003–2006 HJK 66 (33)
2006–2009 Hearts 20 (2)
2007 → FC Thun (loan) 14 (3)
2008 → HJK (loan) 13 (7)
2009–2010 HJK 50 (24)
2010–2012 Sydney FC 16 (3)
2012 HJK 27 (10)
2013 SV Sandhausen 13 (3)
2013–2014 FC St. Gallen 6 (0)
2014 IFK Mariehamn 4 (0)
2014 SJK 5 (0)
2015 VPS 31 (16)
2016–2018 HIFK 57 (14)
2018 PS Kemi 32 (7)
2019– AC Oulu 33 (12)
2020 → OLS Oulu 1 (1)
National team
2004–2010 Finland 8 (0)
* Senior club appearances and goals counted for the domestic league only and correct as of 15:40, 16 September 2020 (UTC)

Club career

Early career

Mäkelä started his career with Tervarit in his home-town, before moving to Veikkausliiga club HJK Helsinki for the 2003 season. He scored 33 goals in 66 appearances for the club in three seasons, and was the Veikkausliiga top scorer in 2005. He is known as 'The Surgeon'.[1]

Hearts

Mäkelä signed for Hearts on a three-and-a-half-year deal during the January 2006 transfer window. He scored his first goal for Hearts in 4–0 win over Dunfermline on 8 April 2006.[2] On 20 September 2006 he scored a hat-trick on his first start for Hearts in a Scottish League Cup tie against Second Division side Alloa in a 4–0 win.[3] He scored with his head, and both his feet, scoring a treble. His fifth and final Hearts goal came on 1 October 2006 against Dundee United.[4]

On 16 January 2007, it was reported that Mäkelä was training with German side Greuther Fürth pending a possible six-month loan move,[5] however it was subsequently announced that he would be spending the rest of the season with FC Thun. On 28 January 2008, Juho went on trial with Dutch side RKC Waalwijk who had been relegated at the end of the 2006–07 season. On 24 April 2008, Mäkelä returned to his former club HJK Helsinki on an initial three-month loan deal.

On 22 July 2008, it was confirmed by Hearts that Mäkelä had returned from his successful loan spell with HJK Helsinki, in which he scored seven goals in 13 games, and would immediately join his teammates for pre-season training in Germany.[6] Mäkelä's first game back was against a German regional select side in which he played the second half. He scored the sixth goal of the game with a powerful volley from eight yards in a 6–0 victory.[7] On 2 February 2009, transfer deadline day, Hearts announced Mäkelä had been released after 23 appearances and five goals in all competitions.[8]

Return to HJK Helsinki

Mäkelä returned to former club HJK Helsinki prior to the 2009 Veikkausliiga season. He marked his return to the club with a goal in the opening game of the season, coming of the bench in the 76th minute and scoring in the 80th minute to complete the scoring in a 5–1 win over KuPS. He also came off the bench in the second game of the season against TPS Turku, in which he set up the equalizing goal for Medo in a 2–2 draw. On 17 August 2008, he went on trial with Italian Serie B side Ascoli Calcio. He had a wonderful start for the 2010 season with HJK as he went on scoring ten goals in just eight games. After the season, he was again awarded as the league's top scorer with 16 goals.

Sydney FC

On 17 November 2010, it was announced that he would be trialling with A-League club Sydney FC.[9] Transfer was confirmed by HJK on 7 December 2010.[10] He joined Sydney FC for their A-league and ACL season. He will wear the number 18 shirt. He scored his first Sydney goal in his home debut after coming off the bench against Gold Coast United on 8 January 2011.[11] Mäkelä followed this goal up with an injury-time equaliser against arch-rivals Melbourne Victory the following week with a simple tap-in.[12] Unhappy at Sydney, due to lack of opportunity under manager Vitezslav Lavicka it was announced that club would not be renewing his contract at the end of the season, and was free to leave the club during the 2012 January transfer window if he could find another club in time.[13] Mäkelä departed the club in April 2012.

Second return to HJK

On 5 April 2012, it was announced that Mäkelä would make his second comeback for HJK, signing a 1+1 contract with his former club.[14] On 17 July, he scored a hat-trick, in a 7–0 home win over KR Reykjavik in the Champions League qualifiers.

Germany, Switzerland, and a return to Finland

After short spells in Germany with SV Sandhausen and Switzerland with FC St. Gallen, Mäkelä returned to Finland, signing for Åland club IFK Mariehamn on a short-term deal.[15]

PS Kemi

Mäkelä signed with PS Kemi in March 2018, and left the club again at the end of 2018.[16]

International career

Mäkelä made his debut for the Finnish national team on 3 February 2004 against China.

References
  1. "Sydney sees Juho Makela, the striker nicknamed 'The Surgeon' as its saviour". The Australian. 31 December 2010. Retrieved 21 May 2014.
  2. "Hearts 4–0 Dunfermline Athletic". BBC. 8 April 2006. Retrieved 17 January 2010.
  3. "Alloa Athletic 0–4 Hearts". BBC. 20 September 2006. Retrieved 17 January 2010.
  4. "Hearts 4–0 Dundee United". BBC. 1 October 2006. Retrieved 17 January 2010.
  5. "Makela striking out". The Scotsman. 16 January 2007. Retrieved 1 February 2013.
  6. "Juho's back". Heartsfc.co.uk. 22 July 2008. Archived from the original on 27 September 2008. Retrieved 1 February 2013.
  7. "Rheingau XI 0–6 Hearts". Heartsfc.co.uk. 23 July 2008. Archived from the original on 19 September 2009. Retrieved 1 February 2013.
  8. "Makela leaves Hearts". Heartsfc.co.uk. 2 February 2009. Archived from the original on 2 August 2012. Retrieved 1 February 2013.
  9. "Sydney trials Finnish striker". The World Game. 17 November 2010. Archived from the original on 5 April 2012. Retrieved 1 February 2013.
  10. "Veikkausliigan maalikuningas lähtee Australiaa" [Veikkausliiga's top scorer moves to Australia] (in Finnish). Helsingin Sanomat. 7 December 2010. Retrieved 1 February 2013.
  11. "Sydney finals dream still alive". The World Game. 8 January 2011. Archived from the original on 10 January 2011. Retrieved 1 February 2013.
  12. "Late Finnish saves Sydney". The World Game. 15 January 2011. Archived from the original on 5 April 2012. Retrieved 1 February 2013.
  13. Smithies, Tom (20 January 2012). "Showing Sydney FC coach Vitezslav Lavicka the door would 'achieve nothing': Rudan". The Daily Telegraph. Retrieved 21 January 2012.
  14. "Kirurgi palaa Klubi-paitaan" (in Finnish). HJK. 5 April 2012. Archived from the original on 28 September 2013. Retrieved 1 February 2013.
  15. "Juho Mäkelä sopimukseen IFK Mariehamnin kanssa" (in Finnish). 7 May 2014. Retrieved 21 May 2014.
  16. Yksi Veikkausliigan kaikkien aikojen maalitykeistä vapailla markkinoilla, veikkausliiga.com, 17 December 2018
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