Jere Kallinen

Jere Kallinen (born 10 January 2002) is a Finnish professional football player who plays as a defensive midfielder for Veikkausliiga club HJK Helsinki.

Club career AC Oulu Born in Oulu and raised in Ritaharju, Kallinen spent all his youth years with Oulun Luistinseura (OLS), before signing his first professional contract with Ykkönen side AC Oulu on 21 December 2019, at the age of 17. He made his professional debut with the club on 27 June 2020, in a 2–0 home win against Gnistan. Kallinen contributed in 10 matches and helped AC Oulu to win the promotion to Veikkausliiga at the end of the 2020 season. He scored his first goal for his club in Veikkausliiga on 9 May 2021, in a 3–1 away defeat against IFK Mariehamn.

On 28 October 2021, his contract was extended until the end of 2024.

In May 2022, in a Veikkausliiga match against HIFK, Kallinen suffered a surgery-requiring knee injury from a late tackle by Mosawer Ahadi, and was ruled out for few months.

After the 2024 season, Kallinen announced he would leave Oulu. During five seasons, he made 114 appearances for the club in all competitions combined.

HJK On 25 November 2024, HJK Helsinki announced the signing of Kallinen on a two-year deal with a one-year option.

International career Kallinen has represented Finland at under-21 youth national team level.

Career statistics

Honours AC Oulu Ykkönen: 2020 Finnish League Cup runner-up: 2023

HJK Finnish Cup: 2025