Kaan Kairinen

Kasper Kaan Özden Kairinen (born 22 December 1998) is a Finnish professional footballer who plays as a central midfielder for Greek Super League club AEK Athens and the Finland national team.

Early life Kairinen was born to a Turkish father and a Finnish mother in Turku, and was raised in Runosmäki neighbourhood.

Club career Inter Turku Kairinen is a youth exponent from Inter Turku. He made his Veikkausliiga debut at 25 October 2014 against FF Jaro, coming on as a substitute for Kalle Kauppi after 70 minutes in a 1–0 home defeat. Kairinen became the second-youngest player in Inter Turku's history to play for the club, since he made his debut at the age of 15.

In October 2015, Kairinen was named among the top 50 best young talents in world football by The Guardian. He also spent time with Juventus on trial and was offered a contract.

Midtjylland and loans On 1 February 2016, it was confirmed by FC Midtjylland, that they had signed with Kairinen for an undisclosed fee.

On 14 November 2018, Midtjylland announced that Kairinen would spend 2019 at HJK Helsinki on a loan deal.

Lillestrøm Kairinen had a successful loan spell with Lillestrøm in Norway in the 2020 season, after which the club gained a promotion to Eliteserien. After the season, Kairinen transferred to Lillestrøm on a permanent contract, signing a four-year deal, for a transfer fee of €300,000. In late 2021, he suffered from a long-lasted foot injury, which was eventually operated in January 2022 by surgeon Lasse Lempainen in Turku, Finland.

Sparta Prague 2022–23 season On 20 December 2022, it was confirmed by Sparta Prague, that they had signed with Kairinen on a deal until 30 June 2026, for a reported fee of €1.5 million. Kairinen scored a goal and provided an assist in his debut in Czech First League on 5 February 2023, in a 4–1 home win against Mladá Boleslav. During his first season in Prague, he helped the club to win their first Czech championship title since 2014.

2023–24 season On 16 March 2024, Kairinen extended his contract with Sparta until 30 June 2028. Kairinen recorded 12 appearances and provided four assists in Sparta's 2023–24 UEFA Europa League campaign, helping his side to advance to the round of 16, where they were eventually defeated by Liverpool.

On 18 May 2024, after an away win against Mladá Boleslav, Kairinen and Sparta secured their second Czech First League championship title in a row. On 22 May 2024, Kairinen and Sparta were crowned the 2023–24 Czech Cup champions after beating Viktoria Plzeň 2–1 in the final, completing Sparta's first double since 2014.

2024–25 season He missed the start of the 2024–25 season due to a leg injury he suffered in May, and returned to the line-up in the end of July 2024, in a win against FK Teplice. One month later, Kairinen and Sparta qualified for the 2024–25 UEFA Champions League after defeating Malmö FF 4–0 on aggregate in the qualifying play-off round, making it the club's first appearance in the UCL final competition in 19 years.

On 18 September, he scored in his debut in the UCL league phase, an opening goal in a 3–0 home win against RB Salzburg, becoming the 13th Finnish player to score in the Champions League. On 1 October, Kairinen scored again in his second UCL match, an equalizer from a free-kick past Alexander Nübel, in a 1–1 away draw against VfB Stuttgart. After the goal, his player profile in Transfermarkt was temporarily among the most popular profiles in the website.

AEK Athens On 7 July 2026, Kairinen signed a four-year contract with Greek Super League club AEK Athens.

International career A former regular youth international, Kairinen debuted for the Finland senior national team on 8 January 2019 in a friendly match against Sweden, as a substitute for Rasmus Schüller in the 54th minute.

Kairinen scored his first goal for the Finland national team on 24 March 2025, in a 2026 FIFA World Cup qualification match against Lithuania.

Personal life Kairinen has two siblings; an older brother and a younger sister. Karinen's father died when he was five. He has openly discussed the eating disorder and depression he suffered during his time with Midtjylland, which almost ended his career prematurely.

Career statistics Club

International

Scores and results list Finland's goal tally first, score column indicates score after each Kairinen goal.

Honours Midtjylland Danish Superliga: 2017–18

Sparta Prague Czech First League: 2022–23, 2023–24 Finnish FA U21 Player of the Year: 2017 Norwegian First Division Player of the Month: October 2020