Santeri Haarala

Career On 7 August 2019, Haarala left Ilves to join a fellow Veikkausliiga club Rovaniemen Palloseura (RoPS) on a contract for the rest of 2019. He suffered a groin injury and managed to play only one game with the first team before a surgery. His contract was not extended and left the club at the end of the year. Eventually, his recovery from the injury lasted almost eight months.

After a short spell with the reserve team of his former club Ilves in the third-tier Kakkonen, Haarala joined Veikkausliiga club TPS in August 2020 on a deal for the rest of the season.

During 2021–2022, Haarala played for Veikkausliiga club Kuopion Palloseura, where he won two Finnish Cup titles. On 29 February 2024 he signed a new three-year deal with the club.

On 22 August 2024, Haarala joined Allsvenskan club Djurgården on a three-and-a-half-year contract, for an undisclosed fee. Three days later, in his Allsvenskan debut for Djurgården, Haarala provided an assist to a winning goal, in a 1–0 away win over Sirius. He scored his first goal for the club on 19 September, in a 2–1 win over BK Häcken. On 12 May 2025, after failing to contribute to the scoresheet for months, Haarala was a main contributor for Djurgården's 2–1 away win against IFK Göteborg, providing the assist for his team's first goal and later scoring the game winner, when playing his first full 90 minutes in the 2025 Allsvenskan season.

In the summer 2026, Haarala moved back to Finland to play for HJK signing a long-term contract.

International career Haarala was never part of Finland youth national teams at any age level.

Personal life Haarala meditates frequently in his everyday life.

Career statistics

Honours KuPS Veikkausliiga runner-up: 2021, 2024 Veikkausliiga Player of the Month: July 2024