Santeri Väänänen

Santeri Leevi Oliver Väänänen (born 1 January 2002) is a Finnish professional football player who plays as a midfielder for German club Karlsruher SC and the Finland national team.

Club career HJK Helsinki Väänänen started to play football with Pajamäen Pallo-Veikot (PPV) in Pajamäki, Helsinki. Later he joined the youth sector of HJK at the age of 7, and played with the club's district youth team in Munkkiniemi along with Matti Peltola.

In 2018, Väänänen made his senior debut with the club's reserve team Klubi 04 in the second-tier league Ykkönen. Later in the same year he debuted with the first team in Veikkausliiga, aged 16.

On 17 June 2019, Väänänen renewed his contract with HJK, on a deal until the end of 2021. During the next seasons, he played occasionally in the starting line-up in the league, but his major breakthrough was delayed until the 2022 season due to injuries.

Väänänen also represented HJK in the 2021–22 UEFA Europa Conference League and in the 2022–23 UEFA Europa League group stages.

Rosenborg BK On 7 December 2022, Norwegian Eliteserien side Rosenborg announced the signing of Väänänen on a four-year deal. The transfer was effective starting in January 2023. He made his debut with Rosenborg on 12 March 2023, as a substitute in a 2–0 Norwegian Cup defeat against Viking. He scored his first goal in Eliteserien on 2 June 2024, in a 1–1 draw against Fredrikstad. In late September 2024, Väänänen suffered a knee injury and was estimated to miss 2–3 months.

Karlsruher SC On 22 July 2026, Väänänen signed with Karlsruher SC in German 2. Bundesliga.

International career Väänänen has represented Finland at various youth levels. He captains the Finland under-21 national team in the 2025 UEFA Euro U21 Championship qualifiers.

He made his international debut with the Finland senior national team in January 2023, in the friendly matches against Sweden and Estonia.

Career statistics Club

International

Honours HJK Veikkausliiga: 2020, 2021, 2022 Finnish Cup runner-up: 2021