Mikael Soisalo (born 24 April 1998) is a Finnish professional footballer who plays as a right-winger for Hungarian club Puskás Akadémia. He has also represented the Finland national under-21 football team. Soisalo was born in Helsinki, Finland. He began his senior club career on league level playing for Ilves, before signing with Zulte Waregem at age 20 in 2018.
Club career Klubi 04 He started his career playing for in the lower leagues of Finnish football in HJKs reserve team. He has also played for the junior teams of Finland national football team.
Ilves On 14 December 2015 it was announced he had joined Ilves a team from Tampere on a 3-year contract.
He stated that his goal for the 2016 Veikkausliiga (Finnish 1 tier) season would be to get a start in the starting line-up. He played an active role in the team's success, they finished fourth in the league and at times they even fought for the championship.
Middlesbrough On 5 January 2017, Soisalo joined Middlesbrough on a three-year deal for an undisclosed fee, reported to be around €200,000, and was registered to their U21 academy squad.DONE DEAL! Middlesbrough sign 18-year-old Finnish starlet Mikael Soisalo, 5 January 2017, talksport.com
On 13 March 2017, he scored a hat-trick for the Middlesbrough reserves against Blackburn reserves. The manager praised him for his performance and how he had integrated into the team.
Zulte Waregem On 18 June 2018, Middlesbrough announced that Soisalo was to join Belgian side Zulte Waregem after just one full season with Middlesbrough's U-23 side. The transfer fee was not disclosed.
Varzim (loan) Soisalo was loaned out to Portuguese club Varzim S.C. on 29 January 2020 for the rest of the season with a purchase option.Soisalo é reforço do Varzim, varzim.pt, 29 January 2020 However, he only played two games for the club and returned to Zulte in the summer 2020.
Riga FC For the 2021 season, Soisalo moved to Riga FC on a 2-year contract. He made his debut on 13 March, playing the first 65 minutes of a 0–2 win at Ventspils. He had an impressive start and had scored seven goals in 15 games in July 2021.
Puskás Akadémia On 27 August 2023, Soisalo was bought by Hungarian top-flight club Puskás Akadémia for an undisclosed fee. He scored in his debut, in a 3–1 away victory against Mezőkövesd on 3 September 2023.
International career He has been an integral part of the various youth national teams starting from the U-15. During 2016, he took part in Finland's qualifying campaign for the UEFA under 19 Championship. He played well against Kazakhstan, scoring once and assisting three goals. He scored his first goal for Finland U21 on 9 October 2020 in a UEFA European U21 Championship qualification match in Ballymena Showgrounds, Ballymena against Northern Ireland U21.
In March 2022, Soisalo received a first call up for the Finland senior squad for the first time, coming into the squad after the withdrawal of Lassi Lappalainen and Onni Valakari for matches against Iceland and Slovakia.
Career statistics Club
+ Appearances and goals by club, season and competitionClubSeasonLeagueCupEuropeOtherTotalDivisionAppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoalsKlubi 042015Kakkonen4000——40Ilves2016Veikkausliiga31754——3611Zulte Waregem2018–19Belgian First Division A20100—802812019–20Belgian First Division A2000——202020–21Belgian First Division A2000——20Total241000080321Varzim (loan)2019–20LigaPro2000——20Riga FC2021Virslīga1982081—2992022Virslīga2741062—3462023Virslīga2140050—264Total671630193008919Puskás Akadémia2023–24NB I1822100—2032024–25NB I2903042–362Total472514200565Career total174261352358021836
International .
+ Appearances and goals by national team and yearNational teamYearAppsGoalsFinland202240Total40
Honours Klubi 04 Kakkonen Eastern Group: 2015 Riga FC Latvian Higher League runner-up: 2022
Individual Veikkausliiga Breakthrough of the Year: 2016
Veikkausliiga Team of the Year: 2016
References
External links
SV Zulte Waregem official profile Mikael Soisalo – SPL competition record