Teemu Pukki

Teemu Pukki
Personal information
Pukki playing for HJK
Full name	Teemu Pukki
Date of birth	29 March 1990 (age 21)
Place of birth	Kotka, Finland
Height	1.80 m (5 ft 11 in)
Playing position	Striker
Club information
Current club	Schalke
Number	20
Senior career*
Years	Team	Apps^†	(Gls)^†
2006–2008	KooTeePee	29	(3)
2008–2010	Sevilla Atlético	32	(3)
2009	Sevilla	1	(0)
2010–2011	HJK	25	(13)
2011–	Schalke	8	(3)
National team^‡
	Finland U17	9	(5)
	Finland U19	9	(3)
2007–2011	Finland U21	21	(6)
2009–	Finland	9	(0)
* Senior club appearances and goals counted for the domestic league only and correct as of 17 December 2011^[1]. † Appearances (Goals). ‡ National team caps and goals correct as of 16 November 2011

Teemu Pukki (born 29 March 1990) is a Finnish footballer who plays as a striker for the German Bundesliga club Schalke and Finnish national team.

Club career

Pukki moved to Sevilla from his hometown club KooTeePee in January 2008 and signed a three-and-half-year long contract with the club. He started with the club's Juvenil team before being promoted to the reserve team, Sevilla Atlético. He made his official debut with Atlético in the sixth round of the 2008–09 Segunda División against Real Sociedad and scored the only goal of the match with a stunning strike.^[2]

Pukki was called up for the Sevilla first team for the away match against Real Madrid on 7 December 2008,^[3] but was an unused substitute. He received his La Liga debut at home against Racing on 25 January 2009.^[4] He found himself unused in Sevilla and he decided to return to Finland. On 28 August 2010 Pukki signed a three-and-half-year contract with the Finnish Veikkausliiga HJK.

He managed to play in 7 games and score 2 goals for HJK during the 2010 season. At the end of the season HJK and Pukki won the Finnish Veikkausliiga. During season 2011 he scored 11 goals and assisted 8 goals in 18 league matches.

Pukki scored three goals in two matches against Schalke in August 2011 during the Europa League qualifier. First he scored twice in the first leg in Helsinki, and in Gelsenkirchen he scored an away goal. However, it was not enough to help HJK qualify to the group stage. Schalke was so impressed, they offered him a place in their squad. On 31 August 2011, Pukki joined the German Bundesliga side on a three-year contract.^[5]

On 6 November, he scored two goals for Schalke as he debuted in the starting eleven against Hannover. By doing so, he became the third Finn to score a brace in the German Bundesliga, after Ari Hjelm and Pasi Rautiainen.^[6]