Ville Koski
Finnish footballer (born 2002)
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Ville Aleksi Jukanpoika Koski (born 27 January 2002) is a Finnish professional footballer who plays as a centre back for La Liga club Deportivo Alavés and the Finland national team.
_69_(cropped).jpg) Koski with Finland U21 in 2022 | |||
| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | Ville Aleksi Jukanpoika Koski | ||
| Date of birth | 27 January 2002 | ||
| Place of birth | Tuusula, Finland[1] | ||
| Height | 1.85 m (6 ft 1 in) | ||
| Position | Centre-back | ||
| Team information | |||
Current team | Alavés | ||
| Number | 16 | ||
| Youth career | |||
| TuPS[2] | |||
| –2018 | PKKU | ||
| Senior career* | |||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) |
| 2018 | PKKU | 13 | (0) |
| 2019–2020 | Honka II | 27 | (2) |
| 2020–2023 | Honka | 67 | (4) |
| 2024–2026 | Istra 1961 | 64 | (0) |
| 2026 | → Alavés (loan) | 5 | (0) |
| 2026– | Alavés | 1 | (0) |
| International career‡ | |||
| 2018–2019 | Finland U17 | 7 | (0) |
| 2019 | Finland U18 | 2 | (0) |
| 2021–2025 | Finland U21 | 31 | (1) |
| 2023– | Finland | 11 | (0) |
|
* Club domestic league appearances and goals as of 15 August 2026 ‡ National team caps and goals as of 5 June 2026 | |||
Club career
PK Keski-Uusimaa
Born in Tuusula, Koski started playing football in the youth teams of local clubs Tuusulan Palloseura (TuPS) and PK Keski-Uusimaa. He made his senior debut with PK Keski-Uusimaa first team on 13 May 2018 at the age of 16, playing in the 1–1 draw against Jippo, in the third-tier league Kakkonen.[3]
Honka
In 2019, he joined the FC Honka organisation in Espoo. He played with the club's reserve team Honka II in Kakkonen for two seasons, before he made his debut in the premier division Veikkausliiga on 12 September 2020, aged 18, with Honka first team, when he came in from the bench for the final minutes, in 1–3 away victory against Rovaniemen Palloseura (RoPS).[4] Despite his young age, in the next season Koski quickly established his place in the starting line-up and became an integral part of the team's defense.[5][6][7][8][9]
Koski scored his first goal in the league on 13 August 2022, in a 4–0 away win against Ilves.[10]
Istra 1961
In the early December 2023, it was announced that Koski had signed with Croatian premier division 1. HNL side Istra 1961 on a three-and-a-half-year deal.[11] He was already close to sign with the club in the 2023 summer transfer window but the deal got cancelled then.[12] The transfer was effective in January 2024.[13][14][15][16]
Alavés
On 31 January 2026, Koski joined Spanish club Deportivo Alavés on loan for the remainder of the 2025-26 season.[17] He made his La Liga debut on 13 March, in a 1–1 draw against Villarreal.[18] Koski started his first game in La Liga on 13 May, playing full 90 minutes in a 1–0 home win over Barcelona.[19]
On 15 June 2026, Koski signed a permanent five-year contract with Alavés for a €3 million fee.[20][21]
International career
A regular Finnish youth international, Koski has represented Finland at various youth national team levels. He has also captained the Finland U21 national team.[22] Koski was integral part of the Finland U21 team helping them to qualify for the 2025 UEFA European Under-21 Championship final tournament, for the second time in the nation's history.
Koski made his full international debut for Finland senior national team on 12 January 2023, in a friendly match against Estonia.[23][24]
Career statistics
Club
- As of 15 August 2026[25]
| Club | Season | Division | League | National cup[a] | League cup[b] | Europe | Total | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | |||
| PK Keski-Uusimaa | 2018 | Kakkonen | 13 | 0 | — | — | — | 13 | 0 | |||
| Honka Akatemia | 2019 | Kakkonen | 15 | 1 | — | 2 | 0 | — | 17 | 1 | ||
| 2020 | Kakkonen | 12 | 1 | — | 3 | 0 | — | 15 | 1 | |||
| Total | 27 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 5 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 32 | 2 | ||
| Honka | 2020 | Veikkausliiga | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | |
| 2021 | Veikkausliiga | 17 | 0 | 2 | 0 | — | 4[c] | 0 | 23 | 0 | ||
| 2022 | Veikkausliiga | 24 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | — | 26 | 2 | ||
| 2023 | Veikkausliiga | 25 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 2[c] | 0 | 32 | 2 | |
| Total | 67 | 4 | 4 | 0 | 5 | 0 | 6 | 0 | 82 | 4 | ||
| Istra 1961 | 2023–24 | HNL | 12 | 0 | — | — | — | 12 | 0 | |||
| 2024–25 | HNL | 34 | 0 | 3 | 0 | — | — | 37 | 0 | |||
| 2025–26 | HNL | 18 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | — | 18 | 0 | |||
| Total | 64 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 67 | 0 | ||
| Alavés (loan) | 2025–26 | La Liga | 5 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | — | 5 | 0 | ||
| Alavés | 2026–27 | La Liga | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | — | 1 | 0 | ||
| Career total | 177 | 6 | 7 | 0 | 10 | 0 | 6 | 0 | 200 | 6 | ||
- Includes Suomen Cup and Croatian Football Cup
- Includes Kakkonen Cup and Finnish League Cup
- Includes UEFA Europa Conference League
International
- As of match played 5 June 2026
- Appearances in the 2026 FIFA World Cup qualification.
- Appearances in the 2026–27 UEFA Nations League C.
- Includes two appearances in the 2026 FIFA Series.
Honours
Honka
- Finnish League Cup: 2022
- Finnish Cup runner-up: 2023
Finland
Individual
- Football Association of Finland: U21 Player of the Year 2024