Mikael Forssell

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Mikael Forssell
Personal information
Full name Mikael Kaj Forssell
Date of birth March 15, 1981 (1981-03-15) (age 27)
Place of birth    Steinfurt, Germany
Height 5 ft 10 in (1.78 m)
Playing position Striker
Club information
Current club Hannover 96
Number TBA
Senior clubs1
Years Club App (Gls)*
1997–1998
1998–2005
2000
2000–2001
2003
2003–2004
2004–2005
2005–2008
2008–		 HJK
Chelsea
→ Crystal Palace (loan)
→ Crystal Palace (loan)
→ Borussia M'gladbach (loan)
→ Birmingham City (loan)
→ Birmingham City (loan)
Birmingham City
Hannover 96		 17 0(1)
33 0(5)
13 0(3)
39 (13)
12 0(7)
32 (17)
04 0(0)
65 (13)
00 0(0)   
National team2
1999– Finland 54 (17)

1 Senior club appearances and goals
counted for the domestic league only and
correct as of 17:39, 30 May 2008 (UTC).
2 National team caps and goals correct
as of 17:39, 30 May 2008 (UTC).
* Appearances (Goals)

Mikael Kaj Forssell (born March 15, 1981) is a Finnish footballer who will leave Birmingham City on expiry of his contract in June 2008 and join Hannover 96 of the German Bundesliga.[1]

Contents

[edit] Club career

Born in Steinfurt, Germany, and considered one of the most talented Finnish footballers of all time, Forssell made his Veikkausliiga debut for HJK at the age of just 16. His goal-scoring form for Finland's youth teams made him a target for a host of Europe's top clubs, and in 1998 the 17-year-old striker was snapped up by English Premiership club Chelsea.

Forssell on the cover of Finnish sports magazine IS Veikkaaja
Forssell on the cover of Finnish sports magazine IS Veikkaaja

But despite scoring twice in one of his earliest appearances for the club, Forssell found it hard to find a place in the Chelsea first team, and he was sent out to various loan spells, twice to Crystal Palace of the then First Division, once to Borussia Mönchengladbach of the German Bundesliga and twice to Birmingham City of the Premiership. Forssell scored seven Bundesliga goals for Mönchengladbach in the spring of 2003 and then 17 Premiership goals for Birmingham in the 2003–04 season. He returned to Birmingham on loan for the 2004–05 season, but suffered the second serious knee injury of his career, which ruined his season.

In the summer of 2005 Forssell joined Birmingham on a three-year deal for a fee of £3 million, after Chelsea decided that he did not figure in their long term plans. He struggled in the 2005–06 season, not having found his best form after his injury, and couldn't save Birmingham from relegation. Forssell suffered another cruel injury blow to his other knee during training in October 2006. This left him on the sidelines until he returned to training in February 2007 after undergoing operations on both knees. He was set to take a medical at Hamburger SV but it was reported that he failed. He remained at Birmingham to have another go at resurrecting his career.

His 2007–08 pre-season performances were good, he scored five goals in five games. His manager, Steve Bruce, was enthusiastic about his return to form. He continued his good form into the start of the season, scoring the opening goal of the match against Chelsea and consolidating his good form with two assists in the next three matches. He scored his first hat-trick at club level on March 1, 2008, in the 4–1 win over Tottenham Hotspur.[2]

In May 2008, following the club's relegation from the Premier League, Forssell signed a pre-contract agreement to join Bundesliga club Hannover 96 on a free transfer when his Birmingham contract expires at the end of June. His contract with Hannover will run until the end of the 2010–11 season.[3][1]

[edit] International career

Forssell has been a regular for the Finnish national team for most of the 2000s. He played his first match for Finland on June 9, 1999 against Moldova, and scored his first goal on February 28, 2001 against Luxembourg. His partnership with Jari Litmanen has worked especially well. Finland has suffered greatly from Forssell's injury problems, as he had to watch much of qualifying campaigns for both Euro 2004 and the 2006 World Cup from the sidelines. Forssell also played for Finland in the 2001 FIFA World Youth Championship.

[edit] References

  1. ^ a b Alex wishes Forss well. Birmingham City F.C. (2008-06-02). Retrieved on 2008-06-02.
  2. ^ "Mikael Forssell routs Spurs", The Sunday Times, 2008-03-02. Retrieved on 2008-03-02. 
  3. ^ "Forssell completes Hannover deal", BBC Sport, 2008-05-30. Retrieved on 2008-05-30. 

[edit] External links

v • d • e
Hannover 96 – current squad

1 Enke • 2 Vinícius • 3 Żuraw • 4 Ismaël • 6 Cherundolo • 7 Pinto • 8 Lala • 9 Hanke • 10 Bruggink • 11 Huszti • 13 Brdaric • 14 Balitsch • 15 Zizzo • 16 Hashemian • 17 Krebs • 18 Tarnat • 19 Schulz • 20 Golz • 21 Lauth • 22 Fahrenhorst • 23 Yankov • 24 Štajner • 25 Jurić • 26 Rosenthal • 27 Schröter • 28 Hahne • 30 Jensen • 31 Montabell • 32 Marheineke • 34 Rausch • 35 Halfar • Manager: Hecking
Persondata
NAME Forssell, Mikael Kaj
ALTERNATIVE NAMES
SHORT DESCRIPTION Professional footballer
DATE OF BIRTH 1981-03-15
PLACE OF BIRTH Steinfurt, Germany
DATE OF DEATH
PLACE OF DEATH