Aleksi Paananen
Aleksi Paananen is a Finnish professional footballer who plays as a midfielder for Veikkausliiga club AC Oulu. He is often labeled as Thiago Alcantara or Diego Maradona of Finnish football, of which the latter he got the nickname ”Diego”.
Career
KuPS
Paananen started football with SiPS youth sector, before moving to KuPS in the nearby town of Kuopio. He made his senior debut with the KuPS first team in Veikkausliiga in 2010.Inter Turku
On 1 November 2018, Inter Turku announced the signing of Paananen for the 2019 season. He signed a 2-year deal.HJK
On 2 November 2022, Paananen signed a contract with HJK for the 2023 season, with an option for 2024.On 5 November 2023, it was announced that Paananen will leave HJK after the season.
AC Oulu
In November 2023, it was announced that Paananen had signed with fellow Veikkausliiga side AC Oulu on a two-year deal with an option for an additional year, starting in 2024.Honours
KuPS- Veikkausliiga runner-up: 2010
- Finnish Cup runner-up: 2011, 2012, 2013
Inter Turku
- Veikkausliiga runner-up: 2019, 2020
- Finnish Cup runner-up: 2020, 2022
- Finnish League Cup runner-up: 2022
- Veikkausliiga: 2023
- Finnish League Cup: 2023