Santeri Haarala
Santeri Haarala is a Finnish professional footballer who plays as a winger for Allsvenskan club Djurgården.
Career
On 7 August 2019, Haarala left Ilves to join a fellow Veikkausliiga club Rovaniemen Palloseura on a contract for the rest of 2019. He suffered a groin injury and managed to play only one game with the first team before a surgery. His contract was not extended and left the club at the end of the year. Eventually, his recovery from the injury lasted almost eight months.After a short spell with the reserve team of his former club Ilves in the third-tier Kakkonen, Haarala joined Veikkausliiga club TPS in August 2020 on a deal for the rest of the season.
During 2021–2022, Haarala played for Veikkausliiga club Kuopion Palloseura, where he won two Finnish Cup titles.
Haarala returned to his former club Ilves for the 2023 season, and helped Ilves to win the 2023 Finnish Cup title. On 29 February 2024 he signed a new three-year deal with the club.
On 22 August 2024, Haarala joined Allsvenskan club Djurgården on a three-and-a-half-year contract, for an undisclosed fee. Three days later, in his Allsvenskan debut for Djurgården, Haarala provided an assist to a winning goal, in a 1–0 away win over Sirius. He scored his first goal for the club on 19 September, in a 2–1 win over BK Häcken. On 12 May 2025, after failing to contribute to the scoresheet for months, Haarala was a main contributor for Djurgården's 2–1 away win against IFK Göteborg, providing the assist for his team's first goal and later scoring the game winner, when playing his first full 90 minutes in the 2025 Allsvenskan season.
International career
Haarala was never part of Finland youth national teams at any age level.On 2 September 2024, he received his first call-up to the Finland senior national team by the head coach Markku Kanerva, as a replacement to Daniel Håkans, for the 2024–25 UEFA Nations League B matches against Greece and England.
Personal life
Haarala meditates frequently in his everyday life.Honours
KuPS- Veikkausliiga runner-up: 2021, 2022
- Finnish Cup: 2021, 2022
Individual