 Paatelainen in August 2011 | |||
| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | Mika-Matti Petteri Paatelainen[1] | ||
| Date of birth | (1967-02-03)3 February 1967 (age 58) | ||
| Place of birth | Helsinki, Finland | ||
| Height | 1.83 m (6 ft 0 in) | ||
| Position | Striker | ||
| Team information | |||
Current team | The Spartans (sporting director) | ||
| Senior career* | |||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) |
| 1985–1987 | Haka | 48 | (18) |
| 1987–1992 | Dundee United | 133 | (33) |
| 1992–1994 | Aberdeen | 75 | (23) |
| 1994–1997 | Bolton Wanderers | 69 | (15) |
| 1997–1998 | Wolverhampton Wanderers | 23 | (0) |
| 1998–2001 | Hibernian | 93 | (32) |
| 2001–2002 | Strasbourg | 7 | (0) |
| 2002–2003 | Hibernian | 24 | (7) |
| 2003–2004 | St Johnstone | 33 | (11) |
| 2004–2005 | St Mirren | 16 | (4) |
| 2005 | Cowdenbeath | 1 | (0) |
| Total | 522 | (143) | |
| International career | |||
| 1989–2000 | Finland | 70 | (18) |
| Managerial career | |||
| 2005–2006 | Cowdenbeath | ||
| 2006–2007 | TPS | ||
| 2008–2009 | Hibernian | ||
| 2010–2011 | Kilmarnock | ||
| 2011–2015 | Finland | ||
| 2015–2016 | Dundee United | ||
| 2018 | Ubon UMT United | ||
| 2018 | Latvia | ||
| 2019–2021 | Hong Kong | ||
| 2022 | HIFK | ||
| 2025– | The Spartans (sporting director) | ||
| * Club domestic league appearances and goals | |||
Mika-Matti Petteri "Mixu"Paatelainen (born 3 February 1967) is a Finnish former professionalfootball player and manager who is currently serving as the sporting director of Scottish clubThe Spartans.[2] He scored 18 goals in 70 appearances for theFinnish national team, which makes him Finland's all timethirteenth most capped player andfifth top goalscorer. He is the eldest of three brothers, all of whom have played professional football. Their fatherMatti was also a Finnish international.
Paatelainen had a 20-year playing career, playing for nine clubs in four countries. Most of his career was spent in the Scottish leagues, withDundee United,Aberdeen,Hibernian,St Johnstone andSt Mirren. He also played forHaka in Finland,Bolton Wanderers andWolverhampton Wanderers in England andStrasbourg in France. While at Bolton, Paatelainen became the first Finn to play in thePremier League.
After retiring as a player in 2005, Paatelainen becamemanager of Scottish clubCowdenbeath, where he helped the club win the championship ofScottish Football League Third Division and earn a promotion. After a season coaching in his native Finland withTPS, Paatelainen returned to Scotland as manager of Hibernian. He left that position by mutual consent after 18 months. After a year out of the game, Paatelainen was appointed manager ofKilmarnock. He was Kilmarnock manager for less than one season, but enjoyed personal success during that time. He was appointed manager of the Finland national team in March 2011, a position he held until June 2015. He was appointed as Dundee United manager in October 2015, parting company with the club in May 2016 after their relegation to theScottish Championship.[3] He has subsequently managedUbon United in Thailand, and the national teams ofLatvia and Hong Kong.
After his playing career, Paatelainen has also worked forFIFA andUEFA as a technical observer.[4]
Paatelainen made his debut forHaka in 1985. He played 48 league matches for Haka, scoring 18 goals. During his debut season, Haka won theFinnish Cup, the only honour of the club during his time there.
In October 1987,Scottish Premier Division clubDundee United signed him for a £100,000 transfer fee. He scored on his debut a day later and quickly established himself as a first team regular, scoring eleven goals in his first season, including four goals in a 7–0 rout ofMorton in April 1988. Paatelainen also helped Dundee United reach theScottish Cup Final in May 1988, although he had to settle for a runners-up medal, as United lost 2–1 toCeltic. He was the club's top scorer for the following two seasons, and in total scored 47 times in 173 matches for United.[5]
In March 1992, he transferred toAberdeen for £400,000. During the three seasons he stayed there, he scored 23 goals in 75 matches.[5] Paatelainen played in two cup finals during his time at Pittodrie, but lost to Rangers in October 1992 in theLeague Cup Final and in May 1993 lost to the same opposition in theScottish Cup Final.[6][7]
Paatelainen transferred in 1994 to English clubBolton Wanderers. The team was promoted to thePremier League in his first season with the club, which then meant that Paatelainen became the first Finnish footballer to play in the Premier League (as the old First Division had been rebranded in 1992). He played a crucial part in the promotion triumph, putting Bolton 3–2 ahead in their playoff final clash withReading in extra time on their way to a 4–3 victory which ended a 15-year exile from the top flight.
Paatelainen also played in the1995 League Cup Final, in which Wanderers were beaten 2–1 byLiverpool. He was unable to keep Bolton in the Premier League in1995–96, although they did return the next season by winning the Division One title with 100 goals and 98 points. He then played forWolverhampton Wanderers during the 1997–98 season. He failed to score for Wolves in the league but scored four times in theirFA Cup run, with goals againstDarlington (two),[8]Charlton Athletic[9] andWimbledon.[10] He also scored once in theLeague Cup, againstQueens Park Rangers.[11]
After his spell in Wolverhampton, Paatelainen decided to return to Scotland in the summer of 1998; this time signing forEdinburgh clubHibernian. Hibs had been relegated the previous season, and Paatelainen's twelve goals in his first season helped his side get promotion back to the top division in Scotland.[12] He is fondly remembered by Hibernian supporters for hishat-trick in a 6–2 victory overEdinburgh derby rivalsHeart of Midlothian on 22 October 2000.[13] Paatelainien's appearance for Hibs in their2001 Scottish Cup Final defeat byCeltic meant that he became the first player to play in the Scottish Cup final with three clubs. Despite this, Paatelainien never collected a winners medal in the competition.[14] Paatelainen left Hibs in 2001 to sign for French clubStrasbourg. He then returned to Hibs for one season, where he combined his playing duties with coaching the youths.[12]
In 2003, he transferred toSt Johnstone, when Hibs no longer wished to extend his contract,[15] also acting as an assistant manager. Paatelainen only stayed with St Johnstone for one season. Paatelainen then transferred toSt Mirren, where he also served as an assistant manager. This was his last club. During his playing career, Paatelainen scored 143 league goals.
Paatelainen played 70 matches forFinland, scoring 18 goals. He played his first international match on 9 September 1986, againstEast Germany.[16] One of his feats in the national team was scoring four goals in a single match againstSan Marino, which stands as a record number of goals in one match for Finland. He retired from international football in 2000.[17] In addition to his appearances for the senior national team, Paatelainen also played eight matches each for theFinland under-21s and theunder-19s.
Having previously worked as a coach while still playing forSt Johnstone andSt Mirren, Paatelainen was appointedfull-time manager ofScottish Third Divisionpart-time football teamCowdenbeath in August 2005. In his first season, he guidedthe Blue Brazil totheir first league title in 67 years. He signed his brothersMarkus andMikko for the club.
On 21 October 2006, Paatelainen resigned as manager of Cowdenbeath to join Finnish clubTPS. He guided TPS to third place andUEFA Intertoto Cup qualification in what was to be hisonly season in charge.
Paatelainen was linked with the managerial vacancy at former clubHibernian in December 2007, and he was appointed on 10 January 2008.[18] He commented upon taking the job that he wanted to make Hibs play a bit more direct, which he later claimed was misinterpreted as him wanting to play along ball game.[citation needed] Paatelainen took the Hibs job at a time when they had only won one of their previous ten games and had slipped into the bottom half of theScottish Premier League. Hibs’ results initially improved under Paatelainen and the club secured a place in thetop half of the league.[13]
During the2008–09 season, Paatelainen came under increasing pressure from Hibs fans[19] due to poor results and his favouring of a4–3–3 system.[20] Paatelainen eventually abandoned 4–3–3 in favour of a more orthodox4–4–2 system.[21] He was criticised byAbdessalam Benjelloun, who accused Paatelainen of favouring outdatedlong ball tactics.[21] Paatelainen responded by saying that Benjelloun was "frustrated" at not being a regular pick for club or country.[21] A poor run of results early in 2009 led to many Hibs supporters calling for Paatelainen to be sacked,[19][22] but he did manage to lead the team into thetop half of the league again. Paatelainen was also praised by the media for his tactical approach in winning the lastEdinburgh derby of the season,[23] but he left the job by mutual consent at the end of May after a disappointing season.[13]
After a year out of the game, Paatelainen was appointed manager ofKilmarnock on 23 June 2010.[24] Paatelainen earned plaudits from the Scottish media for his work with Kilmarnock.[25] In November 2010, he was linked with thehead coach position of theFinland national football team.[25][26] Paatelainen won themanager of the month award for December 2010, as Kilmarnock continued their good start with two league wins, against Hibernian andInverness CT, and a draw atCeltic Park.[27] Kilmarnock offered him a long-term contract in March 2011, in an attempt to frustrate interest in Paatelainen fromScunthorpe United.[28] The approach from Scunthorpe was rejected by Paatelainen, but soon afterwards he accepted an offer fromFinland.[29] Despite having left Kilmarnock in March, Paatelainen won theSFWA Manager of the Year award for the 2010–11 season.[30]
Following a bad start byFinland inUEFA Euro 2012 qualifying and their decline in theFIFA World Rankings from 33 to 86, head coachStuart Baxter was sacked.[31][32] Paatelainen was appointed as the new Finland head coach on 31 March 2011.[29] His first match as a head coach was a 1–0 away win againstSan Marino on 3 June,[33] but Finland then suffered a 5–0 defeat bySweden in his second game.[34] Both matches were part of theUEFA Euro 2012 qualifying process.
Paatelainen's deal with theFinnish Football Association extended to 2016, covering not only the UEFA Euro 2012 qualifiers but also theFIFA World Cup 2014 and theUEFA Euro 2016 qualifiers.[33] As Finland was already eliminated fromUEFA Euro 2012, Paatelainen's task was to renew the national team and try to qualify for one or more of the tournaments during his projected tenure as Finland's head coach.[35] On 14 June 2015 Paatelainen was sacked following his fourth defeat in a row during theUEFA Euro 2016 qualifying campaign.
Paatelainen was announced as the new head coach of Dundee United in October 2015, having signed a contract until 2018. His first match in charge of the club was a 1–0 defeat toHearts atTannadice.[36] He was unable to prevent the side from relegation, which was confirmed by aDundee derby defeat on 2 May 2016, and he left United two days later.[3]
Paatelainen was appointed head coach of theLatvia national team in May 2018.[37] On 4 December, he announced that he won't continue as the head coach of the team after his contract expires at the end of the month.[38]
Paatelainen was appointed as the head coach of theHong Kong representative team in April 2019 on a two-year contract, succeedingGary White.[39]
Hong Kong was drawn ingroup C of the 2022 Fifa World Cup qualification AFC Second round along withIran,Iraq,Bahrain andCambodia.[40] The team earned a 2-0 win over Cambodia and draws against Cambodia and Bahrain before the qualifiers were halted due to theCOVID-19 pandemic after six matches.[41]
Hong Kong was one of the few countries and territories in the World to pursue aZero Covid Elimination strategy. Due to this the Hong Kong Representative Team was unable to prepare and train for the remaining World Cup qualifiers played in Bahrain in early June 2021.[42][43] Paatelainen's initial contract was extended to cover the remaining qualifying matches.[44][43]
Paatelainen's contract expired after the World Cup qualifiers and he decided to return to Europe.[45][46]
After managerBernardo Tavares resigned,[47] FinnishVeikkausliiga clubHIFK appointed Paatelainen as their manager.[48] Before his appointment the club had lost in the quarter-final of theFinnish League Cup and earned just one point from the first two matches of the league season.[49]
Only two months later the club released a statement of a possible bankruptcy. This lack of finances affected the team’s campaign significantly resulting in relegation from the Finnish Veikkausliiga.[50] Nevertheless Paatelainen guided HIFK into the semi finals of theFinnish Cup for the first time in 63 years.[51]
Once HIFK's relegation was confirmed after a defeat againstVPS, Paatelainen stated at a press conference that he would not carry on his managerial duties at HIFK beyond the end of the season.[52][53] He subsequently resigned a few days later.[54]
On 30 April 2025, Paatelainen was appointed the sporting director of Scottish clubThe Spartans.[55]
Paatelainen's time at Bolton Wanderers led to him being mentioned in the comedy showPhoenix Nights, which was set in the Bolton area.[56] This happened when the doormenMax & Paddy drunkenly made aprank call to their bossBrian Potter, claiming that Paatelainen worked at theCoroner's office inBolton and that theclub was on fire.
| Club | Season | League | National Cup | League Cup | Continental | Total | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Division | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | ||
| Haka | 1985 | Mestaruussarja | 11 | 5 | * | * | — | — | 11 | 5 | ||
| 1986 | Mestaruussarja | 19 | 6 | * | * | — | — | 19 | 6 | |||
| 1987 | Mestaruussarja | 18 | 7 | * | * | — | — | 18 | 7 | |||
| Total | 48 | 18 | — | — | 48 | 18 | ||||||
| Dundee United | 1987–88 | Scottish Premier Division | 19 | 9 | 6 | 2 | 0 | 0 | — | 25 | 11 | |
| 1988–89 | Scottish Premier Division | 33 | 10 | 6 | 4 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 0 | 45 | 17 | |
| 1989–90 | Scottish Premier Division | 31 | 7 | 2 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 3 | 1 | 38 | 9 | |
| 1990–91 | Scottish Premier Division | 20 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 26 | 1 | |
| 1991–92 | Scottish Premier Division | 30 | 6 | 2 | 1 | 3 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 35 | 9 | |
| Total | 133 | 33 | 17 | 8 | 10 | 5 | 9 | 1 | 169 | 47 | ||
| Aberdeen | 1991–92 | Scottish Premier Division | 6 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | 6 | 1 | |
| 1992–93 | Scottish Premier Division | 33 | 16 | 6 | 1 | 2 | 3 | — | 41 | 20 | ||
| 1993–94 | Scottish Premier Division | 36 | 6 | 3 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 3 | 1 | 44 | 7 | |
| Total | 75 | 23 | 9 | 1 | 4 | 3 | 3 | 1 | 91 | 28 | ||
| Bolton Wanderers | 1994–95 | First Division | 44 | 12 | 1 | 0 | 8 | 2 | — | 53 | 14 | |
| 1995–96 | Premier League | 15 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | — | 17 | 1 | ||
| 1996–97 | First Division | 10 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | 10 | 2 | ||
| Total | 69 | 15 | 2 | 0 | 9 | 2 | — | 80 | 17 | |||
| Wolverhampton Wanderers | 1997–98 | First Division | 23 | 0 | 5 | 4 | 5 | 1 | — | 33 | 5 | |
| Hibernian | 1998–99 | Scottish First Division | 26 | 12 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | 28 | 12 | |
| 1999–2000 | Scottish Premier League | 31 | 9 | 4 | 1 | 0 | 0 | — | 35 | 10 | ||
| 2000–01 | Scottish Premier League | 36 | 11 | 5 | 1 | 2 | 0 | — | 43 | 12 | ||
| Total | 93 | 32 | 11 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 106 | 34 | ||
| Strasbourg | 2001–02 | Division 2 | 7 | 0 | * | * | * | * | 1 | 0 | 8 | 0 |
| Hibernian | 2002–03 | Scottish Premier League | 24 | 7 | 3 | 0 | 2 | 0 | — | 29 | 7 | |
| St Johnstone | 2003–04 | Scottish First Division | 33 | 11 | 1 | 0 | 3 | 2 | — | 37 | 13 | |
| St Mirren | 2004–05 | Scottish First Division | 16 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | — | 17 | 5 | |
| Career total | 521 | 143 | 48 | 15 | 36 | 14 | 13 | 2 | 618 | 174 | ||
Win Draw Loss
| Team | Nat | From | To | Record | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| G | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Win % | ||||
| Cowdenbeath |  | 1 July 2005 | 1 October 2006 | 51 | 29 | 7 | 15 | 111 | 62 | +49 | 056.86 |
| TPS |  | 1 October 2006 | 10 January 2008 | 34 | 15 | 5 | 14 | 57 | 41 | +16 | 044.12 |
| Hibernian | | 10 January 2008 | 29 May 2009 | 62 | 19 | 18 | 25 | 68 | 74 | −6 | 030.65 |
| Kilmarnock | | 23 June 2010 | 31 March 2011 | 34 | 15 | 6 | 13 | 55 | 44 | +11 | 044.12 |
| Finland | | 31 March 2011 | 15 June 2015 | 44 | 17 | 9 | 18 | 59 | 62 | −3 | 038.64 |
| Dundee United | | 14 October 2015 | 4 May 2016 | 30 | 8 | 4 | 18 | 33 | 52 | −19 | 026.67 |
| Ubon UMT United |  | 13 January 2018 | 22 April 2018 | 11 | 2 | 1 | 8 | 12 | 18 | −6 | 018.18 |
| Latvia |  | 10 May 2018 | 4 December 2018 | 9 | 1 | 5 | 3 | 5 | 10 | −5 | 011.11 |
| Hong Kong |  | 9 April 2019 | 30 June 2021 | 12 | 1 | 2 | 9 | 4 | 24 | −20 | 008.33 |
| HIFK | | 17 April 2022 | 5 October 2022 | 22 | 1 | 5 | 16 | 17 | 61 | −44 | 004.55 |
| Total | 309 | 108 | 62 | 139 | 421 | 448 | −27 | 034.95 | |||
Valkeakosken Haka
Bolton Wanderers
Hibernian
Cowdenbeath
Latvia
Individual
| International | |
|---|---|
| National | |
