Kasper Kaan Kairinen (born 22 December 1998) is a Finnish professional footballer who plays as a central midfielder for Greek Super League club AEK Athens and the Finland national team.
Early life Kasper Kaan Kairinen was born to a Turkish father and a Finnish mother in Turku, and was raised in Runosmäki neighbourhood.
Club career Inter Turku Kairinen is a youth exponent from Inter Turku. He made his Veikkausliiga debut at 25 October 2014 against FF Jaro, coming on as a substitute for Kalle Kauppi after 70 minutes in a 1–0 home defeat. Kairinen became the second-youngest player in Inter Turku's history to play for the club, since he made his debut at the age of 15.
In October 2015, Kairinen was named among the top 50 best young talents in world football by The Guardian. He also spent time with Juventus on trial and was offered a contract.
Midtjylland and loans On 1 February 2016, it was confirmed by FC Midtjylland, that they had signed with Kairinen for an undisclosed fee.
On 14 November 2018, Midtjylland announced that Kairinen would spend 2019 at HJK Helsinki on a loan deal.
Lillestrøm Kairinen had a successful loan spell with Lillestrøm in Norway in the 2020 season, after which the club gained a promotion to Eliteserien. After the season, Kairinen transferred to Lillestrøm on a permanent contract, signing a four-year deal, for a transfer fee of €300,000. In late 2021, he suffered from a long-lasted foot injury, which was eventually operated in January 2022 by surgeon Lasse Lempainen in Turku, Finland.
Sparta Prague 2022–23 season On 20 December 2022, it was confirmed by Sparta Prague, that they had signed with Kairinen on a deal until 30 June 2026, for a reported fee of €1.5 million. Kairinen scored a goal and provided an assist in his debut in Czech First League on 5 February 2023, in a 4–1 home win against Mladá Boleslav. During his first season in Prague, he helped the club to win their first Czech championship title since 2014.
2023–24 season On 16 March 2024, Kairinen extended his contract with Sparta until 30 June 2028. Kairinen recorded 12 appearances and provided four assists in Sparta's 2023–24 UEFA Europa League campaign, helping his side to advance to the round of 16, where they were eventually defeated by Liverpool.
On 18 May 2024, after an away win against Mladá Boleslav, Kairinen and Sparta secured their second Czech First League championship title in a row. On 22 May 2024, Kairinen and Sparta were crowned the 2023–24 Czech Cup champions after beating Viktoria Plzeň 2–1 in the final, completing Sparta's first double since 2014.
2024–25 season He missed the start of the 2024–25 season due to a leg injury he suffered in May, and returned to the line-up in the end of July 2024, in a win against FK Teplice. One month later, Kairinen and Sparta qualified for the 2024–25 UEFA Champions League after defeating Malmö FF 4–0 on aggregate in the qualifying play-off round, making it the club's first appearance in the UCL final competition in 19 years.
On 18 September, he scored in his debut in the UCL league phase, an opening goal in a 3–0 home win against RB Salzburg, becoming the 13th Finnish player to score in the Champions League. On 1 October, Kairinen scored again in his second UCL match, an equalizer from a free-kick past Alexander Nübel, in a 1–1 away draw against VfB Stuttgart. After the goal, his player profile in Transfermarkt was temporarily among the most popular profiles in the website.
AEK Athens On 7 July 2026, Kairinen signed a four-year contract with Greek Super League club AEK Athens.
International career A former regular youth international, Kairinen debuted for the Finland senior national team on 8 January 2019 in a friendly match against Sweden, as a substitute for Rasmus Schüller in the 54th minute.
Kairinen scored his first goal for the Finland national team on 24 March 2025, in a 2026 FIFA World Cup qualification match against Lithuania.
Personal life Kairinen has two siblings; an older brother and a younger sister. Karinen's father died when he was five. He has openly discussed the eating disorder and depression he suffered during his time with Midtjylland, which almost ended his career prematurely.
Career statistics Club
+ Appearances and goals by club, season and competitionClubSeasonLeagueNational cupLeague cupEuropeTotalDivisionAppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoalsInter Turku2014Veikkausliiga100000—102015Veikkausliiga2503040—3202016Veikkausliiga000010—10Total2603050—340Midtjylland2016–17Danish Superliga2000—00202017–18Danish Superliga3000—0030Total5000—0050Skive IK (loan)2017Danish 1st Division6000——60Inter Turku (loan)2018Veikkausliiga6000——60HJK (loan)2019Veikkausliiga24251—60353Lillestrøm (loan)2020Norwegian First Division28400——284Lillestrøm2021Eliteserien20110——2112022Eliteserien22120—40281Total422300040492Sparta Prague2022–23Czech First League15130——1812023–24Czech First League28220—1404422024–25Czech First League28050—1224522025–26Czech First League31110—111432Total1024110003731507AEK Athens2026–27Super League Greece0000—0000Career total239122215047331316
International
National teamYearCompetitiveFriendlyTotalAppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoalsFinland2019002020202000000020212Appearances in the 2022 FIFA World Cup qualification.0103020222Appearances in the 2022–23 UEFA Nations League B.0002020238Appearances in the UEFA Euro 2024 qualification.0008020243Appearances in the UEFA Euro 2024 qualification play-offs and 2024–25 UEFA Nations League B.0104020258Appearances in the 2026 FIFA World Cup qualification.1109120263Appearances in the 2026–27 UEFA Nations League C.00030Total26150311
Scores and results list Finland's goal tally first, score column indicates score after each Kairinen goal.
+ List of international goals scored by Kaan KairinenNo.DateVenueCapOpponentScoreResultCompetition124 March 2025Darius and Girėnas Stadium, Kaunas, Lithuania 11–02–22026 FIFA World Cup qualification
Honours Midtjylland Danish Superliga: 2017–18
Sparta Prague Czech First League: 2022–23, 2023–24 Czech Cup: 2023–24; runner-up: 2022–23, 2024–25
Individual Veikkausliiga Breakthrough of the Year: 2015 Finnish FA U21 Player of the Year: 2017 Norwegian First Division Player of the Month: October 2020
References
External links