Onni Johannes Simonpoika Valakari (born 18 August 1999) is a Finnish professional footballer who plays as an attacking midfielder for Major League Soccer club San Diego FC and the Finland national team.
Club career Valakari started to play football in the youth sector of Käpylän Pallo (KäPa) in 2007. In 2013, he moved to Seinäjoki with his family and joined local club Seinäjoen Jalkapallokerho (SJK). After making his senior debut with the club's reserve team SJK II in a then third-tier level Kakkonen in 2015, Valakari continued his career with Turun Palloseura (TPS). He played with TPS first in the second-tier Ykkönen in 2017, and in the next 2018 season he debuted in the premier division Veikkausliiga. During the first half of the season, he scored four goals in the league.
On 5 August 2018, Valakari signed with the Norwegian club Tromsø, after his father was named the manager of the club's first team. The initial transfer fee was estimated to be around 200,000 NOK, with TPS securing a 15% sell-on clause.Norjalaismedia: Veikkausliigan junioritähti Onni Valakari siirtymässä isänsä valmennukseen Tromssaan, Yle, 5 August 2018Liiganousu tuli TPS:lle erittäin kalliiksi – seura voi saada sievoisen summan rahaa Onni Valakarin siirrosta, Turun Sanomat, 28 January 2020
In January 2020 he moved to Cypriot First Division club Pafos for an undisclosed fee, reported to be around €300,000. On 25 November 2022, Valakari extended his contract with Pafos until June 2026. On 18 May 2024, Valakari and Pafos won the 2023–24 Cypriot Cup title, after defeating Omonia 3–0 in the final.
On 26 August 2024, Valakari was loaned out to Swedish Allsvenskan club AIK for the rest of the 2024 season,Onni Valakari på lån till AIK Fotboll, aikfotboll.se, 26 August 2024 with a purchase option of around €1 million.MTV Urheilun tiedot: Onni Valakari, 25, vaihtaa seuraa – sopimuksessa yli miljoonan euron optio, mtvuutiset.fi, MTV Oy, Eetu Ikola, 23 August 2024 On 21 September, he scored his first goal in Allsvenskan, in a 1–0 away win against Kalmar FF.Valakari avgjorde matchen mot Kalmar FF, aikfotboll.se, 21 September 2024Studio AIK Live: Onni Valakari, 20 September 2024 Following his loan, AIK were interested in signing Valakari on a permanent contract, but the clubs were unable to agree on the financial terms, and Valakari returned to Pafos.AIK bekräftar: Nära flera nyförvärv - men Valakari på väg att lämna, fotbollskanalen.se, 8 January 2025
In January 2025, Valakari extended his deal with Pafos until 2027,Onni Valakari löysi uuden seuran – edessä iso muutos, mtvuutiset.fi, MTV Oy, 10 January 2025 and subsequently signed a season-long loan deal with San Diego FC in MLS,San Diego FC Acquires Midfielder Onni Valakari on Loan from Pafos FC, sandiegofc.com, 13 January 2025 for a €400,000 loan fee, with a purchase option of €1.5 million.San Diego FC with a stunning acquisition on the verge of closing , chromeandazul.com After the season, the transfer was made permanent as San Diego picked up the purchase option.https://www.mlssoccer.com/news/san-diego-fc-fully-acquire-midfielder-onni-valakariM
International career He played for Finland at under-19 and under-21 levels.
Valakari made his senior international debut for Finland on 11 November 2020, scoring on his debut in a 2–0 victory over France. The other goalscorer was fellow debutant Marcus Forss.
Valakari was called up for the UEFA Euro 2020 pre-tournament friendly match against Sweden on 29 May 2021.
After a two-year absence from the national team, Valakari was named in the Finland squad for the 2024–25 UEFA Nations League B matches against Ireland and Greece in November 2024.Onni Valakari palaa Huuhkajiin – Markku Kanervalta antelias kädenojennus Pikkuhuuhkajille, mtvuutiset.fi, MTV Oy, 8 November 2024
Personal life Valakari's father Simo is a former professional international player and a current manager; his older brother Paavo is a former professional player, and his younger brother Toivo is playing for Käpylän Pallo in Finnish second-tier.Toivo Valakari sopimukseen Käpylän Pallon kanssa!, kapylanpalloedustus.fi, 28 February 2023 Onni was born in Scotland when his father had a stint as a player at Motherwell.
In May 2024, it was reported that Valakari had been sentenced to a €9,900 fine in Finnish Court of Kymenlaakso for not enrolling to the mandatory conscription service on time in January 2022.Onni Valakari karkasi armeijasta – nyt jysähti kova sakkotuomio, Ilta-Sanomat, 10 May 2024 Valakari said that he had not received the letter from the Finnish Defence Forces when living in Cyprus, and in May 2025, it was announced that Valakari would start his military service in October.Karkaamisesta tuomittu Onni Valakari valittiin Urheilukouluun, Helsingin Sanomat, 26 May 2025
In November 2024, in an interview to Helsingin Sanomat, Valakari sparked controversy with his positive comments on Andrew Tate and Donald Trump, implying also that the media has painted a false picture of them. Valakari stated that Trump's reelection was a positive thing for the USA. He thinks the country and the world needs a strong leader such as Trump, who can bring back the stability to the world and restore the foreign relations.HS: Onni Valakari, 25, kertoo näkemyksensä Andrew Tatesta ja Donald Trumpista, Ilta-Sanomat, 14 November 2024Onni Valakari, 25, avaa nuoren esikuvan maailmankuvaa – "On tullut vastaan eri totuuksia", Helsingin Sanomat, 14 November 2024
Career statistics Club
+ Appearances and goals by club, season and competitionClubSeasonLeagueNational cupContinentalOtherTotalDivisionAppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoalsSJK Akatemia2015Kakkonen2000——202016Kolmonen85——10952017Kolmonen0021——21Total105210010136SJK2017Veikkausliiga004000—40TPS2017Ykkönen13600——1362018Veikkausliiga16441——205Total291041——3311SalPa (loan)2017Kakkonen2000——20Tromsø2018Eliteserien13200——1322019Eliteserien29730——327Total42930——459Pafos2019–20Cypriot First Division65———652020–21Cypriot First Division361322——38152021–22Cypriot First Division261021——28112022–23Cypriot First Division33761——3982023–24Cypriot First Division35552——4072024–25Cypriot First Division000070—70Total13640156700015846AIK (loan)2024Allsvenskan10200––102San Diego FC (loan)2025MLS34451–32427San Diego FC2026MLS5300300083Career total268733391004231584
International
National teamYearCompetitiveFriendlyTotalAppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoalsFinland20201Appearances in the 2020–21 UEFA Nations League B.0112120215Appearances in the 2022 FIFA World Cup qualification.0207020222Appearances in the 2022–23 UEFA Nations League B.000202023000000202400000020251Appearances in the 2026 FIFA World Cup qualification.0102020262Appearances in the 2026–27 UEFA Nations League C.02Includes two appearances in the 2026 FIFA Series.040Total11060171 Notes
As of match played on 7 June 2022. Scores and results list Finland's goal tally first.
No Date Venue Cap Opponent Score Result Competition 1. 11 November 2020 Stade de France, Saint-Denis, France 1 2–0 2–0 Friendly
Honours TPS Ykkönen: 2017
Pafos Cypriot Cup: 2023–24Liigamestaruus ja cup-pokaali – Huuhkajien pelaajille menestystä eurokentillä, mtvuutiset.fi, MTV Oy, 19 May 2024
References
External links Onni Valakari stats at Finnish FA