Naatan Mikael Skyttä (born 7 May 2002) is a Finnish professional footballer who plays as a midfielder for German club 1. FC Kaiserslautern and the Finland national team.
Club career Ilves A product of the Ilves youth academy, Skyttä signed his first professional contract with Ilves first team in 2018. He debuted in Finnish top-tier Veikkausliiga with Ilves first team in the 2018 season.
Toulouse Skyttä signed with French club Toulouse on 1 February 2021 on a deal until 30 June 2025. The transfer fee was reported to be €500,000. Skyttä made his debut for Toulouse on 20 April 2021, in a Coupe de France quarter final match against Rumilly-Vallières.soccerway On 24 July 2021, Skyttä debuted in Ligue 2 in a match against Ajaccio.soccerway
He scored his first goal for Toulouse on 8 January 2023, in a Coupe de France win over Lannion.LANNION VS. TOULOUSE 1 - 7, int.soccerway.com
Viking FK (loan) On 26 August 2022, he joined Norwegian Eliteserien club Viking on loan for the remainder of the 2022 season, without an option to buy.
Odense Boldklub (loan) On 31 January 2023, after a brief return to Toulouse, Skyttä signed a loan deal with Danish club OB for the rest of the season, without an option to buy. He scored his first goal for OB in Superliga on 16 April 2023, in a 2–0 victory over Silkeborg.
On 9 May 2023, it was announced that Skyttä had suffered a shinbone fracture in the Superliga match and he was ruled out of games for several months.
Return to Toulouse Skyttä returned to Toulouse line-up for the UEFA Europa League group stage match against LASK on 5 October 2023, but remained an unused substitute. He made his first appearance after the injury on 29 October 2023, in a Ligue 1 match against Montpellier, coming in from the bench on the 70th minute.soccerway On 7 January 2024, he scored the first goals after his injury, a brace in a Coupe de France win against Chambéry.CHAMBÉRY VS. TOULOUSE, int.soccerway.com
Dunkerque Skyttä signed with French Ligue 2 club USL Dunkerque on 28 August 2024 on a deal until 30 June 2026 for an undisclosed fee.Pikkuhuuhkajien Naatan Skyttä siirtyy Toulousesta Ranskan divariseuraan, Yle, 28 August 2024 Two days later, he debuted with his new club in Ligue 2, as a late substitute in a 1–0 home win against Rodez. He was named the player of the month of his team in September.NAATAN SKYTTÄ ÉLU JOUEUR DU MOIS DE SEPTEMBRE PAR DVN ASSOCIÉS !, usldunkerque.com, 3 October 2024 He repeated as his team's player of the month in October, after starting the season scoring four goals and providing three assists in the Ligue 2, an also in March 2025. During his first season with Dunkerque, Skyttä made 30 appearances in Ligue 2, scoring seven goals and providing four assists, as the team finished 4th in the table and reached the promotion play-offs, as a lower-budget team. They also advanced to the 2024–25 Coupe de France semi-finals against PSG.Naatan Skytän aprillipäivä oli ikimuistoinen – PSG joutui jo köysiin yli 45 000 katsojan edessä, Aamulehti, 4 April 2025
Kaiserslautern On 4 August 2025, Skyttä moved to 1. FC Kaiserslautern in German 2. Bundesliga after signing a three-year deal for a €1.8 million fee. Skyttä became the fourth Finnish player in Kaiserslautern, after Mika Nurmela, Aki Riihilahti and Alexander Ring. On 31 August, he scored his first goal for Kaiserslautern, in a 3–1 win against Darmstadt. On 19 September, Skyttä scored his third goal of the season, in a 4–1 home win against Preußen Münster, extending his scoring streak to three consecutive matches.Naatan Skyttä osui taas – jo kolmen ottelun maaliputkessa, Helsingin Sanomat, 19 September 2025 On 23 November, Skyttä scored a hat-trick in the first half in a 4–1 home win over Holstein Kiel.Hirmuvedossa oleva Naatan Skyttä hurjasteli hattutempun, Yle, 23 November 2025
International career Skyttä is a regular Finnish youth international. In the 2023 UEFA Euro Under-21 Championship qualification campaign, Skyttä scored 6 goals in 10 matches.
On 15 October 2024, in the last match of the 2025 UEFA European Under-21 Championship qualification against Montenegro, Skyttä scored a brace and helped Finland to 2–1 victory and thus securing the spot to the qualification play-offs, after Finland finished 2nd in the Group E.Naatan Skyttä johdatti Pikkuhuuhkajat jatkokarsintaan, Yle, 15 October 2024 Finland eventually qualified for the final tournament after defeating Norway in the play-offs. Skyttä also scored a goal for Finland in the tournament's last group stage match against Denmark, helping his side to get a 2–2 draw.
Career statistics
+ Appearances and goals by club, season and competitionClubSeasonLeagueNational cupContinentalOtherTotalDivisionAppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoalsHJS2018Kakkonen11———11Ilves II2019Kakkonen10000——100Ilves2018Veikkausliiga2000——202019Veikkausliiga11230——1422020Veikkausliiga1671010—187Total299401000349Toulouse2020–21Ligue 20010——102021–22Ligue 213040——1702022–23Ligue 12021——412023–24Ligue 1802220101322024–25Ligue 11000——10Total240932010363Toulouse B2021–22National 343———43Viking (loan)2022Eliteserien10010——110OB (loan)2022–23Danish Superliga8200——82Dunkerque2024–25Ligue 230741—20368FC Kaiserslautern2025–262. Bundesliga32921——3410Career total14732205303017337
International
National teamYearCompetitiveFriendlyTotalAppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoalsFinland20252Appearances in the 2026 FIFA World Cup qualification.0002020260Appearances in the 2026–27 UEFA Nations League C.04Includes two appearances in the 2026 FIFA Series.141Total204161
Scores and results list Finland's goal tally first, score column indicates score after each Skyttä goal.
+ List of international goals scored by Naatan SkyttäNo.DateVenueCapOpponentScoreResultCompetition130 March 2026Eden Park, Auckland, New Zealand41–01–1 2026 FIFA Series
Honours Ilves Finnish Cup: 2019
Toulouse Ligue 2: 2021–22 Coupe de France: 2022–23 Trophée des Champions runner-up: 2023
Finland FIFA Series: 2026
Individual Veikkausliiga Team of the Year: 2020 USL Dunkerque Player of the Month: September 2024, October 2024, March 2025Naatan Skyttä sai kunnianosoituksen Ranskassa, suomifutis.com, 3 April 2025 FIFA Series Player of the Tournament: 2026
References
External links