Casper Mikael Terho (born 24 June 2003) is a Finnish professional footballer who plays as a winger for Eredivisie club Sparta Rotterdam and the Finland national team.
Early career Terho grew up in Vuosaari, East Helsinki,Vuosaarelainen futistaituri Casper Terho siirtyy pitkällä sopimuksella Belgian pääsarjaan, Vuosaari-lehti, 4 October 2022 and played football in the youth teams of Helsinki-based clubs Malmin Palloseura,Pikkuhuuhkajat nimetty marraskuun otteluihin, Finnish FA, 7 November 2023 , PK-35 and Kontu.Tulospalvelu Palloliitto C.Terho, player profile, Finnish FA/ Palloliitto In 2018, when playing in a youth team of Kontu, he was spotted by two HJK academy coaches at the time, Miika Takkula and Jyrki Ahola, and later in the same year, he joined the youth academy of HJK Helsinki.
Club career HJK Casper Terho made his professional debut for Helsingin Jalkapalloklubi on the 26 August 2020, coming on as a substitute in the Veikkausliiga 2–0 home win against Seinäjoen Jalkapallokerho. Along with other youngsters such as Kai Meriluoto, he played a few other games by the end of season, where his team ended up winning the 2020 championship. He has also played for HJK reserve team Klubi 04 in third-tier Kakkonen and second-tier Ykkönen.
Being already viewed as one of the brightest hopes from the Finnish champions academy, he scored his first goal in his 2021 season debuts, during the 4–2 home championship win against FC Honka on the 24 April 2021. By the end of May, he became a regular starter with HJK, scoring another goal against Ilves, while still aged only 17.
Royale Union Saint-Gilloise On 29 September 2022, Belgian side Union SG announced that they had reached an agreement with HJK about his transfer. He joined the Belgian side on 1 January 2023 on a deal until 30 June 2026, for an undisclosed fee, with HJK securing a sell-on clause.Confirmed transfer: Union Saint-Gilloise signs Casper Terho, OneFootballCasper Terho siirtyy Belgian pääsarjaan, hjk.fi, 27 September 2022 He officially made his debut for the club on 8 January against Anderlecht, as a 77th-minute substitute. Terho scored his first goal for the club on 20 April 2023, in the first leg of the 2022–23 UEFA Europa League quarter finals against Bayer Leverkusen. Despite his goal, his team lost the game 4–1 (5–2 on aggregate), and were eventually knocked out of the competition. On 23 April 2023, Terho scored his first goals in the Jupiler Pro League, a brace in a 4–2 away win against Kortrijk. In 2024, Terho and Union SG won the Belgian Cup and the Belgian Super Cup.
SC Paderborn (loan) On 1 January 2025, it was announced that Terho was loaned out to 2. Bundesliga club SC Paderborn 07 for the remainder of the season with a purchase option.Casper Terho on loan to Paderborn, rusg.brussels, 1 January 2025NEUER OFFENSIVSPIELER Finnischer Nationalspieler Casper Terho kommt, scp07.de, 1 January 2025
OH Leuven On 3 July 2025, Terho signed with Belgian Pro League club OH Leuven on a deal until 2028 for an undisclosed fee.CASPER TERHO TEKENT BIJ OH LEUVEN, ohleuven.com, 3 July 2025
Sparta Rotterdam On 2 February 2026, it was announced that Terho was loaned out to Eredivisie club Sparta Rotterdam for the remainder of the season with a purchase option.SPARTA HUURT CASPER TERHO VAN OH LEUVEN, sparta-rotterdam.nl, 2 February 2026 On 4 June 2026, Sparta made the transfer permanent and signed a four-season contract with Terho.
International career Terho is a youth international for Finland, taking part in the 2020 Euro under-17 qualifications, where Finland topped their pool with Czech Republic, Bosnia and Herzegovina and Moldova, although the final stage of the tournament was eventually canceled due to the COVID pandemic.
Terho played regularly for the Finnish under-17, under-19 and under-21 national teams, before making his senior debut for Finland on 4 June 2024, in a 4–2 friendly defeat against Portugal.Teemu Pukin maalit Huuhkajien ilonaihe, Portugali täysin ylivoimainen, Yle, 4 June 2024
In November 2024, Terho scored two goals for Finland U21 in the 2025 UEFA European Under-21 Championship qualification play-offs matches against Norway, helping Finland to win the pair 6–3 on aggregate and to qualify for the final tournament, for the second time in the nation's history.Se on siinä! Pikkuhuuhkajat lunasti paikan EM-kisoissa, MTV Oy, mtvuutiset.fi, 19 November 2024 He also scored Finland's first goal in the tournament, in a 2–2 draw against the Netherlands.
Career statistics Club
+ Appearances and goals by club, season and competitionClubSeasonLeagueNational cupLeague cupEuropeOtherTotalDivisionAppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoalsKlubi 042019Kakkonen5300———532020Kakkonen1090011——11102021Ykkönen123————123Total2715001100002817HJK2020Veikkausliiga3000———302021Veikkausliiga12230—30—1822022Veikkausliiga264213060—375Total41651309000587Union SG2022–23Belgian Pro League6200—21—832023–24Belgian Pro League21330—81—3242024–25Belgian Pro League9000—1010110Total365300011210517SC Paderborn (loan)2024–252. Bundesliga11000———110OH Leuven2025–26Belgian Pro League12010———130Sparta Rotterdam (loan)2025–26Eredivisie91————91Sparta Rotterdam2026–27Eredivisie7000———70Career total1432891412021017732
International
National teamYearCompetitiveFriendlyTotalAppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoalsFinland202400202020251Appearances in the 2026 FIFA World Cup qualification.00010Total102030
Honours HJK Veikkausliiga: 2020, 2021, 2022 Finnish Cup runner-up: 2021
Union SG Belgian Pro League: 2024–25 Belgian Pro League runner-up: 2023–24 Belgian Cup: 2023–24Belgian Cup finalists Belgian Super Cup: 2024
References
External links