Miika Koppinen

Miika Koppinen

Personal information
Full name	Miika Johannes Koppinen
Date of birth	5 July 1978 (1978-07-05) (age 33)
Place of birth	Kokkola, Finland
Height	1.90 m (6 ft 3 in)
Playing position	Centre back
Club information
Current club	Tromsø
Number	7
Youth career
	KPV
Senior career*
Years	Team	Apps†	(Gls)†
0000–1998	KPV	19	(2)
1998–2000	Jaro	26	(5)
2000–2004	Tromsø	121	(4)
2005–2007	Rosenborg	41	(5)
2008–	Tromsø	90	(7)
National team
	Finland U21	8	(0)
2000–	Finland[1]	18	(0)
* Senior club appearances and goals counted for the domestic league only and correct as of 16 June 2011. † Appearances (Goals).

Miika Johannes Koppinen (born 5 July 1978 in Kokkola) is a Finnish footballer playing as a central defender for Norwegian club Tromsø IL.

Koppinen has formerly played for Norwegian giants, Rosenborg BK and the Finland national football team.

Club career

Early years

He first played youth football for KPV in his home town of Kokkola. He made his debut for KPV in 1998 at 16 years of age, before moving to second division side FF Jaro in 1999. The club managed to reach the final of the Suomen Cup, before losing 2-1 to FC Jokerit.

Move to Norway

He joined Norwegian side Tromsø in 2000. Tromsø got fourth place in his first season, but a disappointing second season saw Tromsø relegated to the Norwegian first division. Tromsø responded quickly though and got back to the top-flight after one season. Two more seasons followed at Tromsø before securing a move to Norwegian giants Rosenborg on a free transfer.

Rosenborg

At his first season at Rosenborg, Koppinen found himself injured for much of the season which limited his Premier Division appearances to only six games. He got himself back at the end of the season, also playing for his side during the group stages of the Champions League. A disappointing season saw Rosenborg in seventh place, the worst league position for decades.

In 2006 Koppinen helped Rosenborg win the Premier League, playing sixteen games. In the penultimate match of the Norwegian Premier League 2006, Koppinen notably set up Rosenborg's deciding third goal against Viking F.K. by grabbing Viking's goalkeeper Mattias Asper's elbow, causing him to drop the ball. At the time, it seemed likely that the goal would lead to relegation for Viking. In post-match interviews, Koppinen initially denied any wrongdoing, although he later apologised when faced with video evidence.

The following season in 2007 was yet another difficult season for his side, which resulted in only a fifth place finish. On 18 September 2007 he scored for Rosenborg in a Champions League game at Stamford Bridge in a shock 1-1 draw against Chelsea F.C.

Return to Tromsø

In 2008, he moved back to Tromsø IL, helping his side to a bronze medal in the league. The following season, they finished sixth.

Career statistics

Season	Club	Division	League		Cup		Total
			Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals
2000	Tromsø	Tippeligaen	22	0	2	0	24	0
2001		Tippeligaen	25	2	4	0	29	2
2002		Adeccoligaen	25	1	2	2	27	3
2003		Tippeligaen	24	0	5	0	29	0
2004		Tippeligaen	25	1	4	3	29	4
2005	Rosenborg	Tippeligaen	7	0	3	0	10	0
2006		Tippeligaen	16	1	2	0	18	1
2007		Tippeligaen	19	4	0	0	19	4
2008	Tromsø	Tippeligaen	20	2	3	0	23	2
2009		Tippeligaen	23	2	3	0	26	2
2010		Tippeligaen	27	2	4	0	31	2
2011		Tippeligaen	20	1	2	0	22	1
Career Total			253	16	34	5	287	21

International career

He has played eight times for the Finnish U21 team. In 2000, he made his debut for the full national side in a game against Norway.

He played a total of twenty games for Finland before stepping down in 2006, citing personal reasons. However four years lates, in October 2010, he returned to national team to play in UEFA Euro 2012 qualifying match against Hungary.

Career statistics

^[2]

Finland national team
Year	Apps	Goals
2000	2	0
2001	4	0
2002	3	0
2003	4	0
2004	4	0
2005	0	0
2006	1	0
Total	18	0

Personal life

He is married to a woman from Tromsø and has two children. He is fluent in Norwegian. Koppinen has over the years graduated as a coach and will probably be taking his final courses over the next couple of years, as he is interested in becoming a coach once his career is finished.

Honours

• Norwegian Premier League: 2006
• Suomen Cup (runners up): 1999

References

• Mika Koppinen profile at www.til.no (Norwegian)

1. ^ Suomen Palloliitto
2. ^ http://www.palloliitto.fi/maajoukkueet/miesten_a-maajoukkue/pelaajat/koppinen_miika/

Persondata
Name	Koppinen, Miika
Alternative names
Short description	footballer
Date of birth	5 July 1978
Place of birth	Kokkola, Finland
Date of death
Place of death