Matti Lähitie

Matti Lähitie

Personal information
Date of birth	13 February 1985 (1985-02-13) (age 26)
Place of birth	Pori, Finland
Height	1.79 m (5 ft 10 1⁄2 in)
Playing position	Midfielder
Club information
Current club	JJK
Number	8
Senior career*
Years	Team	Apps†	(Gls)†
2002-2004	FC Jazz	40	(2)
2005-2006	Lahti	10	(0)
2006	VPS Vaasa	6	(0)
2007-	JJK	51	(1)
* Senior club appearances and goals counted for the domestic league only and correct as of 14 July 2010. † Appearances (Goals).

Matti Lähitie (born 13 February 1985 in Pori) is a Finnish footballer, currently playing for Jyväskylän Jalkapalloklubi (JJK) in the Finnish Veikkausliiga. He plays as a midfielder.

Playing career

Matti Lähitie started his football career at Finnish club FC Jazz, where he made his league debut at the age of just seventeen years old. In total he made forty appearances at FC Jazz between 2002 and 2004, scoring twice.

In 2005, he transferred to another Finnish club, FC Lahti who were playing in Veikkausliiga at the time. Lähitie saw this as a step-up in his career, with Finnish internationals such as Jari Litmanen, Pekka Lagerblom and Mika Väyrynen also playing for Lahti at some point and all benefiting.

In 2006 Lähitie transferred to his third Finnish club, Jyväskylän Jalkapalloklubi playing in the Finnish Ykkönen.

Lähitie is a very versatile midfielder, who is just as comfortable on the left side of midfield as he is on the right or in the centre, although his right foot is his strongest.

Trivia

• Lähitie can speak three languages - native Finnish, English and Swedish

References

• Guardian Football
• transfermarkt.co.uk
• Veikkausliiga Hall of Fame

External links

• FC JJK official website (Finnish)

Persondata
Name	Lahitie, Matti
Alternative names
Short description	footballer
Date of birth	13 February 1985
Place of birth	Pori, Finland
Date of death
Place of death