Petri Pasanen

Football player infobox
playername = Petri Pasanen


fullname = Petri Pasanen
nickname =
height = height|meters=1.87
dateofbirth = birth date and age|1980|9|24
cityofbirth = Lahti
countryofbirth = Finland
currentclub = SV Werder Bremen
clubnumber = 3
position = Defender
youthyears =
youthclubs =
years = 1996
1996–2000
1997
1998
2000–2004
2004
2004–
clubs = Kuusysi Lahti
Lahti
→ Hämeenlinna (loan)
→ Hämeenlinna (loan)
Ajax
→ Portsmouth (loan)
SV Werder Bremen
caps(goals) = 02 0(0)
71 0(2)
04 0(0)
01 0(0)
52 0(7)
12 0(0)
87 0(3)
nationalyears = 2000–
nationalteam = Finland
nationalcaps(goals) = 45 0(1)
pcupdate = 28 September 2008
ntupdate = 22 August 2008

Petri Pasanen (born September 24 1980 in Lahti) is a Finnish footballer who currently plays for Werder Bremen in the German Bundesliga. He is a defender who is most comfortable in central defence, but can also play at right back.

Career

Pasanen became a regular for FC Lahti during the club's promotion season in 1998. During the next two seasons he made 42 appearances for the club in Finland's Veikkausliiga. Many of Europe's top clubs had become interested in the promising Pasanen, and in the summer of 2000 he joined Dutch giants Ajax Amsterdam. He became a regular in the Ajax defence in his first season, but his progress was halted when he broke his foot in August 2001, and had to miss most of the 2001-02 season. Next season he was a regular again as Ajax reached the quarter-finals of the UEFA Champions League. He fell out of favour at Ajax in 2003-04, and spent the second half of the season on loan at Portsmouth in the English Premiership. Portsmouth's manager Harry Redknapp was interested in purchasing Pasanen at the end of the season, but claimed Ajax's asking price was too high.

Pasanen was then signed by reigning German champions Werder Bremen in the summer of 2004. He has since become a key player for the club, helping them to a top three finish in the Bundesliga and the second round of the Champions League in each of his two seasons at the club.

Pasanen is also a regular for the Finnish national team. He made his international debut on November 15, 2000 against Ireland. Pasanen has mostly played at right back for Finland, as the team lacks quality players for that position, but has other capable central defenders, such as Sami Hyypiä and Hannu Tihinen.

Honours

*Dutch Championship: 2001-02
*Dutch Cup: 2001-02
*Dutch Super Cup: 2002
*DFB Liga-Pokal: Runner-up 2004, Champion 2006

External links

* [http://www.palloliitto.fi/maajoukkueet/miesten_a-maajoukkue/pelaajat/pasanen_petri/ Profile at FA of Finland's official website]
* [http://www.werder-online.de/english/team/spieler/pasanen.php Profile at Werder Bremen's official website]
* [http://www.footballdatabase.com/site/players/byCountry.php?dumpPlayer=1285 FootballDatabase provides Petri Pasanen's profile and stats]
* [http://www.fussballdaten.de/spieler/pasanenpetri/ Career statistics at fussballdaten.de]