Aki Riihilahti
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| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | Aki Pasinpoika Riihilahti | ||
| Date of birth | 9 September 1976 | ||
| Place of birth | Helsinki, Finland | ||
| Height | 1.85 m (6 ft 1 in) | ||
| Playing position | Defensive midfielder | ||
| Youth career | |||
| 1982–1994 | HJK Helsinki | ||
| Senior career* | |||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) |
| 1995–1999 | HJK Helsinki | 62 | (11) |
| 1996 | → FC Honka (loan) | 3 | (0) |
| 1999–2001 | Vålerenga IF | 47 | (5) |
| 2001–2006 | Crystal Palace | 157 | (13) |
| 2006–2007 | 1. FC Kaiserslautern | 10 | (1) |
| 2007–2009 | Djurgårdens IF | 12 | (0) |
| 2009–2011 | HJK Helsinki | 40 | (6) |
| Total | 301 | (33) | |
| National team | |||
| 1998–2007 | Finland | 69 | (11) |
| * Senior club appearances and goals counted for the domestic league only. |
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Aki Pasinpoika Riihilahti (born 9 September 1976 in Helsinki) is a retired Finnish footballer. He is known as a hard working, defensive midfielder. He is now working as the CEO of HJK Helsinki.
Riihilahti started his career at HJK where he made his Veikkausliiga debut in 1995. He has won the Finnish championship four times (1997, 2009, 2010 and 2011), the Finnish Cup three times with HJK, and the Finnish League Cup three times, and played a vital part when the first and so far only time Finnish Club team qualified for the UEFA Champions League in the 1998–99 season. After first spell in HJK, Riihilahti then moved to Norway's Vålerenga I.F. for the 1999 season.
After two seasons in Norway, he joined England's Crystal Palace in 2001, eventually becoming a fans' favourite at the club. In Palace's 2004–05 Premier League season he showed he has what it takes to play in one of Europe's top leagues. Riihilahti was so loved by the Crystal Palace faithful that a Finnish flag with the legend 'AKI 15' across the centre was hung behind one of the Selhurst Park goals for the entire Premier League season. However, his next season, back in the Championship, following Palace's relegation, was not so successful because injuries limited his chances. Despite not playing for most of his last season with Palace, Riihilahti has a place in club Hall of Fame as he holds the club record for gaining the most caps for his country whilst at Palace.
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