Ilmari Niskanen
| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | Ilmari Matias Niskanen[1] | ||
| Date of birth | 27 October 1997 | ||
| Place of birth | Kiuruvesi, Finland | ||
| Height | 1.77 m (5 ft 10 in)[2] | ||
| Position(s) | |||
| Team information | |||
Current team | Exeter City | ||
| Number | 14 | ||
| Youth career | |||
| Kiuruveden Palloilijat[4] | |||
| –2013 | PK-37 | ||
| Senior career* | |||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) |
| 2013–2020 | KuPS | 154 | (18) |
| 2013 | → PK-37 (loan) | 22 | (9) |
| 2014 | → KuFu-98 | 7 | (0) |
| 2014 | → PK-37 (loan) | 1 | (0) |
| 2017 | → KuFu-98 | 1 | (1) |
| 2020–2021 | FC Ingolstadt | 20 | (0) |
| 2021–2023 | Dundee United | 53 | (2) |
| 2023– | Exeter City | 112 | (4) |
| International career‡ | |||
| Finland U17 | |||
| 2015 | Finland U19[2] | 3 | (0) |
| 2017–2018 | Finland U21 | 6 | (0) |
| 2020– | Finland | 23 | (1) |
|
* Club domestic league appearances and goals as of 17:51, 21 March 2026 (UTC) ‡ National team caps and goals as of 17 November 2024 | |||
Ilmari Matias Niskanen (born 27 October 1997) is a Finnish professional footballer who plays as a left winger and wing back for EFL League One club Exeter City and the Finland national team.[5]
Club career
Born in Kiuruvesi,[2] Niskanen spent his youth years with PK-37 in Iisalmi, before starting his professional career in 2013 in a nearby town Kuopio with Kuopion Palloseura (KuPS).[6] In the 2019 Veikkausliiga season, Niskanen helped the club to win its first Finnish championship title in 43 years.[7] He was also named the Veikkausliiga Player of the Month in August 2019[8] and in July 2020.[3]
In September 2020, Niskanen signed for German club FC Ingolstadt for a transfer fee of €350,000.[9][10]
In August 2021, Niskanen had a transfer to Scottish Premiership club Dundee United, which was initially delayed due to work permit issues,[11] before eventually completing on 20 August 2021.[12] The transfer fee was reported to be €350,000.[13]
On 15 August 2023, Niskanen signed for League One club Exeter City for an undisclosed fee.[14] On 29 April 2024, Niskanen was named the Exeter City Community Champion in the club's end of season awards.[15] On 15 May 2024, his deal was extended until June 2026.[16] He was named the Exeter City Player of the Month in October 2024.[17] At the end of the 2024–25 season, Niskanen received an award from Exeter City's supporters for his extensive interaction in the fan-zone area throughout the season.[18]
International career
Niskanen represented Finland at under-17, under-19 and under-21 youth levels,[19] before making his senior international debut in 2020.[20]
On 10 September 2024, in a 2024–25 UEFA Nations League B away match against England, Niskanen was humiliated by the national team head coach Markku Kanerva, by substituting him in for the second half to a wrong position for his expertise. Later Finland conceded goals directly due to Niskanen's errors and eventually lost the game 2–0.[21][22][23]
Personal life
On 19 February 2025, it was reported that Niskanen had been caught by English police while driving under the influence of alcohol earlier in February.[24] On 24 February, he was fined £2,885 and banned from driving for 18 months, by the Exeter Magistrates Court.[25]
Career statistics
Club
- As of match played 21 March 2026[19]
| Club | Season | League | National cup[a] | League cup[b] | Continental | Other | Total | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Division | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | ||
| KuPS | 2013 | Veikkausliiga | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | — | 1 | 0 | ||
| 2014 | Veikkausliiga | 4 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | — | 4 | 1 | |||
| 2015 | Veikkausliiga | 20 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | — | 21 | 1 | |||
| 2016 | Veikkausliiga | 25 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | — | 26 | 0 | |||
| 2017 | Veikkausliiga | 32 | 1 | 6 | 2 | — | — | — | 38 | 3 | ||||
| 2018 | Veikkausliiga | 33 | 4 | 6 | 4 | — | 2[c] | 0 | — | 41 | 8 | |||
| 2019 | Veikkausliiga | 26 | 5 | 5 | 1 | — | 4[c] | 0 | — | 35 | 6 | |||
| 2020 | Veikkausliiga | 13 | 6 | 5 | 1 | — | 2[d] | 0 | — | 20 | 7 | |||
| Total | 154 | 18 | 24 | 8 | 0 | 0 | 8 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 186 | 26 | ||
| PK-37 (loan) | 2013 | Kakkonen | 22 | 9 | 2 | 0 | — | — | — | 24 | 9 | |||
| KuFu-98 (loan) | 2014 | Kakkonen | 7 | 0 | – | — | — | — | 7 | 0 | ||||
| 2015 | Kolmonen | 0 | 0 | — | — | — | 1[e] | 0 | 1 | 0 | ||||
| Total | 7 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 8 | 0 | ||
| PK-37 (loan) | 2014 | Kakkonen | 1 | 0 | — | — | — | — | 1 | 0 | ||||
| KuFu-98 (loan) | 2017 | Kakkonen | 1 | 1 | — | — | — | — | 1 | 1 | ||||
| FC Ingolstadt | 2020–21 | 3. Liga | 20 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | — | — | 20 | 0 | |||
| 2021–22 | 2. Bundesliga | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | — | — | — | 1 | 0 | ||||
| Total | 20 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 21 | 0 | ||
| Dundee United | 2021–22[26] | Scottish Premiership | 33 | 1 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | — | 36 | 1 | ||
| 2022–23[27] | Scottish Premiership | 20 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2[f] | 0 | — | 24 | 1 | ||
| 2023–24[28] | Scottish Championship | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | — | — | 1 | 0 | |||
| Total | 53 | 2 | 5 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 61 | 2 | ||
| Exeter City | 2023–24[28] | League One | 33 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | — | 1[g] | 0 | 35 | 0 | |
| 2024–25[29] | League One | 40 | 2 | 3 | 0 | 1 | 0 | — | 1[g] | 0 | 45 | 2 | ||
| 2025–26[30] | League One | 39 | 2 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | 3[g] | 0 | 45 | 2 | ||
| Total | 112 | 4 | 6 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 5 | 0 | 125 | 4 | ||
| Career total | 370 | 34 | 38 | 8 | 3 | 0 | 10 | 0 | 6 | 0 | 427 | 42 | ||
- ^ Includes Suomen Cup, DFB-Pokal, Scottish Cup and FA Cup
- ^ Includes Finnish League Cup, Scottish League Cup and EFL League Cup
- ^ a b Appearances in UEFA Europa League
- ^ One appearance in the UEFA Champions League and one appearance in UEFA Europa League
- ^ Appearance(s) in UEFA Regions' Cup
- ^ Appearances in UEFA Europa Conference League
- ^ a b c Appearance(s) in EFL Trophy
International
- As of match played 17 November 2024
| National team | Year | Apps | Goals |
|---|---|---|---|
| Finland | 2020 | 6 | 1 |
| 2021 | 1 | 0 | |
| 2022 | 6 | 0 | |
| 2023 | 3 | 0 | |
| 2024 | 7 | 0 | |
| Total | 23 | 1 | |
- Finland score listed first, score column indicates score after each Niskanen goal[20]
| No. | Date | Venue | Cap | Opponent | Score | Result | Competition | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 7 October 2020 | Stadion Gdańsk, Gdańsk, Poland | 2 | Poland | 1–3 | 1–5 | Friendly | [31] |
Honours
KuPS
- Veikkausliiga: 2019[19]
- Veikkausliiga runner-up: 2017[19]
- Finnish Cup runner-up: 2013[19]
Individual
- Veikkausliiga Player of the Month: August 2019,[8] July 2020[3]
- Exeter City: ECCT PFA Community Champion 2023–24[15]
- Exeter City Player of the Month: October 2024[17]
References
- ^ "Club list of registered players: As at 17th May 2025" (PDF). English Football League. Retrieved 1 July 2025.
- ^ a b c "Ilmari Niskanen". worldfootball.net. Retrieved 26 September 2020.
- ^ a b c "KuPS:n Ilmari Niskanen kuukauden pelaajaksi". www.veikkausliiga.com (in Finnish).
- ^ "Ilmari Niskanen pelasi taas täydet minuutit – sai 20 maaottelua täyteen". kiuruvesilehti.fi (in Finnish). 10 June 2024.
- ^ "Tilastot | Niskanen, Ilmari" (in Finnish). Veikkausliiga. Retrieved 11 July 2020.
- ^ "Tulospalvelu Palloliitto" (in Finnish). Finnish FA.
- ^ "Tässä on Veikkausliigan kauden 2019 mestarijoukkue! IS esittelee kulta-KuPSin pelaaja pelaajalta". Ilta-Sanomat (in Finnish). 19 October 2019.
- ^ a b "Ilmari Niskanen Veikkausliigan kuukauden pelaaja". JPY (in Finnish). 11 September 2019.
- ^ "Ilmari Niskanen kommt auf die Schanz". fcingolstadt.de (in German).
- ^ Nordström, Joakim (23 September 2021). ""On aina valtava kunnia päästä edustamaan Suomea": Ilmari Niskanen uskoo pääsevänsä takaisin Huuhkajien vahvuuteen piakkoin". suomifutis.com (in Finnish).
- ^ Woodger, Calum (16 August 2021). "EXCLUSIVE: Work permit holding up Ilmari Niskanen transfer as Dundee United agree deal for Finnish winger". The Courier.
- ^ "Dundee United sign internationals Dylan Levitt & Ilmari Niskanen". BBC Sport. 20 August 2021.
- ^ Nordström, Joakim (23 September 2021). ""On aina valtava kunnia päästä edustamaan Suomea": Ilmari Niskanen uskoo pääsevänsä takaisin Huuhkajien vahvuuteen piakkoin". suomifutis.com (in Finnish).
- ^ "Exeter sign Niskanen from Dundee United". BBC Sport. 15 August 2023. Retrieved 15 August 2023.
- ^ a b "23/24 Awards: The Winners". exetercityfc.co.uk. 29 April 2024.
- ^ "Ilmari Niskanen pens contract extension". exetercityfc.co.uk. 15 May 2024.
- ^ a b "Ilmari Niskanen Named Your RGB Recruitment Player Of The Month!". exetercityfc.co.uk. 4 November 2024.
- ^ "Ilmari Niskasella loistopäivä – palkinto, maali ja voitto". Etelä-Suomen Sanomat (in Finnish). 26 April 2025.
- ^ a b c d e Ilmari Niskanen at Soccerway. Retrieved 20 August 2021.
- ^ a b c "Ilmari Niskanen". National Football Teams. Benjamin Strack-Zimmermann. Retrieved 20 August 2021.
- ^ "Huuhkajatuomio: Suomen floppipelaajaa nöyryytettiin Lontoon illassa". Ilta-Sanomat (in Finnish). 11 September 2024.
- ^ "Englanti rankaisi Huuhkajia vaihtopelaajan virheistä – asiantuntija tyrmäsi Markku Kanervan perustelut". Yle (in Finnish). 11 September 2024.
- ^ ""Immulla oli vähän vaikeuksia" – Markku Kanerva perusteli Ilmari Niskasen vaihtoa Ylelle". suomifutis.com (in Finnish). 11 September 2024.
- ^ "Maajoukkueessa pelannut Ilmari Niskanen jäi kiinni rattijuopumuksesta Englannissa". Yle. 19 February 2025.
- ^ "Exeter City footballer says he'll take a bus to training after being banned from driving". ITV.com. 24 February 2025.
- ^ "Games played by Ilmari Niskanen in 2021/2022". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 25 August 2023.
- ^ "Games played by Ilmari Niskanen in 2022/2023". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 25 August 2023.
- ^ a b "Games played by Ilmari Niskanen in 2023/2024". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 25 August 2023.
- ^ "Games played by Ilmari Niskanen in 2024/2025". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 10 September 2024.
- ^ "Games played by Ilmari Niskanen in 2025/2026". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 13 August 2025.
- ^ "Poland 5-1 Finland (7 Oct, 2020) Final Score". ESPN. Retrieved 2023-08-15.