Toni Kolehmainen
Encyclopedia
Toni Kolehmainen is a Finnish
professional
football
midfielder
who currently plays for Turun Palloseura
.
He had previously played for AZ in Alkmaar
, Netherlands
. Kolehmainen also played in Blackburn Rovers
' youth academy during 2004-05.
' youth academy Toni returned to Finland to play for OLS Oulu. In 2006 he joined town rival AC Oulu
and helped the club gain promotion to the Veikkausliiga
. His play with AC Oulu
led to interest from Dutch Eredivisie club AZ Alkmaar who signed Kolehmainen in 2007. During his time with AZ he was primarily a member of the reserve squad. In 2008 he was promoted to the first team squad by Louis van Gaal
and made his debut in a 3-0 KNVB Cup
victory over Achilles '29
. Once the 2009 season concluded Kolehmainen did not exercise the option on his contract with AZ and returned to AC Oulu
for a brief stay.
Finland
Finland , officially the Republic of Finland, is a Nordic country situated in the Fennoscandian region of Northern Europe. It is bordered by Sweden in the west, Norway in the north and Russia in the east, while Estonia lies to its south across the Gulf of Finland.Around 5.4 million people reside...
professional
Professional
A professional is a person who is paid to undertake a specialised set of tasks and to complete them for a fee. The traditional professions were doctors, lawyers, clergymen, and commissioned military officers. Today, the term is applied to estate agents, surveyors , environmental scientists,...
football
Football (soccer)
Association football, more commonly known as football or soccer, is a sport played between two teams of eleven players with a spherical ball...
midfielder
Midfielder
A midfielder is an association football position. Some midfielders play a more defensive role, while others blur the boundaries between midfielders and forwards. The number of midfielders a team uses during a match may vary, depending on the team's formation and each individual player's role...
who currently plays for Turun Palloseura
Turun Palloseura
Turun Palloseura, TPS for short and nicknamed Tepsi, is a Finnish football club based in Turku. The club was founded in 1922. TPS currently play in the Veikkausliiga, the highest level of Finnish football. They play their home matches at the 9,372 seater Veritas Stadion, Turku.-History:FC TPS Turku...
.
He had previously played for AZ in Alkmaar
Alkmaar
Alkmaar is a municipality and a city in the Netherlands, in the province of Noord Holland. Alkmaar is well known for its traditional cheese market. For tourists, it is a popular cultural destination.-History:...
, Netherlands
Netherlands
The Netherlands is a constituent country of the Kingdom of the Netherlands, located mainly in North-West Europe and with several islands in the Caribbean. Mainland Netherlands borders the North Sea to the north and west, Belgium to the south, and Germany to the east, and shares maritime borders...
. Kolehmainen also played in Blackburn Rovers
Blackburn Rovers F.C.
Blackburn Rovers Football Club is an English professional association football club based in the town of Blackburn, Lancashire. The team currently competes in the Premier League, the top tier of English football....
' youth academy during 2004-05.
Career
After ending his stay with Blackburn RoversBlackburn Rovers F.C.
Blackburn Rovers Football Club is an English professional association football club based in the town of Blackburn, Lancashire. The team currently competes in the Premier League, the top tier of English football....
' youth academy Toni returned to Finland to play for OLS Oulu. In 2006 he joined town rival AC Oulu
AC Oulu
AC Oulu is a Finnish football club, based in Oulu. The club's coach is Juha Malinen, and it plays its home matches at Raatin Stadion.-History :...
and helped the club gain promotion to the Veikkausliiga
Veikkausliiga
Veikkausliiga is the premier division of Finnish football, comprising the top 12 clubs of the country. Veikkausliiga is currently ranked as the 28th best league in Europe. Its main sponsor is the Finnish national betting agency Veikkaus, hence the league's name...
. His play with AC Oulu
AC Oulu
AC Oulu is a Finnish football club, based in Oulu. The club's coach is Juha Malinen, and it plays its home matches at Raatin Stadion.-History :...
led to interest from Dutch Eredivisie club AZ Alkmaar who signed Kolehmainen in 2007. During his time with AZ he was primarily a member of the reserve squad. In 2008 he was promoted to the first team squad by Louis van Gaal
Louis van Gaal
Aloysius Paulus Maria "Louis" van Gaal OON is a Dutch football manager formerly in charge of Ajax, Netherlands, Barcelona, AZ and Bayern Munich...
and made his debut in a 3-0 KNVB Cup
KNVB Cup 2008-09
The KNVB Cup 2008–09 was the 91st season of the Dutch national football knockout tournament. The defending champions were Feyenoord. The competition started on August 30, 2008 and ended with sc Heerenveen winning the Final in Rotterdam on May 17, 2009.-Clubs:...
victory over Achilles '29
Achilles '29
Achilles '29 is a football club from Groesbeek, the Netherlands. The club, which was founded in 1929, is currently playing in the Topklasse.- Current squad :...
. Once the 2009 season concluded Kolehmainen did not exercise the option on his contract with AZ and returned to AC Oulu
AC Oulu
AC Oulu is a Finnish football club, based in Oulu. The club's coach is Juha Malinen, and it plays its home matches at Raatin Stadion.-History :...
for a brief stay.