Arajuuri will play his last match in October.
Paulus Arajuuri became a cult player of Huuhkajie. He participated in the European Championships in the summer of 2021. Jussi Eskola
Huuhkajie’s many-year credit player and this season represented HIFK in Ykkösen Paulus Arajuuri35, will retire this season.
HIFK informed about it on their website on Thursday. The Helsinki club will honor Arajuure’s career with a farewell match on October 2nd, when IFK meets MP on their home field.
The last match of his career will be Ykkönen’s final round match against SJK Academy in Seinäjoki on October 7.
– The decision to end my career has come little by little over the course of the season. There have been an awful lot of pains, and even though I have been able to play a lot and playing minutes have accumulated, it hasn’t felt the same in training anymore. I haven’t been able to give my all every day.
– However, the purpose is that even after your career you would be able to walk and enjoy a normal life. With this, I have come to have a strong feeling that now is the right time to end this journey, says Arajuuri in HIFK’s press release.
Arajuuri came to the public’s consciousness only later in his life in the A national team. He became a key player for Huhkajie after Markku Kanerva started as head coach in 2016.
The national team debut at the men’s level was already seen in 2010. The bony topper wowed the audience with, among other things, his ventilations after great sliding tackles.
Warm thanks
Arajuuri was at the peak of his career when Huuhkajat grabbed a historic place in the prestigious competition in 2019. He played in every match for Finland at the European Championships in the summer of 2021. A total of 58 national team matches were accumulated.
On domestic courts, in addition to HIFK, he represented FC Honka, FC Espoo, HJK and IFK Mariehamn.
2010 Arajuuri moved to Kalmar, Sweden. From there the road led to Lech Poznan in Poland, Bröndbyhy in Denmark and Pafos and Anorthosis in Cyprus.
In Poznan, he was winning the Polish championship in the 2014–15 season. The Danish championship came in Bröndby in 2017–18.
– I got to experience so much more in my career than I ever thought I would get to experience. I have often had the fear, after being in and out of the world for so long, that I will be separated from home, family or friends. However, they have been side by side until the end.
– I want to thank my family and best friends as well as my dear teammates, coaches, club employees, supporters, stadium workers and everyone with whom I have been able to work. As I mentioned before, there are so many people and a big community involved. I want to thank everyone who has made this trip possible – I am grateful in many ways.
Paulus Arajuuri played his last international match in November 2021. Jussi Eskola