Luka Kuittinen
| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | Luka Valtteri Kuittinen[1] | ||
| Date of birth | 29 March 2003 | ||
| Place of birth | Rovaniemi, Finland | ||
| Height | 1.90 m (6 ft 3 in) | ||
| Position(s) | Centre back | ||
| Team information | |||
Current team | Inter Turku | ||
| Number | 22 | ||
| Youth career | |||
| RoPS | |||
| TP-47 | |||
| –2020 | RoPS | ||
| Senior career* | |||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) |
| 2020 | RoPS II | 11 | (1) |
| 2021 | RoPS | 29 | (3) |
| 2022– | Inter Turku | 61 | (4) |
| 2022–2024 | Inter Turku II | 11 | (2) |
| 2023 | → SalPa (loan) | 4 | (0) |
| International career‡ | |||
| 2021 | Finland U19 | 1 | (0) |
| 2025 | Finland U21 | 2 | (0) |
|
*Club domestic league appearances and goals, correct as of 25 May 2025 ‡ National team caps and goals, correct as of 25 March 2024 | |||
Luka Valtteri Kuittinen (born 29 March 2003) is a Finnish professional football defender for Veikkausliiga club Inter Turku.[2]
Club career
[edit]Born in Rovaniemi, Kuittinen started football in a youth sector of a local club Rovaniemen Palloseura (RoPS). He made a senior debut with the club's reserve team in third-tier Kakkonen in the 2020 season. Next season, he played for RoPS first team in the second-tier Ykkönen, but was released after the season among other players due to club's financial problems which caused RoPS to be demoted to Kakkonen.[3]
On 26 December 2021, he signed a three-year deal with Veikkausliiga club Inter Turku. Kuittinen debuted in the league in the 2022 season, and scored his first league goal on 7 June 2024, in a 2–0 away win against Lahti.[4] He was named in the Veikkausliiga Team of the Month in June 2024.[5] On 12 September 2024, he signed a two-year contract extension with Inter.[6]
International career
[edit]Kuittinen has represented Finland U19 national team on one occasion in 2021.[7]
In the late August 2024, Kuittinen received his first call-up to the Finland U21 national team.[8]
Career statistics
[edit]- As of 25 May 2025[9]
| Club | Season | League | Cup[a] | League cup | Europe | Total | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Division | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | ||
| RoPS II | 2020 | Kakkonen | 11 | 1 | 3 | 1 | – | – | 14 | 2 | ||
| RoPS | 2021 | Ykkönen | 29 | 3 | 4 | 0 | – | – | 33 | 3 | ||
| Inter Turku II | 2022 | Kolmonen | 4 | 0 | – | – | – | 4 | 0 | |||
| 2023 | Kolmonen | 5 | 1 | – | – | – | 5 | 1 | ||||
| 2024 | Kakkonen | 2 | 1 | – | – | – | 2 | 1 | ||||
| Total | 11 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 11 | 2 | ||
| Inter Turku | 2022 | Veikkausliiga | 18 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 1[b] | 0 | 24 | 0 |
| 2023 | Veikkausliiga | 13 | 0 | 3 | 1 | 6 | 1 | – | 22 | 2 | ||
| 2024 | Veikkausliiga | 23 | 3 | 6 | 0 | 4 | 0 | – | 33 | 3 | ||
| 2025 | Veikkausliiga | 7 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 6 | 0 | – | 14 | 1 | ||
| Total | 61 | 4 | 12 | 1 | 18 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 92 | 6 | ||
| SalPa (loan) | 2023 | Ykkönen | 4 | 0 | – | – | – | 4 | 0 | |||
| Career total | 121 | 10 | 20 | 2 | 18 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 160 | 13 | ||
- ^ Includes Suomen Cup
- ^ Appearance(s) in UEFA Conference League
Honours
[edit]RoPS
- Ykkönen runner-up: 2021
Inter Turku
- Finnish Cup runner-up: 2022, 2024
- Finnish League Cup: 2024, 2025
- Finnish League Cup runner-up: 2022
References
[edit]- ^ Karkaamisesta tuomittu Onni Valakari valittiin Urheilukouluun, Helsingin Sanomat, 26 May 2025
- ^ Luka Kuittinen hakee seuraavaa askelta Interissä - "Fiilikset ovat hyvät, odottavaiset ja vapautuneet", Veikkausliiga, 26 December 2021
- ^ Ammattilaisjoukkue meni ja sureva fani laski RoPSille kynttilän – pelaajalupaus Luka Kuittinen: "Ei voi kuin olla kiitollinen ja pahoillaan", Yle, 10 December 2021
- ^ Kuittinen osui vihdoin hyökkäyspäässäkin, Itä-Häme, 7 June 2024
- ^ Luka Kuittinen Veikkausliigan kesäkuun joukkueessa, fcinter.fi
- ^ Luka Kuittinen jatkaa Interissä kahden vuoden sopimuksella, fcinter.fi, 12 September 2024
- ^ RoPSin Luka Kuittinen sai mieluisana yllätyksenä kutsun ensimmäiseen maajoukkueleiritykseensä – myös Otto Kemppainen on U19-joukkueessa, Lapin Kansa, 30 August 2021
- ^ RoPS-kasvatti Luka Kuittinen pääsi ensimmäistä kertaa Pikkuhuuhkajiin – EM-karsinnoissa mukana myös Miska Ylitolva ja Jussi Niska, Lapin Kansa, 28 August 2024
- ^ Tulospalvelu Palloliitto, L.Kuittinen, Finnish FA/ Palloliitto
External links
[edit]- Luka Kuittinen at Soccerway
- Luka Kuittinen at WorldFootball.net
- Luka Kuittinen at Football Association of Finland
- Living people
- 2003 births
- Finnish men's footballers
- 21st-century Finnish sportsmen
- Men's association football defenders
- Kakkonen players
- Ykkönen players
- Veikkausliiga players
- TP-47 players
- Rovaniemen Palloseura players
- FC Inter Turku players
- Salon Palloilijat players
- Finland men's youth international footballers
- Kolmonen players
- Finland men's under-21 international footballers
- Footballers from Rovaniemi