Jimi Tauriainen

Finnish footballer (born 2004)
Jimi Tauriainen
Personal information
Full name Jimi Weikko Tauriainen[1]
Date of birth (2004-03-08) 8 March 2004 (age 20)
Place of birth Helsinki, Finland[1]
Height 1.88 m (6 ft 2 in)[1]
Position(s) Midfielder, forward
Team information
Current team
 Chelsea
Number 49
Youth career
2009–2016 FC Wild
2016–2020 HJK
2020–2024 Chelsea
Senior career*
Years Team Apps (Gls)
2024– Chelsea 0 (0)
International career
2019 Finland U15 3 (2)
2019 Finland U16 6 (4)
2022 Finland U18 2 (1)
2022 Finland U19 3 (0)
*Club domestic league appearances and goals, correct as of 5 March 2024

Jimi Weikko Tauriainen (born 8 March 2004) is a Finnish professional footballer who plays as a midfielder or forward for Premier League club Chelsea.

Club career

Born in Helsinki, Tauriainen began his footballing career with academy side FC Wild, a club his father had been involved in creating, at the age of five.[2][3] He joined professional outfit HJK in 2016, before trialling with Italian sides Juventus and Inter Milan, as well as English side Chelsea in 2020.[4][5]

In March 2020, shortly after his sixteenth birthday, HJK announced on their website that Tauriainen would join Chelsea in July of the same year, following his successful trial.[6] Initially a forward during his time in Finland, he was converted to a midfielder at Chelsea.[7]

He signed his first professional contract with The Blues on his seventeenth birthday, before extending this contract four months later, in July 2021.[8][9]

On 25 February 2024, Tauriainen was named in the Chelsea first team squad in the League Cup final against Liverpool but remained an unused substitute.[10] He made his senior debut three days later, coming on as a late substitute for Mykhailo Mudryk in the FA Cup fifth round match against Leeds United. [11]

International career

Tauriainen has represented Finland from under-15 to under-19 level.[1]

Personal life

Tauriainen hails from a footballing family; his father, Pasi, is a former international for Finland, while his brother, Julius, currently plays for Finnish side Lahti.[2] His uncles, Kimmo and Vesa, are also former footballers.[2]

Career statistics

Club

As of match played 28 February 2024[12]
Appearances and goals by club, season and competition
Club Season League FA Cup EFL Cup Europe Other Total
Division Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals
Chelsea U21 2022–23 — — — — 1[a] 0 1 0
Chelsea 2023–24 Premier League 0 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 0
Career total 0 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 2 0
  1. ^ Appearance in EFL Trophy

Honours

Chelsea

References

  1. ^ a b c d Jimi Tauriainen at WorldFootball.net
  2. ^ a b c "Suomalainen futislupaus solmi ammattilaissopimuksen Chelsean kanssa" [The Finnish football star signed a professional contract with Chelsea]. mtvuutiset.fi (in Finnish). 9 March 2021. Retrieved 28 December 2022.
  3. ^ Korvenkari, Mikko (29 April 2020). "RoPS-legenda Pasi Tauriainen hengittää yhä jalkapalloa – Juuri nyt silmäteränä ovat ammattilaiseksi siirtyvät omat pojat" [RoPS legend Pasi Tauriainen still breathes football – Right now, the focus is on his own sons who are turning professional]. lapinkansa.fi (in Finnish). Retrieved 28 December 2022. (subscription required)
  4. ^ Kinsella, Nizaar (10 March 2020). "Chelsea beat Juventus & Inter to sign 16-year-old Finland ace Tauriainen". goal.com. Retrieved 28 December 2022.
  5. ^ Chatterjee, Sayan (10 March 2020). "Jimi Tauriainen poses with Frank Lampard in Chelsea shirt as Blues reportedly seal move for Finnish starlet". tribuna.com. Retrieved 28 December 2022.
  6. ^ "HJK:n Jimi Tauriainen siirtyy Chelsean riveihin" [HJK's Jimi Tauriainen moves to Chelsea]. hjk-j.fi (in Finnish). 10 March 2020. Retrieved 28 December 2022.
  7. ^ "Jimi Tauriainen uudessa roolissa Chelseassa – "Koen, että vahvuuteni pääsevät esiin keskellä"" [Jimi Tauriainen in a new role at Chelsea - "I feel that my strengths come out in the middle"]. palloliitto.fi (in Finnish). 19 September 2022. Retrieved 28 December 2022.
  8. ^ Tuominen, Mico (9 March 2021). "Virallista! Hyökkääjälupaus Jimi Tauriainen solmi ammattilaissopimuksen Chelsean kanssa" [Official! Forward promise Jimi Tauriainen signed a professional contract with Chelsea]. valioliiga.com (in Finnish). Retrieved 28 December 2022.
  9. ^ Tuominen, Mico (7 July 2021). "Virallista! Hyökkääjälupaus Jimi Tauriainen, 17, allekirjoitti uuden sopimuksen Chelsean kanssa" [Official! Forward promise Jimi Tauriainen, 17, signed a new contract with Chelsea]. valioliiga.com (in Finnish). Retrieved 28 December 2022.
  10. ^ Jimi Tauriainen, 19, Chelsean vaihtopenkillä liigacupin finaalissa, Yle, 25 February 2024
  11. ^ "Match Report: Chelsea 3-2 Leeds". www.chelseafc.com. 2024-02-28. Retrieved 2024-02-28.
  12. ^ Jimi Tauriainen at Soccerway
  13. ^ McNulty, Phil (25 February 2024). "Carabao Cup final: Chelsea 0–1 Liverpool (aet)". BBC Sport. Retrieved 26 February 2024.

External links

  • Profile at the Chelsea F.C. website
  • v
  • t
  • e
Chelsea F.C. – current squad