Essi Sainio

Essi Sainio
	Playing for Turbine Potsdam
Personal information
Full name	Essi Katriina Sainio
Date of birth	9 September 1986 (age 38)
Place of birth	Helsinki, Finland
Height	1.68 m (5 ft 6 in)
Position(s)	Winger, Fullback,
Team information
Current team	HJK
Number	19
Youth career
	FC Kasiysi Espoo
	FC Espoo
	FC Honka
Senior career*
Years	Team
2002-2003	FC Espoo
2004	MPS Helsinki
2004-2005	FC Honka
2005–2006	HJK
2006–2009	Turbine Potsdam
2009–2010	AIK
2010–2012	Freiburg
2015-	HJK
International career‡
2006–	Finland
	*Club domestic league appearances and goals, correct as of 20:10, 8 November 2020 (UTC); ‡ National team caps and goals, correct as of 2020-10-27

Essi Katriina Sainio (born 9 September 1986) is a Finnish footballer, who is currently plays for HJK in Finland. She played for SC Freiburg of Germany's Frauen-Bundesliga before having a few years break due personal reasons . She previously played for Turbine Potsdam in Germany and for AIK of the Swedish Damallsvenskan. Sainio began her senior career with Naisten Liiga clubs FC Honka and HJK in her home country. Since making her debut in 2006, Sainio won 45 caps and scored three goals for the Finland women's national football team. A winger who can also play as a full-back,^[4] she was part of the Finnish team which hosted UEFA Women's Euro 2009 and reached the quarter-finals.

Club career

Her career began at the age of nine years at FC Kasiysi Espoo. She then moved to FC Espoo and FC Honka Espoo and arrived at HJK Helsinki in 2005.

Her transfer from the German Frauen-Bundesliga team 1. FFC Turbine Potsdam to the Swedish Damallsvenskan club AIK was announced in May 2009. At AIK Sainio made seven appearances and scored one goal before suffering an anterior cruciate ligament injury in 2010. She was allowed to move back to Germany with SC Freiburg in July 2010.^[5]

Sainio made her debut in the Finnish national team on 5 June 2006 against Belgium. A few weeks later she signed a three-year deal with the then German champion 1. FFC Turbine Potsdam. During the 2006 FIFA U-20 Women's World Championship in Russia, she suffered a fracture of her middle foot.^[6] She then suffered the same fracture in March 2007 at the Algarve Cup^[7] and again in July 2007 at the Nordic Cup.^[8]

National coach Michael Käld selected Sainio in the squad for UEFA Women's Euro 2009, which Finland were hosting. She started the 3–2 quarter-final defeat by England, but was substituted for Annica Sjölund early in the second half.^[9]

^ "2009 UEFA European Women's Championship Match Press Kit" (PDF). UEFA. 24 August 2009. p. 5. Retrieved 13 September 2014.
^ "Finland – Squad List". FIFA. Retrieved 13 September 2014.
^ Pietarinen, Heikki (24 April 2014). "Finland – Women International Player Records". Rec.Sport.Soccer Statistics Foundation. Retrieved 13 September 2014.
^ "Essi Sainio". Uefa.com. UEFA. 10 September 2009. Archived from the original on 13 September 2014. Retrieved 13 September 2014.
^ "AIK-spelare till Tyskland" (in Swedish). Damfotboll.com. 30 July 2010. Retrieved 13 September 2014.
^ "Nigeria jostle for position with past finalists". FIFA. 22 August 2006. Retrieved 13 September 2014. this boost is offset by the sad news that another of their star players, Essi Sainio, has been flown home after suffering a broken metatarsal in the 2–0 defeat
^ Lieberum, Volker. "Leichte Aufgabe für Schweden" (7 March 2007). FanSoccer.de (in German). Retrieved 13 September 2014.
^ Bieneck, Nadine (19 July 2007). "Essi Sainio mit erneuter Fußverletzung" (in German). 1. FFC Turbine Potsdam. Retrieved 13 September 2014.
^ "England Women 3 Finland Women 2: match report". The Daily Telegraph. 3 September 2009. Retrieved 13 September 2014.

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