Player Details

Name

Teemu Pukki

Height

5' 11"

Weight

165 lbs

Date of Birth

3.29.1990 (34)

Birthplace

Kotka, Finland

Position

Forward

Position Detail

Striker

Preferred Side

Centre

Footedness

Right

Roster Category

Senior

Player Category

Designated Player, International
Career Summary

The Finnish forward joined Minnesota United after five seasons with Norwich City. Pukki was a standout goal scorer in the English Premier League and the EFL Championship with Norwich. There, Pukki appeared in 210 matches, scoring 88 goals and recording 29 assists; his 88 goals scored would make him the fourth-all-time leading goal scorer in the club’s 120-year history. In his final season with Norwich City, he tallied 10 goals and eight assists through 3,054 minutes played across 43 overall matches. He made his professional debut at 15 years old with FC KTP during the Finnish Cup in June 2005. Pukki also had stints in three top soccer leagues (the German Bundesliga, Scottish Premiership and Danish Superliga) and two Spanish leagues (LaLiga 2 and Segunda Federación).

In his first season with the Loons, Pukki was the leading goal scorer of the 2023 season with 10 goals. Pukki scored his first MLS/MNUFC goal in his first start with Minnesota United against the Houston Dynamo on July 12, 2023. On October 7, 2023, he became the first Minnesota United player to score four goals in a single game since the club joined MLS in 2017. In the Leagues Cup tournament, Pukki played in all five matches and recorded two assists. 

Pukki is joined by his wife, Kirsikka, and two daughters, Olivia and Ella. They are expecting their third child in 2024.

INTERNATIONAL: Pukki is the all-time leading goal scorer for Finland with 39 goals through 118 appearances since his debut in 2009 and is second in appearances. The 33-year-old has also tallied 16 assists, two of which he tallied during the European Qualifiers in June 2023. He is teammates with midfielder Robin Lod.