Kai Meriluoto (born 2 January 2003) is a Finnish professional
footballer
A football player or footballer is a sportsperson who plays one of the different types of football. The main types of football are association football, American football, Canadian football, Australian rules football, Gaelic football, rugby lea ...
who plays as a
forward
Forward is a relative direction, the opposite of backward.
Forward may also refer to:
People
*Forward (surname)
Sports
* Forward (association football)
* Forward (basketball), including:
** Point forward
** Power forward (basketball)
** Smal ...
for
HJK Helsinki
Helsingin Jalkapalloklubi (), commonly known as HJK Helsinki (), or simply as HJK (), is a Finnish football club based in Helsinki. The club competes in Veikkausliiga, the top division of the Finnish football league system. Founded in 1907, the ...
.
Early life
Meriluoto was born in
Pori
Pori (; ; ) is a city in Finland and the regional capital of Satakunta. It is located on the west coast of the country, on the Gulf of Bothnia. The population of Pori is approximately , while the Pori sub-region, sub-region has a population of a ...
, Finland, to a
Japanese Catholic mother from
Hakodate
is a Cities of Japan, city and seaports of Japan, port located in Oshima Subprefecture, Hokkaido, Japan. It is the capital city of Oshima Subprefecture. As of January 31, 2024, the city had an estimated population of 239,813 with 138,807 househol ...
,
Hokkaido
is the list of islands of Japan by area, second-largest island of Japan and comprises the largest and northernmost prefectures of Japan, prefecture, making up its own list of regions of Japan, region. The Tsugaru Strait separates Hokkaidō fr ...
, and to a Finnish father. His parents met in 1989 when they both were studying in
Wisconsin
Wisconsin ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Great Lakes region, Great Lakes region of the Upper Midwest of the United States. It borders Minnesota to the west, Iowa to the southwest, Illinois to the south, Lake Michigan to the east, Michig ...
, US.
[Oletko aina syönyt sushia täysin väärin? Kai Meriluoto, 20, paljastaa nyt ”sisäpiirin” niksin]
Ilta-Sanomat
is one of Finland's two prominent tabloid-size evening newspapers and the largest paper in the country. Its counterpart and biggest rival is '' Iltalehti''.
According to the National Media Research done in 2019, ''Ilta-Sanomat'' is also the bi ...
, 5 April 2023 When he was a one-year-old, he moved to
Vienne, Isère
Vienne (; ) is a town in southeastern France, located south of Lyon, at the confluence of the Gère and the Rhône. It is the fourth-largest commune in the Isère department, of which it is a subprefecture alongside La Tour-du-Pin. Vienne w ...
, France, with his family and lived there for five years before returning to Finland. Meriluoto lived in
Shanghai
Shanghai, Shanghainese: , Standard Chinese pronunciation: is a direct-administered municipality and the most populous urban area in China. The city is located on the Chinese shoreline on the southern estuary of the Yangtze River, with the ...
, China, due to his father's work from when he was ten years old until he was twelve years old. He has dual citizenship of Finland and Japan, and he speaks Finnish, Japanese, French and English fluently. Meriluoto has an older brother, Aki, who is also a footballer and has played for
US Lesquin
Union Sportive Lesquin is a French association football team founded in 1920. They are based in Lesquin, Nord-Pas-de-Calais, France and are currently playing in the Championnat de France Amateurs Group A. They play at the Stade Jean-Pierre Papin i ...
at the semi-pro level in France.
Club career
Ilves (loan)
On 15 February 2022, Meriluoto joined
Veikkausliiga
Veikkausliiga () is a professional association football league in Finland and the highest level of the Finnish football league system. The league comprises the top 12 clubs of the country. Its main sponsor is the Finnish national betting agenc ...
club
Ilves
Tampereen Ilves, commonly known as Ilves, (; Finnish language, Finnish for "Eurasian lynx, Lynx") is a Finnish professional ice hockey team based in Tampere. They play in the Liiga at the Nokia Arena (Tampere), Nokia Arena.
The colors of Ilves, ...
on loan for the
2022
The year began with another wave in the COVID-19 pandemic, with SARS-CoV-2 Omicron variant, Omicron spreading rapidly and becoming the dominant variant of the SARS-CoV-2 virus worldwide. Tracking a decrease in cases and deaths, 2022 saw ...
season. He finished his first full season in the league scoring ten goals for the team. After the season, he returned to HJK.
Return to HJK
In April 2023, he extended his contract with
HJK until the end of 2025.
Stal Mielec (loan)
On 14 July 2023, Meriluoto joined Polish
Ekstraklasa
(; meaning "Extra Class" in Polish), officially known as PKO Bank Polski Ekstraklasa due to its Sponsor (commercial), sponsorship by PKO Bank Polski, is a professional association football league in Poland and the highest level of the Polish foo ...
side
Stal Mielec
FKS Stal Mielec, commonly known as Stal Mielec (), is a Polish professional football club based in Mielec. The team competes in the I liga, the second level of the Polish football league system.
The club was established on 10 April 1939. Histori ...
on a season-long loan, with an option to make the move permanent.
[ He scored his first Ekstraklasa goal on 18 September 2023, a header in a 4–2 home win against ]Zagłębie Lubin
Zagłębie Lubin S.A. () is a Polish professional association football, football club based in Lubin. Founded in 1945 as ''OMTUR Lubin'', the club competes in the Ekstraklasa.
History
The football team was founded in 1945 as OMTUR Lubin by lo ...
. On 9 December 2023, in a match against Cracovia, Meriluoto made a crucial impact after coming in from the bench, when his team was in a 2–0 losing position. He first scored the 2–1 goal on the 86th minute, and one minute later provided an assist to the equalizer. The game eventually ended in a 2–2 draw. During his loan stint, Meriluoto was mainly used as a late substitute, starting only two of his 23 Ekstraklasa appearances.
Return to HJK
After the 2023–24 season, he returned to HJK. On 13 December 2024, Meriluoto scored a decisive over-time goal for HJK, in a UEFA Conference League
The UEFA Conference League (UECL), usually known simply as the Conference League, is an annual football competition organised since 2021 by the Union of European Football Associations (UEFA) for eligible European football clubs. It is the thir ...
league phase match against Molde
Molde () is a List of towns and cities in Norway, town and the seat of Molde Municipality in Møre og Romsdal county, Norway. It is located in the Traditional districts of Norway, traditional district of Romsdal. It is located on the Romsdal Pen ...
, securing his side a point in a 2–2 draw.
Maribor (loan)
On 15 February 2025, Meriluoto joined Slovenian PrvaLiga
The Slovenian PrvaLiga (, ), currently named Prva liga Telemach due to sponsorship reasons, also known by the abbreviation 1. SNL, is the top level of the Slovenian football league system. Contested by ten clubs, it operates on a system of prom ...
club Maribor
Maribor ( , , ; also known by other #Name, historical names) is the List of cities and towns in Slovenia, second-largest city in Slovenia and the largest city of the traditional region of Styria (Slovenia), Lower Styria. It is the seat of the ...
on loan for the remainder of the 2024–25 season, with a deal including an option to buy. On 22 April, Meriluoto scored his first goals for Maribor by a brace, including a winning goal in a 2–1 win over Mura.
Personal life
Meriluoto is a religious
Religion is a range of social- cultural systems, including designated behaviors and practices, morals, beliefs, worldviews, texts, sanctified places, prophecies, ethics, or organizations, that generally relate humanity to supernatural ...
person. He is a teetotaller
Teetotalism is the practice of voluntarily abstaining from the consumption of alcohol, specifically in alcoholic drinks. A person who practices (and possibly advocates) teetotalism is called a teetotaler (US) or teetotaller (UK), or said to be ...
and has never drunk alcohol.[
]
Career statistics
Club
International
Honours
HJK
*Veikkausliiga
Veikkausliiga () is a professional association football league in Finland and the highest level of the Finnish football league system. The league comprises the top 12 clubs of the country. Its main sponsor is the Finnish national betting agenc ...
: 2020
The year 2020 was heavily defined by the COVID-19 pandemic, which led to global Social impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, social and Economic impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, economic disruption, mass cancellations and postponements of even ...
, 2023
Catastrophic natural disasters in 2023 included the Lists of 21st-century earthquakes, 5th-deadliest earthquake of the 21st century 2023 Turkey–Syria earthquakes, striking Turkey and Syria, leaving up to 62,000 people dead; Cyclone Freddy ...
*Finnish Cup
The Finnish Cup (; ) is Finland's main national cup competition in football. This yearly competition is open for all member clubs of the FA of Finland and has been played since 1955.
The winner qualifies for the UEFA Europa Conference League
...
: 2020
The year 2020 was heavily defined by the COVID-19 pandemic, which led to global Social impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, social and Economic impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, economic disruption, mass cancellations and postponements of even ...
*Finnish League Cup
The Finnish League Cup (in Finnish: ''Liigacup''), is a knock-out football competition contested annually during the pre-season in winter by teams from Veikkausliiga.
The competition is notably the only football competition in Europe which is most ...
: 2023
Klubi 04
*Kakkonen
Kakkonen or II divisioona is the fourth level in the league system of Finnish football and comprises 36 Finnish football teams. Until the end of 2023, ''Kakkonen'' was the third-highest level in Finland, but after the creation of new second-t ...
Group B: 2020
The year 2020 was heavily defined by the COVID-19 pandemic, which led to global Social impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, social and Economic impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, economic disruption, mass cancellations and postponements of even ...
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Meriluoto, Kai
2003 births
Finnish people of Japanese descent
Japanese people of Finnish descent
Living people
Finnish men's footballers
21st-century Finnish sportsmen
Finland men's youth international footballers
Finland men's international footballers
Men's association football forwards
Klubi 04 players
Helsingin Jalkapalloklubi players
Ilves (football) players
Stal Mielec players
NK Maribor players
Ykkönen players
Kakkonen players
Veikkausliiga players
Ekstraklasa players
Slovenian PrvaLiga players
Finnish expatriate men's footballers
Expatriate men's footballers in Poland
Finnish expatriate sportspeople in Poland
Expatriate men's footballers in Slovenia
Finnish expatriate sportspeople in Slovenia
Finland men's under-21 international footballers
Kyrkslätt Idrottsförening players