Niki Mäenpää joins Athens Kallithea FC

Athens Kallithea FC announce the acquisition of Finnish goalkeeper Niki Mäenpää on a free transfer following the expiration of his contract with HJK Helsinki.

Mäenpää, 40, is a former Finland international, who won the Finnish league championship with HJK in 2023, and previously played in Italy’s Serie A with Venezia, in the English Championship with Brighton & Hove and Bristol City, and in the Dutch Eredivisie with Willem II and VVV-Venlo.

Born in Espoo, Finland, Mäenpää came through the academies of local clubs FC Kasiysi and HJK Helsinki, and then moved abroad at the age of 18, joining the reserve side of RC Lens in France, before making his career breakthrough in the Netherlands.

In summer 2006, Mäenpää signed with FC Den Bosch in the Dutch second tier, making 67 league appearances over three seasons. Mäenpää‘s performances earned him a transfer to the Eredivisie with Willem II, where he made 18 league appearances over two seasons. After a season with AZ Alkmaar, Mäenpää cemented a starting role at VVV-Venlo, making 101 appearances over three seasons between the Eredivisie and the Eerste Divisie.

Mäenpää moved to England in July 2016, going on to make one appearance in three seasons at Brighton & Hove and 30 appearances in two seasons at Bristol City, plus a half-season stint at Stoke City without an appearance.

In February 2021, Mäenpää landed at Venezia FC, quickly taking over the starting job and helping the club win promotion to Serie A, making six regular season appearances and starting all five matches in the promotion playoffs. Mäenpää would follow with 16 appearances in the 2021/22 Serie A season.

Mäenpää returned to his homeland with HJK in August 2023. In the second half of the 2023 season, Mäenpää would make five appearances in HJK’s championship campaign, plus one UEFA Europa League appearance and six UEFA Conference League appearances. In 2024, Mäenpää made two league appearances and one UEFA Champions League qualifying appearance for the club.

In international play, Mäenpää earned 27 caps for Finland’s senior national team between 2008 and 2021.

Welcome, Niki.