Toni-Pekka Lehtinen (born 5 May 1984) is a Finnish football manager and former player. He is currently an assistant coach of Seinäjoen Jalkapallokerho (SJK).[2][3] Lehtinen was previously the manager of JJK Jyväskylä.

Toni Lehtinen
Personal information
Full name Toni-Pekka Lehtinen
Date of birth (1984-05-05) 5 May 1984 (age 40)
Place of birth Helsinki, Finland[1]
Height 1.82 m (5 ft 11+12 in)
Position(s) Striker
Team information
Current team
SJK (manager)
Youth career
0000–2000 TP-Seinäjoki
2000–2002 Peterborough
Senior career*
Years Team Apps (Gls)
2002–2003 TP-Seinäjoki 19 (3)
2003–2008 Haka 130 (50)
2009 Levadiakos 9 (0)
2009–2010 Aarau 8 (0)
2010 Haka 6 (1)
2011 IFK Mariehamn 30 (7)
2012−2016 SJK 117 (39)
2015–2017 SJK II 10 (5)
Total 329 (105)
International career
2004–2008 Finland 4 (0)
Managerial career
2017 SJK Akatemia (player-coach)
2017-2018 SJK (assistant)
2018-2019 SJK Akatemia (assistant)
2020 SJK U19
2021 SJK Akatemia
2021 SJK (assistant)
2021–2023 JJK
2024 SJK
2024– SJK (assistant)
*Club domestic league appearances and goals

Playing career

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Early career

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Lehtinen has previously played for TP-Seinäjoki and was a youth player at English club Peterborough United. He returned to TP-Seinäjoki in 2002.

FC Haka

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Toni signed for FC Haka in 2003. He won the Veikkausliiga in 2004 and finished runners up in 2007. He finished as the second highest scorer in the Veikkausliiga in 2004, 2007 and 2008 with 11 league goals in each of those seasons. He won the Veikkausliiga Rookie of the Year award in 2004. He won the Finnish Cup in 2005.

Levadiakos FC, FC Aarau

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He joined the Greek club Levadiakos FC in the Super League Greece in January 2009,[4] and joined FC Aarau in the Swiss Super League later that year after the Greek season had ended.

Return to Finland

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He returned to FC Haka after the 09/10 season with FC Aarau had finished. Signed for IFK Mariehamn in January 2011.

After only one season with IFK, he left the Mariehamn-based club and signed a five-year contract with SJK in Ykkönen.

International career

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Toni made his debut for the Finnish national team against Bahrain in December 2004. He has made 3 appearances for his country.

Coaching career

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The last years of his playing career, Lehtinen was in SJK Akatemia squad on a player-coach contract. He worked as an assistant coach and youth coach in SJK organisation, before he was named the head coach of JJK Jyväskylä in August 2021.[5]

On 12 January 2024, Lehtinen returned to Seinäjoki after he was named the manager of SJK first team.[6][7]

Career statistics

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As of 15 May 2024.[8]
Appearances and goals by club, season and competition
Club Season League National cup[a] League Cup[b] Continental Total
Division Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals
TP-Seinäjoki 2002 Ykkönen 19 3 0 0
Haka 2003 Veikkausliiga 7 0 0 0 1[c] 0 8 0
2004 Veikkausliiga 26 11 0 0 3[c] 0 29 11
2005 Veikkausliiga 23 8 1 0 3[d] 1 27 9
2006 Veikkausliiga 23 9 0 0 2 0 25 9
2007 Veikkausliiga 25 11 0 0 4[c] 1 29 12
2008 Veikkausliiga 26 11 2 0 4[c] 1 32 12
Total 130 50 3 0 0 0 17 3 150 53
Levadiakos 2008–09 Super League Greece 9 0 0 0 9 0
Aarau 2009–10 Swiss Super League 8 0 2 1 10 1
Aarau II 2009–10 2. Liga Interregional 2 1 2 1
Haka 2010 Veikkausliiga 6 1 6 1
IFK Mariehamn 2011 Veikkausliiga 30 7 2 2 32 9
SJK 2012 Ykkönen 21 13 1 1 22 14
2013 Ykkönen 25 10 25 10
2014 Veikkausliiga 30 8 0 0 3[e] 0 33 8
2015 Veikkausliiga 23 6 1 0 3[e] 0 2[f] 0 29 6
2016 Veikkausliiga 8 1 1 0 0 0 0 0 9 1
Total 107 41 3 1 6 0 2 0 52 10
SJK II 2015 Kakkonen 1 0 1 0
2016 Kolmonen 3 2 3 2
2017 Kolmonen 6 3 6 3
Total 10 5 10 5
Career total 321 108 10 4 6 0 19 3 356 115
  1. ^ Includes Suomen Cup and Iranian Hazfi Cup
  2. ^ Includes Finnish League Cup
  3. ^ a b c d Includes UEFA Cup
  4. ^ Includes UEFA Champions League
  5. ^ a b Includes Finnish League Cup
  6. ^ Includes UEFA Europa League

International

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As of match played 21 March 2024
Finland
Year Apps Goals
2004 2 0
2005 0 0
2006 0 0
2007 0 0
2008 2 0
Total 4 0

Honours

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As a player
Haka

SJK

Individual

  • Veikkausliiga Manager of the Month: April 2024

References

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  1. ^ Mina vänner 2011: Toni Lehtinen
  2. ^ Stevie Grieve kantaa jatkossa päävalmentajan titteliä, sjk.fi, 28 May 2024
  3. ^ "Seinäjoen Jalkapallokerhon päävalmentaja kaudella 2024 on Toni Lehtinen".
  4. ^ http://footballinfinland.wordpress.com/2008/11/21/toni-lehtinen-signs-for-levadiakos/ Toni Lehtinen signs for Levadiakos – Football in Finland-
  5. ^ Päävalmentaja Toni Lehtinen jättää JJK:n – siirtyy Veikkausliigaan, Keskisuomalainen, 30 November 2023
  6. ^ Seinäjoen Jalkapallokerhon päävalmentaja kaudella 2024 on Toni Lehtinen, sjk.fi, 12 January 2024
  7. ^ SJK aloittaa Veikkausliiga-kauden uuden valmentajan johdolla – Toni Lehtinen: ”Pääsy europeleihin realistinen tavoite”, Yle, 5 April 2024
  8. ^ Toni Lehtinen, Finnish FA
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