Alex Ciriaco

Alex Manuel Ciriaco Somero (born 21 March 2004) is a footballer who plays as a centre-back for Ykkönen club JJK. Born in Finland, he represents the Dominican Republic internationally.

Ilves
Ciriaco played in a youth of sector of Ylöjärven Ilves in Ylöjärvi, before moving to Tampere and joining Ilves youth academy in 2017. He debuted in senior level on 19 February 2022 with Ilves first team, as a substitute in a pre-season Finnish League Cup loss against FC Lahti. Since the beginning of the 2022 season, he has played for the reserve team Ilves II in third-tier level Kakkonen, along with Ilves U19 youth team.

JJK Jyväskylä
On 23 February 2024, Ciriaco joined Ykkönen club JJK.

International career
Ciriaco represented Dominican Republic U20 team in the 2023 FIFA U-20 World Cup, playing in all three group stage matches, but eventually the team was knocked out of the competition. He was also part of the Dominican Republic U23 squad in the 2023 Pan American Games, playing in three games and scoring once against Honduras.

Ciriaco was named in the Dominican Republic senior national team squad for 2023–24 CONCACAF Nations League matches in September and October 2023, but he remained an unused substitute.

Personal life
Ciriaco was born in Finland to Finnish mother and to father from the Dominican Republic. He holds a dual Finnish–Dominican Republic citizenship. His older brother Eduard Ciriaco is also a footballer, playing as a defender for JJK Jyväskylä in Finland.