Matti Peltola

Matti Peltola (born 3 July 2002) is a Finnish professional footballer who plays as midfielder and defender for Major League Soccer club D.C. United and the Finland national team.

Early life
Born in Espoo, Peltola started playing football in Belgium, where his family lived for a couple of years due to father's work. After returning to Finland, Peltola joined Keimolan Kaiku youth team in Vantaa.

HJK Helsinki
Peltola played in the youth team of HJK in Munkkiniemi along with Santeri Väänänen since the age of ten, before making his debut in the first team in Veikkausliiga on 19 October 2019 against Ilves.

On 21 August 2020, Peltola signed a professional contract with the club, on a two-year deal with an option for an additional year.

On 23 August 2022, HJK announced that they had exercised their option to keep Peltola in Helsinki for the 2023 season. He scored his first goal in the league on 9 May 2023 in away game against KTP.

D.C. United
On February 2, 2024, Peltola signed with Major League Soccer (MLS) club D.C. United on a four-year contract, with the option to extend, as a Young Designated Player. D.C. United had earlier acquired Peltola’s MLS Discovery Priority rights from Minnesota United for $75,000. He debuted in MLS with his new team on 25 February 2024 in the 2024 season opening game, after being named in the starting line-up in a 3–1 home win against an old rival club New England Revolution.

International career
Peltola represented Finland at various youth national teams, from under-16 to under-21 levels.

Peltola made his Finland senior national team debut on 12 January 2023, in a friendly match against Estonia. On 26 March 2023, he made his competitive international debut in a 1–0 away win against Northern Ireland. He was capped four times in total for Finland in the UEFA Euro 2024 qualification campaign in 2023.

Personal life
Peltola is a fluent French-speaker and has attended the French–Finnish school of Helsinki. Growing up, he also played ice hockey, before choosing football over it, thanks to his mother's advice.

Club
HJK Helsinki
 * Veikkausliiga: 2020, 2021, 2022, 2023
 * Finnish Cup: 2020
 * Finnish League Cup: 2023

Individual

 * Veikkausliiga Team of the Year: 2023