Simo Valakari
| Date of birth | 28 April 1973 |
| Place of birth | Helsinki |
| Nationality | Finnish |
| Weight | 75 kg |
| Height | 1.78 m |
| Position | Midfielder |
A 2000 close-season Bosman signing for Derby County, Simo joined the Rams on a four-year contract. A combative midfield player he is suited to a central position where his ability to dictate the pace of the game is best employed.
Goalscoring has never been his forte and the early-season strike against Charlton Athletic was his first for over three years, however he dropped out of the squad through injury in November and was subsequently restricted to reserve-team action on his return to fitness.
Simo's contract at Derby County was cancelled by mutual consent in March 2004. He immediately joined Dallas Burn for the new MSL season.
Club history
| Team | Joined | Left | Loan / Trialist |
|---|---|---|---|
| FinnPA | 01 Apr 1995 | 06 Feb 1997 | |
| Motherwell | 06 Feb 1997 | 30 Jun 2000 | |
| Derby County | 06 Jul 2000 | 02 Mar 2004 | |
| Dallas Burn | 02 Mar 2004 |
Club stats
| Season | Team | Competition | Apps | Subs | Goals | Y | R |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1999-00 | Motherwell | Scottish FA Cup | 3 | ||||
| 1999-00 | Motherwell | Scottish League Cup | 2 | ||||
| 1999-00 | Motherwell | Scottish Premier League | 28 | 2 |
3
|
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| 2000-01 | Derby County | League Cup | 3 | ||||
| 2000-01 | Derby County | Premier League | 9 | 2 |
1 |
3
|
|
| 2001-02 | Derby County | League Cup | 1 | ||||
| 2001-02 | Derby County | Premier League | 6 | 3 |
1
|
||
| 2002-03 | Derby County | League Division 1 | 5 | 1 |
2 |
||
| 2003-04 | Derby County | League Cup | 1 | ||||
| 2003-04 | Derby County | League Division 1 | 14 | 6 |
4
|
Please note: Career stats are based on performances in the Premier and Football Leagues and (in most cases all) internationals.
Club matches
| Date | Match | Result | Competition | Round | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 31 Jul 1999 | Hibernian v Motherwell | D | 2-2 | Scottish Premier League | |
| 07 Aug 1999 | Motherwell v Dundee United | D | 2-2 | Scottish Premier League | |
| 15 Aug 1999 | Rangers v Motherwell | L | 4-1 | Scottish Premier League | |
| 28 Aug 1999 | Motherwell v Dundee | L | 0-2 | Scottish Premier League | |
| 11 Sep 1999 | St Johnstone v Motherwell | D | 1-1 | Scottish Premier League | |
| 12 Oct 1999 | Inverness Caledonian Thistle v Motherwell | W | 0-1 | Scottish League Cup | 3rd round |
| 16 Oct 1999 | Motherwell v Hibernian | D | 2-2 | Scottish Premier League | |
| 20 Oct 1999 | Motherwell v Aberdeen | L | 5-6 | Scottish Premier League | |
| 23 Oct 1999 | Dundee United v Motherwell | W | 0-2 | Scottish Premier League | |
| 27 Oct 1999 | Celtic v Motherwell | W | 0-1 | Scottish Premier League | |
| 30 Oct 1999 | Motherwell v St Johnstone | W | 1-0 | Scottish Premier League | |
| 06 Nov 1999 | Heart of Midlothian v Motherwell | D | 1-1 | Scottish Premier League | |
| 20 Nov 1999 | Dundee v Motherwell | W | 0-1 | Scottish Premier League | |
| 23 Nov 1999 | Motherwell v Heart of Midlothian | W | 2-1 | Scottish Premier League | |
| 28 Nov 1999 | Motherwell v Celtic | W | 3-2 | Scottish Premier League | |
| 01 Dec 1999 | Dundee United v Motherwell | L | 3-2 | Scottish League Cup | Quarter-final |
| 11 Dec 1999 | Hibernian v Motherwell | D | 2-2 | Scottish Premier League | |
| 18 Dec 1999 | Motherwell v Rangers | L | 1-5 | Scottish Premier League | |
| 22 Jan 2000 | St Johnstone v Motherwell | D | 1-1 | Scottish Premier League | |
| 26 Jan 2000 | Aberdeen v Motherwell | D | 1-1 | Scottish Premier League | |
| 01 Feb 2000 | Arbroath v Motherwell | D | 1-1 | Scottish FA Cup | 3rd round |
| 05 Feb 2000 | Motherwell v Dundee | L | 0-3 | Scottish Premier League | |
| 12 Feb 2000 | Kilmarnock v Motherwell | W | 0-2 | Scottish Premier League | |
| 19 Feb 2000 | Motherwell v Arbroath | W | 2-0 | Scottish FA Cup | 3rd round replay |
| 22 Feb 2000 | Motherwell v Kilmarnock | L | 0-4 | Scottish Premier League | |
| 26 Feb 2000 | Motherwell v Ayr United | L | 3-4 | Scottish FA Cup | 4th round |
| 01 Mar 2000 | Motherwell v Heart of Midlothian | L | 0-2 | Scottish Premier League | |
| 04 Mar 2000 | Motherwell v Aberdeen | W | 1-0 | Scottish Premier League | |
| 18 Mar 2000 | Rangers v Motherwell | L | 6-2 | Scottish Premier League | |
| 25 Mar 2000 | Heart of Midlothian v Motherwell | D | 0-0 | Scottish Premier League | |
| 01 Apr 2000 | Motherwell v St Johnstone | W | 2-1 | Scottish Premier League | |
| 16 Apr 2000 | Motherwell v Kilmarnock | W | 2-0 | Scottish Premier League | |
| 19 Apr 2000 | Motherwell v Dundee United | L | 1-3 | Scottish Premier League | |
| 22 Apr 2000 | Aberdeen v Motherwell | L | 2-1 | Scottish Premier League | |
| 21 May 2000 | Motherwell v Rangers | W | 2-0 | Scottish Premier League | |
Please note: Match history is complete for the Premier and Football Leagues and (in most cases all) internationals.
International stats
| Season | Team | Competition | Apps | Subs | Goals | Y | R |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1995-96 | Finland | International Friendly | 1 | ||||
| 1995-96 | Finland | Under-21 | 2 | ||||
| 1996-97 | Finland | FIFA World Cup | 1 |
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| 1997-98 | Finland | FIFA World Cup | 2 | ||||
| 1997-98 | Finland | International Friendly | 1 | 1 |
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| 1998-99 | Finland | International Friendly | 2 | ||||
| 1998-99 | Finland | UEFA European Championship | 3 | 1 |
1
|
||
| 1999-00 | Finland | International Friendly | 1 | ||||
| 1999-00 | Finland | UEFA European Championship | 1 |
||||
| 2000-01 | Finland | FIFA World Cup | 3 | ||||
| 2000-01 | Finland | International Friendly | 1 | ||||
| 2001-02 | Finland | International Friendly | 1 | 3 |
|||
| 2002-03 | Finland | International Friendly | 5 | ||||
| 2002-03 | Finland | UEFA European Championship | 2 |
1
|
|||
| 2003-04 | Finland | International Friendly | 1 | ||||
| 2003-04 | Finland | UEFA European Championship | 1 |
Please note: Career stats are based on performances in the Premier and Football Leagues and (in most cases all) internationals.
International matches
| Date | Match | Result | Competition | Round | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 27 Feb 1996 | Saudi Arabia v Finland | L | 2-0 | U21 | |
| 01 Mar 1996 | Oman v Finland | W | 0-1 | U21 | |
| 16 Mar 1996 | Kuwait v Finland | W | 0-1 | International Friendly | |
| 08 Jun 1997 | Finland v Azerbaijan | W | 3-0 | FIFA World Cup | Group 3 |
| 06 Sep 1997 | Switzerland v Finland | W | 1-2 | FIFA World Cup | Group 3 |
| 11 Oct 1997 | Finland v Hungary | D | 1-1 | FIFA World Cup | Group 3 |
| 22 Apr 1998 | Scotland v Finland | D | 1-1 | International Friendly | |
| 05 Jun 1998 | Finland v France | L | 0-1 | International Friendly | |
| 10 Oct 1998 | Northern Ireland v Finland | L | 1-0 | UEFA European Championship | Group 3 |
| 14 Oct 1998 | Turkey v Finland | W | 1-3 | UEFA European Championship | Group 3 |
| 10 Feb 1999 | Poland v Finland | D | 1-1 | International Friendly | |
| 28 Apr 1999 | Slovenia v Finland | D | 1-1 | International Friendly | |
| 05 Jun 1999 | Finland v Turkey | L | 2-4 | UEFA European Championship | Group 3 |
| 09 Jun 1999 | Moldova v Finland | D | 0-0 | UEFA European Championship | Group 3 |
| 09 Oct 1999 | Finland v Northern Ireland | W | 4-1 | UEFA European Championship | Group 3 |
| 29 Mar 2000 | Wales v Finland | W | 1-2 | International Friendly | |
| 16 Aug 2000 | Finland v Norway | W | 3-1 | International Friendly | |
| 02 Sep 2000 | Finland v Albania | W | 2-1 | FIFA World Cup | Europe group 9 |
| 07 Oct 2000 | Greece v Finland | L | 1-0 | FIFA World Cup | Europe group 9 |
| 11 Oct 2000 | Finland v England | D | 0-0 | FIFA World Cup | Europe group 9 |
| 20 Mar 2002 | Finland v Korea Republic | L | 0-2 | International Friendly | |
| 27 Mar 2002 | Portugal v Finland | W | 1-4 | International Friendly | |
| 17 Apr 2002 | North Macedonia v Finland | L | 1-0 | International Friendly | |
| 22 May 2002 | Finland v Latvia | W | 2-1 | International Friendly | |
| 26 Jan 2003 | Barbados v Finland | D | 0-0 | International Friendly | |
| 29 Jan 2003 | Trinidad and Tobago v Finland | W | 1-2 | International Friendly | |
| 12 Feb 2003 | Northern Ireland v Finland | W | 0-1 | International Friendly | |
| 30 Apr 2003 | Finland v Iceland | W | 3-0 | International Friendly | |
| 22 May 2003 | Norway v Finland | L | 2-0 | International Friendly | |
| 07 Jun 2003 | Finland v Serbia and Montenegro | W | 3-0 | UEFA European Championship | Group 9 |
| 11 Jun 2003 | Finland v Italy | L | 0-2 | UEFA European Championship | Group 9 |
| 20 Aug 2003 | Denmark v Finland | D | 1-1 | International Friendly | |
| 06 Sep 2003 | Azerbaijan v Finland | W | 1-2 | UEFA European Championship | Group 9 |
Please note: Match history is complete for the Premier and Football Leagues and (in most cases all) internationals.