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
|
||
| 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 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 19 Aug 2000 | Derby County v Southampton | D | 2-2 | Premier League | |
| 23 Aug 2000 | Newcastle United v Derby County | L | 3-2 | Premier League | |
| 26 Aug 2000 | Everton v Derby County | D | 2-2 | Premier League | |
| 06 Sep 2000 | Derby County v Middlesbrough | D | 3-3 | Premier League | |
| 10 Sep 2000 | Derby County v Charlton Athletic | D | 2-2 | Premier League | |
| 16 Sep 2000 | Sunderland v Derby County | L | 2-1 | Premier League | |
| 19 Sep 2000 | Derby County v West Bromwich Albion | L | 1-2 | League Cup | 2nd round 1st leg |
| 23 Sep 2000 | Derby County v Leeds United | D | 1-1 | Premier League | |
| 26 Sep 2000 | West Bromwich Albion v Derby County | W |
2-4 Agg: 4-5 |
League Cup | 2nd round 2nd leg |
| 15 Oct 2000 | Derby County v Liverpool | L | 0-4 | Premier League | |
| 28 Oct 2000 | Leicester City v Derby County | L | 2-1 | Premier League | |
| 01 Nov 2000 | Derby County v Norwich City | W | 3-0 | League Cup | 3rd round |
| 06 Nov 2000 | Derby County v West Ham United | D | 0-0 | Premier League | |
| 11 Nov 2000 | Arsenal v Derby County | D | 0-0 | Premier League | |
| 12 Sep 2001 | Derby County v Hull City | W | 3-0 | League Cup | 2nd round |
| 15 Oct 2001 | Tottenham Hotspur v Derby County | L | 3-1 | Premier League | |
| 20 Oct 2001 | Derby County v Charlton Athletic | D | 1-1 | Premier League | |
| 19 Jan 2002 | Derby County v Ipswich Town | L | 1-3 | Premier League | |
| 29 Jan 2002 | Charlton Athletic v Derby County | L | 1-0 | Premier League | |
| 02 Feb 2002 | Derby County v Tottenham Hotspur | W | 1-0 | Premier League | |
| 23 Feb 2002 | Leicester City v Derby County | W | 0-3 | Premier League | |
| 05 Mar 2002 | Arsenal v Derby County | L | 1-0 | Premier League | |
| 30 Mar 2002 | Chelsea v Derby County | L | 2-1 | Premier League | |
| 01 Apr 2002 | Derby County v Middlesbrough | L | 0-1 | Premier League | |
| 05 Apr 2003 | Derby County v Norwich City | W | 2-1 | League Division 1 | |
| 12 Apr 2003 | Wimbledon v Derby County | W | 0-2 | League Division 1 | |
| 16 Apr 2003 | Derby County v Millwall | L | 1-2 | League Division 1 | |
| 19 Apr 2003 | Derby County v Coventry City | W | 1-0 | League Division 1 | |
| 21 Apr 2003 | Watford v Derby County | L | 2-0 | League Division 1 | |
| 26 Apr 2003 | Walsall v Derby County | L | 3-2 | League Division 1 | |
| 12 Aug 2003 | Huddersfield Town v Derby County | L | 2-1 | League Cup | 1st round |
| 23 Aug 2003 | Derby County v Reading | L | 2-3 | League Division 1 | |
| 25 Aug 2003 | Cardiff City v Derby County | L | 4-1 | League Division 1 | |
| 30 Aug 2003 | Derby County v West Bromwich Albion | L | 0-1 | League Division 1 | |
| 13 Sep 2003 | Walsall v Derby County | W | 0-1 | League Division 1 | |
| 17 Sep 2003 | Derby County v Watford | W | 3-2 | League Division 1 | |
| 20 Sep 2003 | Derby County v Sunderland | D | 1-1 | League Division 1 | |
| 27 Sep 2003 | Nottingham Forest v Derby County | D | 1-1 | League Division 1 | |
| 30 Sep 2003 | Bradford City v Derby County | W | 1-2 | League Division 1 | |
| 04 Oct 2003 | Derby County v West Ham United | L | 0-1 | League Division 1 | |
| 11 Oct 2003 | Derby County v Wigan Athletic | D | 2-2 | League Division 1 | |
| 14 Oct 2003 | Crystal Palace v Derby County | D | 1-1 | League Division 1 | |
| 18 Oct 2003 | Crewe Alexandra v Derby County | L | 3-0 | League Division 1 | |
| 21 Oct 2003 | Norwich City v Derby County | L | 2-1 | League Division 1 | |
| 25 Oct 2003 | Derby County v Coventry City | L | 1-3 | League Division 1 | |
| 01 Nov 2003 | Preston North End v Derby County | L | 3-0 | League Division 1 | |
| 08 Nov 2003 | Derby County v Ipswich Town | D | 2-2 | League Division 1 | |
| 15 Nov 2003 | Derby County v Burnley | W | 2-0 | League Division 1 | |
| 22 Nov 2003 | Millwall v Derby County | D | 0-0 | League Division 1 | |
| 06 Dec 2003 | Ipswich Town v Derby County | L | 2-1 | League Division 1 | |
| 13 Dec 2003 | Rotherham United v Derby County | D | 0-0 | League Division 1 | |
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 |
||||
| 1997-98 | Finland | FIFA World Cup | 2 | ||||
| 1997-98 | Finland | International Friendly | 1 | 1 |
|||
| 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.