Niklas Moisander

Niklas Kristian Moisander (born 29 September 1985) is a Finnish professional footballer who plays as a centre-back for Swedish club Malmö FF. Moisander was born in Turku, where he played for the local TPS youth team before moving to AFC Ajax. Following a one-season stay at Sampdoria, he spent five years at Bundesliga club Werder Bremen. He is the twin brother of goalkeeper Henrik Moisander, and is a former captain of the Finland national team.

Moisander made his international debut for Finland in May 2008, at age 22, and had 62 caps, including appearing in 2010, 2014 and 2018 FIFA World Cup qualifications before his retirement from international football in 2017. He was voted the Finnish Footballer of the Year in both 2012 and 2013.

Moisander made his official debut for the senior team on 29 May 2008 when he was called up by head coach Stuart Baxter for a friendly match against Turkey at the age of 22, which was contested in Duisburg, Germany. In fall 2008 and spring 2009, Moisander was named for the Finland squad for the 2010 FIFA World Cup qualification matches, but remained as an unused substitute. He scored the winning goal on 10 October 2009 in a World Cup qualifier win over Wales at the Helsinki Olympic Stadium. He permanently solidified his position in the team after Baxter brought him in for the final 2010 World Cup qualifying group stage match against Russia. The match ended in a 3–0 loss for the Finns at home, which inevitably cost them the second place in the group, which was then secured by the Russians, leading to their advancement in the tournament, with Finland therefore failing to qualify for the 2010 World Cup.

In 2011, under Mixu Paatelainen, Moisander gained the captain's armband from Petri Pasanen, becoming the new skipper for Finland. While playing a major role in the teams UEFA Euro 2012 ambitions, Finland finished fourth in its group behind the Netherlands, Sweden and Hungary, failing to qualify for the final tournament in Poland and Ukraine.

The 2014 World Cup qualification process ended in a third-place group stage finish for Finland behind both Spain and France, which both secured placement in the final tournament. One of the most memorable matches of the qualification was a 1–1 draw against the reigning world and European champions Spain in March 2013 in Gijón; Moisander played full 90 minutes in the match. Moisander scored his second goal for the national team on 14 August 2013 on his old home turf Veritas Stadion in Turku in a match against Slovenia when he took Finland on a 1–0 lead in a 2–0 victory.