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{{short description|Finnish footballer (born 1987)}}{{Use dmy dates|date=December 2021}}

factoids

| birth_place = Oravais, Finland| height = 1.94 m| position = Defensive midfielderAC Sparta Prague B > Sparta Prague B (assistant)| youthyears1 = 1993–2003| youthclubs1 = Norrvalla FF| youthyears2 = 2003–2006Southampton F.C.>Southampton| years1 = 2006–2007Southampton F.C.>Southampton| caps1 = 0| goals1 = 0| years2 = 2007–2009Halmstads BK>Halmstad| caps2 = 51| goals2 = 1| years3 = 2008Vaasan Palloseura>VPS (loan)| caps3 = 8| goals3 = 0| years4 = 2010–2013| clubs4 = FC Groningen| caps4 = 98| goals4 = 4| years5 = 2013–2014SpVgg Greuther Fürth>Greuther Fürth| caps5 = 28| goals5 = 1| years6 = 2014–2020| clubs6 = FC Midtjylland| caps6 = 143| goals6 = 3| years7 = 2020–2021Athlitiki Enosi Larissa F.C.>AEL| caps7 = 19| goals7 = 1| years8 = 2021Helsingin Jalkapalloklubi>HJK| caps8 = 5| goals8 = 0| totalcaps = 352| totalgoals = 10| nationalyears1 = 2002| nationalteam1 = Finland U15| nationalcaps1 = 6| nationalgoals1 = 1| nationalyears2 = 2003Finland national under-16 football team>Finland U16| nationalcaps2 = 10| nationalgoals2 = 1| nationalyears3 = 2003–2004Finland national under-17 football team>Finland U17| nationalcaps3 = 12| nationalgoals3 = 0| nationalyears4 = 2004–2005Finland national under-18 football team>Finland U18| nationalcaps4 = 14| nationalgoals4 = 0| nationalyears5 = 2004–2006Finland national under-19 football team>Finland U19| nationalcaps5 = 5| nationalgoals5 = 0| nationalyears6 = 2006–2009Finland national under-21 football team>Finland U21| nationalcaps6 = 19| nationalgoals6 = 6| nationalyears7 = 2009–2021Finland national football team>Finland| nationalcaps7 = 84| nationalgoals7 = 1 managerclubs1 = Sparta Prague B (assistant) managerclubs2 = Sparta Prague B (interim)| medaltemplates = {{medalTeam|Finland national football team}}{{medal|2nd|Baltic Cup|2012}}{{Medal|3rd|Baltic Cup|2014}}}}Tim Sparv (born 20 February 1987) is a Finnish former professional footballer who played as a defensive midfielder.WEB,weblink NYT se on varmaa: Huuhkajien kapteeni Tim Sparv siirtyy HJK:hon, He is currently working as an assistant coach of the Sparta Prague B. Sparv was born in Oravais, and started his football career in Norrvalla FF youth team before moving to Southampton's junior organisation. He began his senior club career playing for Halmstad, before signing with Groningen in 2010.WEB,weblink Hollantiin siirtyvä Sparv jännää jo Groningenin otteita, Moving to Holland, Sparv is already excited about Groningen, fi, Ilta-Sanomat, 7 November 2009, 31 January 2020, Sparv made his international debut for Finland in February 2009, at the age of 21 and went on to make 84 caps, including appearing in 2010, 2014 and 2018 FIFA World Cup qualifications. His family is a member of the Swedish-speaking population of Finland.WEB,weblink 3. december: Tim Sparv, "Teddy Bear" og Miss Tjekkiet, Kenneth, Jensen, Tipsbladet, Tipsbladet ApS, 3 December 2017, 17 June 2019, da,

Club career

Southampton

Born in Oravais,NEWS,weblink Tim Sparv aloittaa Pohjalaisen kolumnistina, 2 March 2014, 7 July 2014, POHJALAINEN.fi, fi, Ostrobothnia, Sparv spent three years in the youth academy of Southampton.NEWS,weblinkweblink 7 May 2022, subscription, live, England out to start the party right, 15 June 2009, 16 October 2014, The Independent, {{cbignore}} He was a member of Southampton's youth team that reached the final of the (FA_Youth_Cup_Finals_of_the_2000s#2004–05: Ipswich_Town_vs_Southampton (1–0_and_2–2,_3–2_Aggregate) |FA Youth Cup in 2005),NEWS,weblink Town starlets win Youth Cup, 23 April 2005, 22 December 2014, Ipswich Star, where he played alongside Theo Walcott,NEWS,weblink Tottenham Hotspur v Arsenal: Theo Walcott must learn from Gareth Bale's ascent, 2 March 2013, 24 January 2015, The Telegraph, losing on aggregate to Ipswich Town.NEWS,weblink GALLERY: Ipswich Town lift 2005 Youth Cup with win over Southampton, 11 December 2013, 1 February 2015, greenun24.co.uk, dead,weblink" title="web.archive.org/web/20131216015150weblink">weblink 16 December 2013, He was named in the first team squad for 2006–07 seasonNEWS,weblink Southampton squad 2006/07, 1 February 2015, footballsquads.co.uk, and made numerous reserve team appearances but, as Southampton had a plethora of midfielders from which to choose, he was unable to break through into the first team itself.

Halmstad

On 7 January 2007, he moved to Halmstads BK to play in Allsvenskan, on the advice of both his father and former Halmstads BK player Michael Svensson.NEWS,weblink Finländsk U21-landslagsman klar för HBK, 20 November 2006, 26 June 2008, Svenskafans.com, sv, He made his Allsvenskan debut on 9 April 2007 in a match against Helsingborg when he replaced Andreas Johansson as a substitute for the second period.WEB,weblink Halmstad vände hemma mot Helsingborg, Halmstad turned the match at home against Helsingborg, sv, Sveriges Radio, 9 April 2007, 7 February 2019, On 1 May 2008, he was loaned out to Vaasan Palloseura after suffering illness as well as a lack of playing time with Halmstads.NEWS,weblink HBK lånar ut Sparv till Vaasa, 3 May 2008, 26 May 2008, Hallandsposten.se, sv,

Groningen

In August 2009, he was close to a move to Groningen, but Halmstad refused to let him go at that point.NEWS,weblink Groningen fail in Sparv bid, 1 August 2009, 13 August 2009, skysports.com, On 14 August, FC Groningen announced that Sparv would join them as of 1 January 2010.NEWS,weblink Sparv per 2010 naar FC Groningen, 14 August 2009, 14 August 2009, fcgroningen.nl, nl, dead,weblink" title="web.archive.org/web/20090818144816weblink">weblink 18 August 2009, He made his Eredivisie debut on 7 March 2010 in a 1–0 victory over VVV-Venlo, coming on for Fredrik Stenman in the 78th minute.WEB,weblink Groningen vs. VVV – 7 March 2010 – Soccerway, Int.soccerway.com, 8 August 2018, He scored his first goal for Groningen in the opening match of the 2010–11 season, a 1–1 draw against AZ. His goal came in the 76th minute.WEB,weblink AZ vs. Groningen – 14 August 2010 – Soccerway, Int.soccerway.com, 8 August 2018,

Greuther Fürth

In May 2013 Sparv signed a three-year contract with Greuther Fürth.NEWS,weblinkweblink" title="web.archive.org/web/20141217095734weblink">weblink dead, 17 December 2014, Maajoukkuefutaaja Tim Sparv siirtyy Saksaan, 30 May 2013, 23 June 2013, Ilta-Sanomat, fi, He made his 2. Bundesliga debut on 21 July 2013 in a match against Arminia Bielefeld.WEB,weblink Greuther Fürth vs. Arminia Bielefeld – 21 July 2013 – Soccerway, Int.soccerway.com, 8 August 2018, He scored his first and only league goal for the club on 30 September 2013 in a 4–0 victory over Dynamo Dresden. The goal was the last of the game and came in the 86th minute.WEB,weblink Greuther Fürth vs. Dynamo Dresden – 30 September 2013 – Soccerway, Int.soccerway.com, 8 August 2018,

FC Midtjylland

On 3 July 2014, Tim Sparv signed a four-year contract with Danish Superliga side FC Midtjylland.NEWS,weblink Finsk landsholdsspiller på plads i FC Midtjylland, 3 July 2014, 9 July 2014, fcm.dk, da, On 20 August 2015, he scored against former club Southampton in the 2015–16 Europa League play-off first leg, which ended in a 1–1 draw. He also started the second leg in Denmark which Midtjylland won, to secure the Danish club a place in the group stage and send Southampton out of the competition.WEB,weblink Midtjylland vs. Southampton – 27 August 2015 – Soccerway, Int.soccerway.com, 8 August 2018,

AEL FC

On 26 August 2020, Sparv signed a two-year contract with Greek Super League club AEL. On 14 May 2021, there was an official announcement about the termination of the player's contract by mutual agreement.WEB,weblink Ανακοίνωση Λυσης Συμβολαιων, www.aelfc.gr, 14 May 2021, el,

HJK

On 22 July 2021, Sparv joined HJK.WEB,weblink Tim Sparv Klubiin!, hjk.fi, 22 July 2021, fi, He made his debut on 12 August when he came in as a substitute for Filip Valenčič on 82nd minute in a UEFA Europa League match against Neftçi Baku.WEB,weblink HJK varmisti arvokkaan paikan lohkovaiheessa – Riskin veljekset tekivät Neftcistä selvää jälkeä, HJK secured a valuable place in the group stage - Riski brothers crushed Neftchi, fi, Yle, 12 August 2021, 25 August 2021,

International career

Finland youth teams

Sparv was the second youngest player in the squad for the 2003 FIFA U-17 World Championship played at home but did not make an appearance in the tournament. He made his Finland U21 debut on 7 October 2006 and played a big part in the successful 2009 European Championship qualifying campaign, playing in nine out of ten games and scoring three goals. He was made team captain during the 2009 UEFA European Under-21 Football Championship and scored a penalty in a 2–1 defeat by England on 15 June 2009.NEWS,weblink England U21s 2–1 Finland U21s, 15 June 2009, 16 June 2009, Paul, Fletcher, BBC Sport,

Finland first team

On 4 February 2009, Sparv made his debut for the senior team in a friendly match against Japan, which ended in a 5–1 defeat.NEWS,weblink Sparv debuterade, 4 February 2009, 4 February 2009, HBK.se, sv, dead,weblink" title="web.archive.org/web/20120310052144weblink">weblink 10 March 2012, He played his first FIFA World Cup qualification game on 10 October 2009 when Stuart Baxter chose him to the starting line up against Wales in Helsinki Olympic Stadium.NEWS,weblink Suomi löi Walesin ja varmisti kolmospaikan, 10 October 2009, 24 January 2015, YLE Urheilu, fi, He was named captain of the national team for the first time for a match against Greece on 4 September 2015.WEB,weblink Tim Sparv: Tuntui uskomattoman hyvältä olla kapteeni tänään, Tim Sparv: It felt incredibly good to be a captain today, fi, Yle, 5 September 2015, 27 April 2019, Sparv was called up for the UEFA Euro 2020 pre-tournament friendly match against Sweden on 29 May 2021.NEWS,weblink Näillä pelaajilla Huuhkajat lähtevät kohti EM-kisoja – kaksi nimeä kiinnostivat yli muiden, 19 May 2021, 24 May 2021, Helsingin Sanomat, fi, In UEFA Euro 2020 Group B he captained Finland in matches against Denmark and Belgium but missed match against Russia.WEB,weblink Tim Sparv selvitteli EM-kisojen suurta kysymystä – "Se ei ollut se syy", Tim Sparv clarified the big question at the European Championships - "That wasn't the reason", fi, MTV3, 24 June 2021, 6 August 2021,

Coaching career

Since his retirement, Sparv has worked for Sparta Prague as a youth coach and an assistant coach for Sparta Prague B.Huuhkajien ex-kapteeni Tim Sparv nappasi valmennuspestin ulkomailta, MTV Oy/ mtvuutiset.fi, 16 July 2022Tšekin suurseura pestasi Tim Sparvin valmennustiimiinsä, suomifutis.com, 16 July 2022

Personal life

Sparv is a Swedish-speaking Finn.WEB,weblink Tim Sparv valitsi Halmstadin Southamptonin jälkeen, 15 July 2007, Turun Sanomat, fi, 15 November 2019, ... hänen äidinkielensä on ruotsi., Sparv is in a relationship with Jitka Nováčková, a Czech model and winner of the Czech Miss 2011 beauty pageant.WEB,weblink Huuhkajien kapteeni seurustelee Miss TÅ¡ekin kanssa – Jitka, 27, on tyrmäävä kaunotar, Koski, Sami, 15 November 2019, Iltalehti, fi, 15 November 2019, ... Sparv on seurustellut jo reilun parin vuoden ajan vuoden 2011 Miss TÅ¡ekin Jitka Novackovan kanssa ... elokuussa 2017, tÅ¡ekkilehdistö uutisoi, kuinka nainen oli vihdoin julkistanut seurustelun kohteensa., Their daughter Leah was born in January 2021.{{citation needed|date= January 2021}}In September 2021, Sparv publicly criticized the conditions for migrant workers that had been constructing the stadiums for the 2022 FIFA World Cup in Qatar in an article in The Players' Tribune.WEB, We Need to Talk About Qatar {{!, By Tim Sparv|url=https://www.theplayerstribune.com/posts/tim-sparv-finland-world-cup-2022-qatar-soccer|access-date=15 October 2021|website=The Players' Tribune|language=en-US}}

Career statistics

Club{| class"wikitable" style"text-align:center"

29773|accessdate=8 August 2018}}{{Soccerway|6141|accessdate=8 August 2018}}!rowspan="2"|Club!rowspan="2"|Season!colspan="3"|League!colspan="2"|National Cup!colspan="2"|Europe!colspan="2"|Total!Division!!Apps!!Goals!!Apps!!Goals!!Apps!!Goals!!Apps!!GoalsHalmstad2007 Allsvenskan>2007|Allsvenskan—1202008 Allsvenskan>2008|Allsvenskan—1302009 Allsvenskan>2009|Allsvenskan—271!colspan="2"|Total!51!!1!!1!!0!!0!!0!!52!!1Vaasan Palloseura>VPS (loan)2008 Veikkausliiga>2008|Veikkausliiga—80Groningen2009–10 Eredivisie>2009–10|Eredivisie—1102010–11 Eredivisie>2010–11|Eredivisie—3722011–12 Eredivisie>2011–12|Eredivisie—3102012–13 Eredivisie>2012–13|Eredivisie—242!colspan="2"|Total!98!!4!!5!!0!!0!!0!!103!!4SpVgg Greuther Fürth>Greuther Fürth2013–14 2. Bundesliga>2013–14|2. Bundesliga—321Midtjylland2014–15 Danish Superliga>2014–15|Danish Superliganame=UELUEFA Europa League}}>|02015–16 Danish Superliga>2015–16|Danish SuperligaFour appearances in the UEFA Champions League, ten appearances in the UEFA Europa League}}14512016–17 FC Midtjylland season>2016–17|Danish Superliganame=UEL}}0602017–18 FC Midtjylland season>2017–18|Danish Superliganame=UEL}}04112018–19 FC Midtjylland season>2018–19|Danish SuperligaTwo appearances in the UEFA Champions League, two appearances in the UEFA Europa League}}02922019–20 FC Midtjylland season>2019–20|Danish Superliganame=UEL}}070!colspan="2"|Total!133!!3!!8!!0!!30!!1!!171!!4Athlitiki Enosi Larissa F.C.>Larissa2020–21 Super League Greece>2020–21|Super League Greece—19|1Helsingin Jalkapalloklubi>HJK2021 Veikkausliiga>2021|VeikkausliigaThree appearances in the UEFA Europa League, one appearance in UEFA Conference League}}090!colspan="3"|Career total!342!!10!!18!!0!!34!!1!!394!!11{{notelist}} URL HTTP://WWW.PALLOLIITTO.FI/MAAJOUKKUEET/MIESTEN-MAAJOUKKUE/PELAAJAT/TIM-SPARV, title Tim Sparv, publisher palloliitto.fi, access-date 21 June 2021, language fi, ">

International{| class"wikitable" style"text-align:center" URL HTTP://WWW.PALLOLIITTO.FI/MAAJOUKKUEET/MIESTEN-MAAJOUKKUE/PELAAJAT/TIM-SPARV, title Tim Sparv, publisher palloliitto.fi, access-date 21 June 2021, language fi,

!rowspan="2"|National team!rowspan="2"|Year!colspan="2"|Competitive!colspan="2"|Friendly!colspan="2"|Total!Apps!Goals!Apps!Goals!Apps!GoalsFinland|0|0|0|1|0|0|0|0|0|0|0|0|0!colspan="2"|Total!46!!0!!38!!1!!84!!1 {| class="wikitable sortable"|+ List of international goals scored by Tim Sparv!scope="col"|No.!scope="col"|Date!scope="col"|Venue!scope="col"|Opponent!scope="col"|Score!scope="col"|Result!scope="col"|Competition1 15 August 2012 Windsor Park, Belfast, Northern Ireland {{fb1–2 align="center"Friendly (association football)>Friendly

Honours

FC Midtjylland

• Danish Superliga: 2014–15, 2017–18, 2019–20WEB, Guldfest i Herning: FC Midtjylland er dansk mester,weblink dr.dk, Danmarks Radio, 14 July 2020, 9 July 2020,
• Danish Cup: 2018–19

Finland

• Baltic Cup: runner-up 2012; bronze 2014

Individual

• Finland U21 Player of the Year: 2007 NEWS,weblink Kauden 2007 parhaat, 19 November 2007, 19 February 2015, Veikkausliiga, fi, dead,weblink" title="web.archive.org/web/20150219184134weblink">weblink 19 February 2015,
• FC Midtjylland Player of the Year: 2015
• Finnish Footballer of the Year: 2015NEWS,weblink Korpela ja Sparv Vuoden pelaajat, 20 October 2015, Palloliitto, fi, dead,weblink" title="web.archive.org/web/20150219184134weblink">weblink 19 February 2015,

References

{{reflist}}

External links

{{Commons category}}

• FC Midtjylland official profile {{in lang|da}}
• Tim Sparv – SPL competition record
• {{UEFA|69658}}
• {{FIFA|198798}}
• {{NFT player|29773}}
• {{Soccerbase}}
• {{Fussballdaten|sparvtim}}

{{Finland squad UEFA Euro 2020}}{{Finnish Footballer of the Year}}