Alexi Paalanen

Alexi Paalanen came up through FC Lahti's own youth ranks, and it was there that he first made his mark: with the club's U17 side in 2023, he converted a penalty in a 3-0 win over Ekenäs IF that sent the team through to the SM-sarja, the top tier of Finnish youth football. That same year, while still registered with FC Lahti, he began appearing for Lahden Reipas in the Kakkonen, the country's third division, gaining senior minutes under the dual-registration arrangement common in Finnish football.

Paalanen stayed with Lahden Reipas through the 2025 season and established himself as a regular starter and the team's top scorer, netting seven goals that year before adding five more at the start of 2026. That form earned him a promotion to FC Lahti's first team in the Veikkausliiga on 1 January 2026.

His senior debut came on 23 May 2026, away to KuPS, when he was brought on for 15 minutes in a match Lahti lost 2-1. He has since been named among the substitutes without featuring in a 2-0 home win over FF Jaro and a 1-0 away defeat to VPS. Across his three Veikkausliiga appearances so far, Paalanen has yet to score or register an assist.

A right-footed forward, he is still only in his first season of top-flight football.