Petteri Pennanen

Petteri Pennanen grew up in the KuPS youth system before breaking into the club's senior team in 2007. A move abroad followed at FC Twente, though he did not make a first-team appearance there, and he found his footing back in Finland with TPS and RoPS before a spell in Poland with Miedź Legnica.

He has gone back to KuPS four separate times, most recently in 2024, and along the way spells abroad took him to Indonesia with Persikabo 1973, to the United States with Sacramento Republic FC, and to India with Hyderabad FC, a stay cut short when the club failed to pay salaries. A season with Ilves came between the American and Indian chapters.

It is at KuPS, though, where Pennanen has built his reputation. He has passed 200 appearances for the club across his various stints and has won the Veikkausliiga title three times, in 2019, 2024 and 2025, along with the Finnish Cup in 2024. He was named the league's Player of the Year in 2024 and has repeatedly been recognised as its top midfielder, taking that award in 2018, 2019, 2022 and 2024, with Team of the Year selections in each of the first two of those years as well as 2024. He is regarded as a club legend at KuPS.

At international level, Pennanen earned a single cap for Finland, debuting in a friendly against Sweden in January 2013 that ended in a 3–0 defeat.