| Saku Ylätupa | |
| Birth Date: | 4 August 1999 |
| Birth Place: | Espoo, Finland |
| Position: | Midfielder |
| Currentclub: | Kalmar FF |
| Clubnumber: | 19 |
| Youthclubs1: | FC Espoo |
| Youthyears2: | 2016–2017 |
| Youthclubs2: | HJK |
| Years1: | 2015–2016 |
| Clubs1: | Klubi 04 |
| Caps1: | 30 |
| Goals1: | 17 |
| Years2: | 2016–2017 |
| Clubs2: | HJK |
| Caps2: | 0 |
| Goals2: | 0 |
| Years3: | 2017 |
| Clubs3: | → RoPS (loan) |
| Caps3: | 17 |
| Goals3: | 3 |
| Years4: | 2017–2019 |
| Clubs4: | Jong Ajax |
| Caps4: | 4 |
| Goals4: | 1 |
| Years5: | 2019–2022 |
| Clubs5: | AIK |
| Caps5: | 24 |
| Goals5: | 1 |
| Years6: | 2020 |
| Clubs6: | → IFK Mariehamn (loan) |
| Caps6: | 8 |
| Goals6: | 0 |
| Years7: | 2022 |
| Clubs7: | GIF Sundsvall |
| Caps7: | 27 |
| Goals7: | 5 |
| Years8: | 2023– |
| Clubs8: | Kalmar FF |
| Caps8: | 12 |
| Goals8: | 0 |
| Years9: | 2024 |
| Clubs9: | → Helsingør (loan) |
| Caps9: | 8 |
| Goals9: | 0 |
| Nationalyears1: | 2014–2016 |
| Nationalteam1: | Finland U17 |
| Nationalcaps1: | 11 |
| Nationalgoals1: | 3 |
| Nationalyears2: | 2016–2017 |
| Nationalteam2: | Finland U18 |
| Nationalcaps2: | 2 |
| Nationalgoals2: | 0 |
| Nationalyears3: | 2016–2018 |
| Nationalteam3: | Finland U19 |
| Nationalcaps3: | 17 |
| Nationalgoals3: | 3 |
| Nationalyears4: | 2018– |
| Nationalteam4: | Finland U21 |
| Nationalcaps4: | 15 |
| Nationalgoals4: | 2 |
| Nationalyears5: | 2019– |
| Nationalteam5: | Finland |
| Nationalcaps5: | 3 |
| Nationalgoals5: | 0 |
| Club-Update: | 13 November 2024 |
| Nationalteam-Update: | 16 January 2023 |
Saku Ylätupa (born 4 August 1999) is a Finnish footballer who plays for Kalmar FF. A pacy two-footed Finland international, he prefers to play as an attacking midfielder, but he can also play as a central midfielder, winger or centre-forward.
Born in Espoo in 1999,[1] Ylätupa started his football career in a youth team of a local club FC Espoo, before joining HJK youth sector. Ylätupa played in Klubi-04, the reserve team of HJK.
In 2016, Ylätupa was called up for HJK first team. On 2 April 2016, Ylätupa made his senior debut in Finnish League Cup against FC Lahti at Talin jalkapallohalli, playing the game as a starting line-up during 46 minutes.[2]
On 21 July 2017, it was announced that the midfielder had signed a three-year contract with Dutch side AFC Ajax.[3]
On 10 January 2022, Ylätupa signed a three-year contract with GIF Sundsvall in Allsvenskan for a €125.000 transfer fee.[4]
Following Sundsvall's relegation to the Superettan, on 16 January 2023 Ylätupa officially joined fellow Swedish side Kalmar FF for an undisclosed fee, signing a three-year contract with the club.[5]
On 5 January 2024, he was sent on loan to Danish club Helsingør for the rest of the 2023–24 season.[6] [7] At the end of the 2023-24 season, which ended with relegation to the Danish 2nd Division for Helsingør, Ylätupa left the club and returned to Kalmar.[8]
He made his debut in the Finland national football team on 8 January 2019 in a friendly against Sweden, as a 68th-minute substitute for Lassi Lappalainen.[9]
| Club | Season | League | Cup | League Cup | Continental | Total | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Division | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | |||
| Klubi 04 | 2015 | Kakkonen | 14 | 5 | 0 | 0 | — | — | 14 | 5 | |||
| 2016 | Kakkonen | 16 | 12 | 0 | 0 | — | — | 16 | 12 | ||||
| Total | 30 | 17 | 0 | 0 | — | — | 30 | 17 | |||||
| HJK | 2016 | Veikkausliiga | 0 | 0 | 2 | 1 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 5 | 1 | |
| 2017 | Veikkausliiga | 0 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 0 | ||
| Total | 0 | 0 | 5 | 1 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 8 | 1 | |||
| RoPS (loan) | 2017 | Veikkausliiga | 17 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | 17 | 3 | ||
| Jong Ajax | 2018–19 | Eerste Divisie | 4 | 1 | 0 | 0 | — | — | 4 | 1 | |||
| AIK | 2019 | Allsvenskan | 6 | 0 | 5 | 0 | — | 0 | 0 | 11 | 0 | ||
| 2020 | Allsvenskan | 7 | 0 | 5 | 2 | — | — | 12 | 2 | ||||
| 2021 | Allsvenskan | 11 | 1 | 3 | 1 | — | — | 14 | 2 | ||||
| Total | 24 | 1 | 13 | 3 | — | 0 | 0 | 37 | 4 | ||||
| IFK Mariehamn (loan) | 2020 | Veikkausliiga | 8 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | 8 | 0 | ||
| GIF Sundsvall | 2022 | Allsvenskan | 27 | 5 | 1 | 0 | – | – | 28 | 5 | |||
| Kalmar | 2023 | Allsvenskan | 4 | 0 | 2 | 0 | – | 0 | 0 | 6 | 0 | ||
| 2024 | Allsvenskan | 4 | 0 | 1 | 1 | – | – | 5 | 1 | ||||
| Total | 8 | 0 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 11 | 1 | |||
| Helsingør (loan) | 2023–24 | Danish 1st Division | 8 | 0 | – | – | – | 8 | 0 | ||||
| Career total | 126 | 27 | 22 | 5 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 151 | 32 | |||