Most centre backs from Finland don't get a full 90 minutes against Barcelona. Ville Koski did, on 13 May 2026, and Alavés won 1 to 0. That single afternoon tells you a lot about where the 24 year old is right now: past the stage of being a promising name on a Nordic scouting list, and not yet a fixture anyone outside the Basque Country talks about. He's in the interesting middle, and that is exactly when a player is worth paying attention to.
Alavés clearly agreed. They took him on loan in January, watched him keep clean sheets in both of his La Liga starts, and then handed him a contract that runs to June 2031.
Koski on Paper
| Full name | Ville Aleksi Jukanpoika Koski |
|---|---|
| Born | 27 January 2002, Tuusula, Finland |
| Age | 24 |
| Height | 1.85 m (6 ft 1 in) |
| Position | Centre back |
| Preferred foot | Right |
| Club | Deportivo Alavés (La Liga), shirt number 16 |
| Contract | Until June 2031 |
| Country | Finland |
| Listed market value | Around 1.1 million to 1.5 million euros |
Tuusula, TuPS and the Honka Years
Koski's route was the slow, unglamorous kind. He came through youth football at TuPS and PKKU before moving into the Honka academy system, then worked his way up from the Finnish lower divisions to Honka's first team in the Veikkausliiga. Once he got there, he became a starter quickly.
Honka is where the first real markers came. He scored his first professional goal on 13 August 2022, in a 4 to 0 win over Ilves, and he lifted the Finnish League Cup with the club that same year. Neither is the kind of thing that makes headlines abroad. Both are the kind of thing that gets a young defender noticed by clubs one level up.
The Croatian Stepping Stone
The next level turned out to be Croatia. At Istra 1961 in the HNL, Koski got exposure to a tougher, more physical league, and he handled it. Across the first half of the 2025/26 season he logged 1,506 minutes, averaged a rating of around 6.87 and collected only three yellow cards. For a centre back playing regular minutes, that disciplinary record is quietly impressive.
The more revealing detail came off the pitch. In the summer of 2025, Istra reportedly rejected a 3 million euro offer from Chicago Fire in MLS. There was also reported interest from Bologna and Hellas Verona in Italy, plus clubs in Scandinavia and the Bundesliga. A Croatian club saying no to that kind of money for a Finnish defender is a statement of belief, and it set the stage for what came next.
The Afternoon Against Barcelona
Alavés brought him in on loan on 31 January 2026. His La Liga debut followed in March, a 1 to 1 draw with Villarreal. Then came May: a start at home against Barcelona, the full 90 minutes, a clean sheet, a 1 to 0 win and a match rating of 7.3.
It's a small sample. Two starts, two clean sheets, is not a season. But clubs make decisions on small samples all the time, and the permanent five year deal suggests Alavés saw enough in how he defended, not just in the scoreline.
What did they see? His height is the obvious starting point. At 1.85 metres he's tall enough to compete in the air, and aerial duels have been flagged as a strength throughout his career, without being so big that he struggles to turn or carry the ball out. He's also been praised for his composure and his ability to play out from the back, which matters at a club that can't simply hoof it clear for 90 minutes against better sides.
Captain of a Rare Finnish Generation
Koski has represented Finland at U17, U18 and U21 level, and he captained the U21 side. That group qualified for the finals of the 2025 UEFA European Under 21 Championship, only the second time Finland has managed it. Wearing the armband for that team marks him out as more than a squad body.
He has since stepped up to the senior team, with appearances against Germany and Hungary in mid 2026. For a country that doesn't produce a long line of top flight defenders, a centre back starting in La Liga is a genuinely useful asset.
The Money, Estimated
Neither Koski nor Alavés has published his salary, and there's no official figure for his net worth either. What we can offer is a reasoned estimate. Icon Polls estimates his net worth at somewhere between $2 million and $4 million, built from his contracts in Finland, Croatia and now Spain.
On wages, Icon Polls estimates he earns roughly 500,000 to 1 million euros a year, which is the typical band for a player in his position at a mid table La Liga side. Treat both numbers as educated guesses, not reported facts. He isn't on star wages. He is, though, very comfortably paid for a 24 year old who was in the Veikkausliiga a few seasons ago.
Is 1.5 Million Euros Too Low?
Probably, yes. Public valuations put him around 1.1 million to 1.5 million euros heading into summer 2026. That figure looks stale next to the evidence. Chicago Fire were reportedly willing to pay double that a year earlier, before he'd played a minute in Spain.
Factor in his age, a contract stretching to 2031 and proof that he can hold his own in La Liga, and Icon Polls believes Alavés could realistically ask for something in the region of 3 million to 5 million euros if they ever decided to sell. Long contracts give clubs leverage, and Alavés now has plenty of it.
What About His EA Sports FC Card?
Gamers tend to ask this one. Our estimate for his FC 26 card is a silver in roughly the 64 to 68 overall range, leaning on defending and physical stats with decent pace for a centre back. That's an estimate rather than a confirmed rating, so check in game before you build a squad around him. Defenders who string together a full season as a starter in one of Europe's top five leagues tend to see their ratings climb, and that's the opportunity in front of him now.
The Season That Matters
Koski's story so far is one of steady, earned progress, with one big night against Barcelona as the highlight. The 2026/27 season is the real test: can he turn two strong starts into a regular place in the Alavés back line? If he can, his valuation will need rewriting quickly.
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Three Things Readers Ask
Is Ville Koski married?
There's no public information about his relationship status. He keeps his private life private, which is common for players at this stage of their careers.
Has he won any trophies?
Yes. He won the Finnish League Cup with Honka in 2022.
Which leagues has he played in?
The Finnish Veikkausliiga, Croatia's HNL and Spain's La Liga, plus international football with Finland from youth level through to the senior side.
