Vahid Hambo (born 3 February 1995) is a Finnish footballer of Bosnian descent who plays as a striker.[1] He has been described as a tall, powerful player.[2]
 Hambo with SJK in 2018. | |||
| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Date of birth | 3 February 1995 | ||
| Place of birth | Helsinki, Finland | ||
| Height | 1.93 m (6 ft 4 in) | ||
| Position(s) | Striker | ||
| Youth career | |||
| HJK | |||
| 2012–2014 | Sampdoria | ||
| Senior career* | |||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) |
| 2014 | Ilves | 5 | (1) |
| 2015 | Inter Turku | 6 | (4) |
| 2015–2017 | Brighton & Hove Albion | 0 | (0) |
| 2017–2018 | SJK | 22 | (3) |
| 2018 | → SJK Akatemia | 1 | (0) |
| 2018 | RoPS | 11 | (3) |
| 2019 | Astra Giurgiu | 6 | (0) |
| 2019 | Sūduva | 4 | (0) |
| 2020 | Lahti | 17 | (3) |
| 2021–2022 | IFK Mariehamn | 39 | (7) |
| 2023– | VJS | 5 | (7) |
| International career | |||
| 2011–2012 | Finland U17 | 3 | (0) |
| 2013–2014 | Finland U19 | 3 | (3) |
| 2015–2016 | Finland U21 | 1 | (2) |
| *Club domestic league appearances and goals, correct as of 21 December 2023 | |||
Club career
Early years
Born in Helsinki to Bosnian parents, he played with his local team, HJK's youth sides before switching to Sampdoria's Primavera team. His time in Italy was blighted by injuries, and after two years his contract was terminated by mutual consent, after scoring only once in 23 games.[3]
Ilves and Inter Turku
After his departure from Sampdoria, Hambo signed for Ilves in the Finnish second division, Ykkönen. He impressed and was quickly grabbed by Inter Turku in the top-flight Veikkausliiga. His good form continued, but injuries limited his playing time, making only 6 appearances in the league. Despite this, he was hailed as one of Inter's best players.[4]
Brighton
Still recovering from a knee injury, Hambo signed for Brighton & Hove Albion in the English Championship, joining fellow Finn Niki Mäenpää. The club's officials stated that Hambo would start playing for the reserve team firstly, to get him known to English football better and help recover from his injury.[5]
SJK
On 19 July 2017, Hambo returned to Finland, signing for Veikkausliiga club SJK until the end of the 2018 season.[6]
RoPS
Hambo signed with RoPS in August 2018, but left the club again after the season.[7]
Astra Giurgiu
On 7 February 2019 Vahid Hambo signed a contract, valid for two years and a half, with Romanian side FC Astra Giurgiu.[8]
Sūduva
On 12 September 2019 he became a member of Lithuanian FK Sūduva Marijampolė.[9][10]
International career
Hambo has appeared for Finnish under 21-side. He was also selected for a match for the senior side in the 2016 Euro's qualifying, but had to withdraw due to his injury.
Career statistics
- As of 23 May 2024[11]
| Club | Season | League | Domestic Cups[a] | Europe | Total | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Division | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | ||
| Ilves | 2014 | Ykkönen | 5 | 1 | – | – | 5 | 1 | ||
| Inter Turku | 2015 | Veikkausliiga | 6 | 4 | 7 | 9 | – | 13 | 13 | |
| Brighton & Hove Albion | 2015–16 | Championship | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | – | 0 | 0 | |
| 2016–17 | Championship | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | – | 0 | 0 | ||
| Total | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | – | – | 0 | 0 | ||
| SJK | 2017 | Veikkausliiga | 7 | 1 | 0 | 0 | – | 7 | 1 | |
| 2018 | Veikkausliiga | 15 | 2 | 5 | 3 | – | 20 | 5 | ||
| Total | 22 | 3 | 5 | 3 | – | – | 27 | 6 | ||
| SJK Akatemia | 2018 | Kakkonen | 1 | 2 | – | – | 1 | 2 | ||
| RoPS | 2018 | Veikkausliiga | 11 | 3 | – | – | 11 | 3 | ||
| Astra Giurgiu | 2018–19 | Liga I | 5 | 0 | 2 | 2 | – | 7 | 2 | |
| 2019–20 | Liga I | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | – | 1 | 0 | ||
| Total | 6 | 0 | 2 | 2 | – | – | 8 | 2 | ||
| Sūduva | 2019 | A Lyga | 4 | 0 | 1 | 0 | – | 5 | 0 | |
| Lahti | 2020 | Veikkausliiga | 17 | 3 | 6 | 4 | – | 23 | 7 | |
| IFK Mariehamn | 2021 | Veikkausliiga | 18 | 5 | 3 | 0 | – | 21 | 5 | |
| 2022 | Veikkausliiga | 22 | 2 | 6 | 1 | – | 28 | 3 | ||
| Total | 40 | 7 | 9 | 1 | – | – | 49 | 8 | ||
| VJS | 2023 | Kolmonen | 5 | 7 | – | – | 5 | 7 | ||
| Career total | 117 | 30 | 30 | 19 | – | – | 147 | 49 | ||
Honours
- Astra Giurgiu
- Cupa României: Runner-up 2018–19
Individual
- Veikkausliiga Player of the Month: April 2015[12]
External links
- Vahid Hambo at Soccerway
- (in Finnish) Profile at veikkausliiga.com
- Vahid Hambo | Twentyfour Management (in Finnish)