page_title: Essi Sainio
section_title: Club career
hierarchical_section_title: Essi Sainio / Club career
caption_attribution_description: English: Essi Sainio during warmup of Finland - Northern Ireland friendly match.
context_page_description: Essi Katriina Sainio is a Finnish footballer, who is currently plays for HJK in Finland. She played for SC Freiburg of Germany's Frauen-Bundesliga before having a few years break due personal reasons. She previously played for Turbine Potsdam in Germany and for AIK of the Swedish Damallsvenskan. Sainio began her senior career with Naisten Liiga clubs FC Honka and HJK in her home country. Since making her debut in 2006, Sainio won 45 caps and scored three goals for the Finland women's national football team. A winger who can also play as a full-back, she was part of the Finnish team which hosted UEFA Women's Euro 2009 and reached the quarter-finals.
context_section_description: Her career began at the age of nine years at FC Kasiysi Espoo. She then moved to FC Espoo and FC Honka Espoo and arrived at HJK Helsinki in 2005.
  Her transfer from the German Frauen-Bundesliga team 1. FFC Turbine Potsdam to the Swedish Damallsvenskan club AIK was announced in May 2009. At AIK Sainio made seven appearances and scored one goal before suffering an anterior cruciate ligament injury in 2010. She was allowed to move back to Germany with SC Freiburg in July 2010.
caption: With Finland's national team in 2009
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