Joel Pohjanpalo (born 13 September 1994), is a Finnish professional football striker who plays for German Bundesliga side Bayer Leverkusen and represents the Finland national team. Pohjanpalo was born in Helsinki, Finland where he played for HJK before he was loaned to Bayer 04 Leverkusen at age 19 in 2013.
Pohjanpalo made his international debut for Finland in November 2012, at the age of 18 and has since had over 30 caps, including appearing in 2018 FIFA World Cup qualification.
A product of his hometown club HJK Helsinki, Pohjanpalo emerged through the youth ranks, first appearing with the reserve team (Klubi-04) in 2011 at the age of 16. He made his Veikkausliiga debut on 26 October 2011, starting against RoPS. During his first season in the Finnish 2nd division with Klubi-04, he made 21 appearances, scored a record-breaking 33 league goals and was awarded as the series player of the season. Following his excellent performances with the reserves, Pohjanpalo signed a new contract with HJK on 7 December 2011, keeping him in the Finnish capital until 2015.