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Marcus Forss

Marcus Uolevi Forss (born 18 June 1999) is a Finnish professional footballer who plays as a forward for EFL Championship club Middlesbrough and the Finland national team.

Marcus Forss
Forss following a Brentford match in 2021
Personal information
Full name Marcus Uolevi Forss[1]
Date of birth (1999-06-18) 18 June 1999 (age 25)
Place of birth Turku, Finland[2]
Height 1.82 m (6 ft 0 in)[2]
Position(s) Forward, winger
Team information
Current team
 Middlesbrough
Number 21
Youth career
Ruskon Pallo
TuWe
0000–2012 FDS-WBA Finland
2012–2017 West Bromwich Albion
2017–2018 Brentford
Senior career*
Years Team Apps (Gls)
2018–2022 Brentford 54 (8)
2019–2020 → AFC Wimbledon (loan) 18 (11)
2022 → Hull City (loan) 11 (1)
2022– Middlesbrough 61 (17)
International career‡
Finland U17 4 (2)
2016–2017 Finland U18 5 (4)
2017–2018 Finland U19 6 (3)
2018–2020 Finland U21 5 (2)
2020– Finland 21 (2)
*Club domestic league appearances and goals, correct as of 22:44, 19 October 2024 (UTC)
‡ National team caps and goals, correct as of 24.69, 17 October 2023 (UTC)

Forss is a graduate of the West Bromwich Albion academy and after transferring to Brentford B in 2017, he was promoted into the first team squad in 2018. Following four seasons with Brentford, Forss transferred to Middlesbrough in 2022. Forss made his international debut for Finland in November 2020, at the age of 20. He was a member of Finland’s final squad in the Euro 2020 tournament.

Club career

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Early years

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A forward, Forss began his career in his native Finland with spells at FC Ruskon Pallo, TuWe and the FDS-Suomi football school.[3] At age 13,[4] he moved to England to join the academy at Premier League club West Bromwich Albion and progressed to sign a two-year scholarship deal in 2015.[5] He was called into the U21 squad for two EFL Trophy matches in the first half of the 2016–17 season and made one appearance,[2] with a start in a 2–0 group stage defeat to Gillingham on 8 November 2016.[6] Forss was released when his scholarship ended in May 2017.[7]

Brentford

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2017–2019

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On 22 June 2017, Forss joined the B team at Championship club Brentford on a two-year contract.[7] After scoring 11 goals in his first 23 B team appearances, he signed a new 3+1⁄2-year contract in February 2018.[8] He finished the 2017–18 season as the B team's top scorer with 21 goals and won the team's Player of the Year award.[9] Forss was promoted into the first team squad for the 2018–19 season and despite missing five months of the campaign with a back injury,[10][11][12] he was a regular inclusion in matchday squads when fit and finished the season with 9 appearances and two goals.[2]

2019–20 season

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After one goal in three early-2019–20 season appearances,[13] Forss signed a new four-year contract and joined League One club AFC Wimbledon on loan until the end of the 2019–20 season.[14] He scored seven goals in his first seven appearances for the club and scored the first senior hat-trick of his career in a 4–1 victory over Southend United on 12 October.[13] Four goals in five appearances in October 2019 won Forss the EFL Young Player of the Month award.[15] Four further goals in December 2019 saw him nominated for the League One Player of the Month award.[16] By the time his spell was ended early by a season-ending torn hamstring on 14 January 2020,[17] he had scored 11 goals in 19 appearances.[18] Forss' performances during the season were recognised with the AFC Wimbledon Young Player of the Year award.[19]

2020–21 season

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Following surgery on his torn hamstring,[20] Forss returned fit for the 2020–21 season and the departures of Ollie Watkins and Saïd Benrahma elevated him to second-choice behind new signing Ivan Toney.[21][22] For two-thirds of the season he served predominantly as a substitute,[2] playing forward and wing roles.[23] Off the back of a spell of seven goals in 13 appearances,[24] Forss signed a new 5+1⁄2-year contract in December 2020.[25] In April 2021, a change in formation allowed Forss to break into the starting lineup,[2] as one of two forwards alongside Ivan Toney.[26] His first appearance as part of the new formation saw him score his first goal for over five months, in a 5–0 win over Preston North End.[24] Brentford qualified for the promotion playoffs and playing as a substitute in the semi-final second leg versus Bournemouth,[27] Forss scored the 81st-minute goal which secured a 3–2 aggregate victory and sent the Bees to a second consecutive playoff Final.[28] Forss' 2020–21 season ended with 50 appearances, 10 goals and promotion to the Premier League after a 2–0 victory over Swansea City in the playoff Final.[24][29]

2021–2022

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Forss began the 2021–22 season principally involved in Brentford's EFL Cup campaign, with his starting performances in second and third round matches versus Forest Green Rovers and Oldham Athletic yielding five goals.[30] His four-goal haul in the latter match was recognised with a place in the EFL Cup Team of the Round and a nomination for Player of the Round.[30][31][32] Forss' 2021–22 EFL Cup performances were later recognised with a place in the Team of the Tournament and his five goals scored in the tournament tied him with Eddie Nketiah as top-scorer.[33][34] By the final day of the winter transfer window,[35] Forss had scored six goals in 12 appearances, but with no goals in seven Premier League appearances.[30] In need of "more consistent game time", Forss joined Championship club Hull City on loan until the end of the 2021–22 season.[35] Deployed in a mix of starting and substitute roles, Forss made 11 appearances during his spell and scored one goal, in a 1–1 draw with Queens Park Rangers on 19 February 2022.[2]

Ahead of the 2022–23 season, Forss was not called into Brentford's pre-season training camp in Germany and transferred out of the club in July 2022.[21][36] He scored 19 goals in 74 appearances during four seasons as a first team player with the club.[21] His 9 EFL Cup goals tied the club record.[21]

Middlesbrough

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2022–23 season

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On 28 July 2022, Forss transferred to Championship club Middlesbrough and signed a four-year contract for an undisclosed fee,[37] reported to be £3 million.[38] He scored his first goal for the club on his second appearance, in a 3–2 defeat to Queens Park Rangers on 6 August 2022.[39] Following the sacking of manager Chris Wilder and the appointment of Michael Carrick on 24 October 2022,[40] Forss ended a three-month goal drought.[39] After being deployed on the right wing in late December 2022,[41][42] he scored five goals in 9 appearances.[39] By the time the 2022–23 season ended with defeat in the playoff semi-finals,[43] Forss had scored 10 goals in 42 appearances.[39]

2023–present

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Either side of being sidelined for 2+1⁄2 months by a thigh problem suffered in late October 2023,[44][45][46] Forss made 23 appearances and scored seven goals during the 2023–24 season,[47] in a mix of starting and substitute roles.[2] Forss missed the final month of the 2023–24 season with a hamstring injury,[48] which kept him out for the opening seven weeks of 2024–25.[49]

International career

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Forss was capped by Finland at U17, U18, U19 and U21 level.[7][2] He captained the U19 team,[50] but was not included in the squad for the 2018 European U19 Championship on home soil due to club commitments.[51] Good goalscoring form at club level saw Forss receive his maiden call up to the senior team for a series of three matches in November 2020.[24][52] He made his debut with a start in a friendly versus France and scored the opening goal in the 2–0 victory.[53] Forss was named in Finland's Euro 2020 squad and made two substitute appearances prior to the team's group stage exit.[53][54] He made two appearances during Finland's failed 2022 World Cup qualification campaign, scoring one goal, which came in a 3–1 victory over Bosnia and Herzegovina in the penultimate group stage match.[53]

Personal life

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Forss hails from a football family.[55] His father Tero Forss and brother Niclas are both involved in football, and his grandfather is former Finland international Rainer Forss.[55] Growing up he was a Manchester United supporter.[4]

Career statistics

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Club

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As of match played 5 October 2024
Appearances and goals by club, season and competition
Club Season League FA Cup EFL Cup Other Total
Division Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals
West Bromwich Albion U21 2016–17[6] — 1[a] 0 1 0
Brentford 2018–19[56] Championship 6 1 1 0 2 1 — 9 2
2019–20[13] Championship 2 0 0 0 1 1 0 0 3 1
2020–21[24] Championship 39 7 2 0 6 2 3[b] 1 50 10
2021–22[30] Premier League 7 0 1 1 4 5 — 12 6
Total 54 8 4 1 13 9 3 1 74 19
AFC Wimbledon (loan) 2019–20[13] League One 18 11 0 0 — 1[a] 0 19 11
Hull City (loan) 2021–22[30] Championship 11 1 — — — 11 1
Middlesbrough 2022–23[39] Championship 38 10 1 0 1 0 2[b] 0 42 10
2023–24[47] Championship 21 7 0 0 2 0 — 23 7
2024–25[57] Championship 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 0
Total 60 17 1 0 3 0 2 0 66 17
Career total 143 37 5 1 16 9 7 1 170 48
  1. ^ a b Appearance in EFL Trophy
  2. ^ a b Appearances in Championship play-offs

International

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As of match played 17 October 2023[53]
Appearances and goals by national team and year
National team Year Apps Goals
Finland 2020 3 1
2021 8 1
2022 6 0
2023 4 0
Total 21 2
Scores and results list Finland's goal tally first, score column indicates score after each Forss goal.
List of international goals scored by Marcus Forss
No. Date Venue Opponent Score Result Competition Ref.
1 12 November 2020 Stade de France, Paris, France   France
1–0
2–0
 Friendly [53]
2 13 November 2021 Bilino Polje Stadium, Zenica, Bosnia and Herzegovina   Bosnia and Herzegovina
1–0
 3–1 2022 FIFA World Cup qualification

Honours

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Brentford

Individual

References

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  1. ^ "EFL Squad List 2023/24 & U21 Registered Contract Players" (PDF). English Football League. p. 22. Retrieved 8 September 2023.
  2. ^ a b c d e f g h i Marcus Forss at Soccerway. Retrieved 7 September 2018.
  3. ^ "U19 (1999) maajoukkue". Suomen Palloliitto. Retrieved 22 August 2017.
  4. ^ a b Slavin, Chris. "Debut goal provides 'massive' boost for Marcus ahead of Shrewsbury". AFC Wimbledon. Retrieved 12 September 2019.
  5. ^ Whaling, James. "See the full West Brom Premier League squad list". mirror. Retrieved 22 June 2017.
  6. ^ a b "Games played by Marcus Forss in 2016/2017". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 14 August 2018.
  7. ^ a b c "Brentford B add Marcus Forss to squad". brentfordfc.com. Retrieved 22 June 2017.
  8. ^ "Marcus Forss signs new contract". Brentford FC. Retrieved 12 February 2018.
  9. ^ a b "Marcus Forss scoops Mary Halder Award". Retrieved 13 June 2018.
  10. ^ "Mads and Marcus promoted to First Team". Retrieved 5 September 2018.
  11. ^ "Head of Medical Neil Greig provides an injury update". Retrieved 16 October 2018.
  12. ^ "Sheffield Wednesday vs Brentford preview". Sky Sports. Retrieved 27 February 2019.
  13. ^ a b c d "Games played by Marcus Forss in 2019/2020". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 3 August 2019.
  14. ^ "Marcus Forss signs new long-term contract and joins AFC Wimbledon on loan". Brentford F.C. Retrieved 2 September 2019.
  15. ^ a b "Marcus Forss wins Young Player of the Month prize". Brentford F.C. Retrieved 16 November 2019.
  16. ^ "Marcus Forss misses out on Sky Bet League One Player of the Month prize". Brentford F.C. Retrieved 10 January 2020.
  17. ^ Fifield, Dominic. "Brentford B: The globetrotting reserves who rebelled against England's academies". The Athletic. Retrieved 16 March 2020.
  18. ^ "Update: Marcus returns to Brentford after suffering injury". AFC Wimbledon. Retrieved 19 January 2020.
  19. ^ a b "Terell and Joe join a long list of Dons heroes". AFC Wimbledon. Retrieved 4 September 2020.
  20. ^ "Going with youth pays dividends at AFC Wimbledon – as Hodges would like to sign replacement for Brentford striker". 19 January 2020. Retrieved 31 January 2020.
  21. ^ a b c d "Marcus Forss signs for Middlesbrough". www.brentfordfc.com. Retrieved 28 July 2022.
  22. ^ "Ivan Toney interview: Brentford striker on exceeding expectations, proving doubters wrong and competition with Marcus Forss". Sky Sports. Retrieved 22 December 2020.
  23. ^ "Brentford knappar in på Norwichs försprång efter segermål av Marcus Forss: "Han är en killer i boxen – nätar varje gång jag sätter honom på planen"". svenska.yle.fi (in Swedish). Retrieved 22 December 2020.
  24. ^ a b c d e "Games played by Marcus Forss in 2020/2021". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 6 September 2020.
  25. ^ "Forss signs new long-term contract". Brentford F.C. Retrieved 23 December 2020.
  26. ^ Westbrook, Ian (10 April 2021). "Bees return to form by destroying Preston". West London Sport. Retrieved 25 April 2021.
  27. ^ "Brentford confirmed in Sky Bet Championship Play-Offs". Brentford F.C. Retrieved 22 May 2021.
  28. ^ "Brentford come from behind to reach final". BBC Sport. Retrieved 22 May 2021.
  29. ^ a b Vincent, Gareth (29 May 2021). "Brentford 2–0 Swansea City". BBC Sport. Retrieved 29 May 2021.
  30. ^ a b c d e "Games played by Marcus Forss in 2021/2022". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 13 August 2021.
  31. ^ Hodgson, George (23 September 2021). "Carabao Cup Team of the Round as Rodriguez and Hughes feature". LancsLive. Retrieved 23 September 2021.
  32. ^ "Marcus Forss misses out on Carabao Cup prize". www.brentfordfc.com. Retrieved 2 October 2021.
  33. ^ a b c "Two Bees in Carabao Cup Team of the Tournament". www.brentfordfc.com. Retrieved 7 March 2022.
  34. ^ "Carabao Cup prize for Marcus". www.brentfordfc.com. Retrieved 1 June 2022.
  35. ^ a b "Marcus Forss joins Hull City on loan". www.brentfordfc.com. Retrieved 31 January 2022.
  36. ^ Harris, Jay. "Forss' place in Brentford's history is secure but time is right to leave". The Athletic. Retrieved 31 July 2022.
  37. ^ "Marcus Forss Joins Middlesbrough FC From Brentford FC". Middlesbrough FC. Retrieved 28 July 2022.
  38. ^ "Boro to sign Forss | Cherries Tavernier bid accepted". Sky Sports. Retrieved 8 September 2023.
  39. ^ a b c d e "Games played by Marcus Forss in 2022/2023". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 18 March 2023.
  40. ^ "Michael Carrick Appointed Boro Head Coach". Middlesbrough FC. Retrieved 28 January 2023.
  41. ^ Johns, Craig (30 December 2022). "Forss can't stop smiling after overcoming early difficulties at Boro". TeessideLive. Retrieved 29 January 2023.
  42. ^ Johns, Craig (29 January 2023). "Barlaser's task is evident as he watches Boro make a big statement vs Watford". TeessideLive. Retrieved 29 January 2023.
  43. ^ Middlesbrough F.C. at the Football Club History Database
  44. ^ "Michael Carrick confirms long-term injury absence – as Boro problems mount for Stoke". The Northern Echo. 25 October 2023. Retrieved 2 December 2023.
  45. ^ Howson, Dom (27 November 2023). "Opportunity knocks for Alex Bangura as Boro confirm Lukas Engel injury blow". Teesside Live. Retrieved 2 December 2023.
  46. ^ "Match Review: Millwall 1 Boro 3". Middlesbrough FC. 13 January 2024. Retrieved 13 January 2024.
  47. ^ a b "Games played by Marcus Forss in 2023/2024". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 5 August 2023.
  48. ^ Johns, Craig (1 July 2024). "Boro notebook as Marcus Forss absence explained and Tommy Smith fitness update". Teesside Live. Retrieved 5 October 2024.
  49. ^ "Marcus Forss admission as Middlesbrough forward in squad at West Brom". The Northern Echo. 2 October 2024. Retrieved 5 October 2024.
  50. ^ "Marcus Forss captains Finland Under-19". Retrieved 4 June 2018.
  51. ^ "Jaakko named in Finland Under-19 squad". Retrieved 12 July 2018.
  52. ^ "Marcus Forss gets Finland call-up". Brentford F.C. Retrieved 5 November 2020.
  53. ^ a b c d e "Marcus Forss". National Football Teams. Benjamin Strack-Zimmermann. Retrieved 14 November 2020.
  54. ^ "Bees players ready for Euro 2020 knock out stages". www.brentfordfc.com. Retrieved 25 June 2021.
  55. ^ a b "Två generationer Forss fortsätter i BK-46" (in Swedish). Retrieved 22 June 2017.
  56. ^ "Games played by Marcus Forss in 2018/2019". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 14 August 2018.
  57. ^ "Games played by Marcus Forss in 2024/2025". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 5 October 2024.
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