1. Early life and personal background
Robert Ivanov was born in Kurkimäki, Helsinki, Finland, and was raised in East Helsinki. His mother, Nelli Pakki, is of Ingrian Finnish descent and his father is Russian. Nelli Pakki is a former Estonian international handball player who moved to Finland from Estonia in 1990. In addition to professional football, Ivanov has also played futsal for MaKu.
2. Club career
Ivanov began his professional football career in Finland, playing for several clubs across the country's league system. He played for FC Myllypuro in Kolmonen in 2013, and then in Kakkonen in 2014. In 2015, he joined FC Viikingit, competing in Kakkonen, and also made an appearance for FC Viikingit II in Kolmonen during the same year.
In March 2016, Ivanov transferred to FC Honka, where he remained until 2020. During his time at Honka, he played across various Finnish football league tiers, including Kakkonen (2016), Ykkönen (2017), and Veikkausliiga from 2018 to 2020. His strong performances at Honka earned him a place in the Veikkausliiga Team of the Month for both July and September 2018.
On 1 September 2020, Ivanov signed a two-year contract with Polish club Warta Poznań for an undisclosed transfer fee. He spent three seasons with Warta Poznań, competing in the Ekstraklasa, the top Polish football league.
On 16 June 2023, it was announced that Ivanov had signed a two-year deal with German 2. Bundesliga club Eintracht Braunschweig on a free transfer. He scored his first goal for the club on 8 October 2023, in a 3-1 home defeat against Paderborn.
3. International career
Robert Ivanov did not play for any of Finland's international youth teams before making his senior debut. He made his debut for the Finland senior national team on 8 January 2019, at the age of 24. His first appearance was in a friendly match against Sweden, where he came on as an 85th-minute substitute for Albin Granlund.
Ivanov was called up for the UEFA Euro 2020 pre-tournament friendly match against Sweden on 29 May 2021. Subsequently, he was part of the Finland squad that participated in the delayed UEFA Euro 2020 in June 2021.
4. Career statistics
This section provides a detailed overview of Robert Ivanov's professional football statistics, encompassing both his club and international appearances and goals throughout his career. National cup appearances include matches in the Suomen Cup, Polish Cup, and DFB-Pokal. European appearances include the UEFA Europa League.
4.1. Club statistics
| Club | Season | League | National cup | Europe | Total | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Division | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | ||
| FC Myllypuro | 2013 | Kolmonen | 21 | 4 | 0 | 0 | - | 21 | 4 | |
| 2014 | Kakkonen | 14 | 2 | 0 | 0 | - | 14 | 2 | ||
| Total | 35 | 6 | 0 | 0 | - | - | 35 | 6 | ||
| FC Viikingit | 2015 | Kakkonen | 19 | 3 | 1 | 0 | - | 20 | 3 | |
| FC Viikingit II | 2015 | Kolmonen | 1 | 1 | - | - | 1 | 1 | ||
| FC Honka | 2016 | Kakkonen | 22 | 5 | 4 | 0 | - | 27 | 5 | |
| 2017 | Ykkönen | 24 | 3 | 6 | 3 | - | 30 | 6 | ||
| 2018 | Veikkausliiga | 30 | 3 | 7 | 1 | - | 37 | 4 | ||
| 2019 | Veikkausliiga | 29 | 2 | 7 | 1 | - | 36 | 3 | ||
| 2020 | Veikkausliiga | 10 | 0 | 6 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 17 | 0 | |
| Total | 115 | 13 | 30 | 5 | 1 | 0 | 146 | 18 | ||
| Warta Poznań | 2020-21 | Ekstraklasa | 22 | 0 | 1 | 0 | - | 23 | 0 | |
| 2021-22 | Ekstraklasa | 31 | 1 | 1 | 0 | - | 32 | 1 | ||
| 2022-23 | Ekstraklasa | 31 | 1 | 1 | 0 | - | 32 | 1 | ||
| Total | 84 | 2 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 87 | 2 | ||
| Eintracht Braunschweig | 2023-24 | 2. Bundesliga | 27 | 1 | 0 | 0 | - | 27 | 1 | |
| 2024-25 | 2. Bundesliga | 16 | 0 | 1 | 0 | - | 17 | 0 | ||
| Total | 43 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 44 | 1 | ||
| Career total | 296 | 26 | 35 | 5 | 1 | 0 | 332 | 31 | ||
4.2. International statistics
The following table details Robert Ivanov's appearances and goals for the Finland national team by year.
| National team | Year | Apps | Goals |
|---|---|---|---|
| Finland | 2019 | 2 | 0 |
| 2020 | 0 | 0 | |
| 2021 | 6 | 0 | |
| 2022 | 9 | 0 | |
| 2023 | 10 | 0 | |
| 2024 | 8 | 0 | |
| Total | 35 | 0 | |
5. Honours
Honka
- Ykkönen runner-up: 2017
Individual
- Veikkausliiga Team of the Month: July 2018, September 2018