Real Madrid has strengthened its frontcourt by signing Finnish power forward Mikael Jantunen to a two-year contract, the club announced on Wednesday. The 26-year-old joins after spending one season with Fenerbahce Istanbul and is set to become the first Finnish player to represent the Spanish powerhouse.
Jantunen arrives following a successful campaign in Turkey, where he helped Fenerbahce capture the Turkish League and Turkish Cup titles while also reaching the EuroLeague Final Four. In EuroLeague play, he averaged 5.2 points and 3.2 rebounds across 36 appearances, providing energy, rebounding and floor spacing in a complementary role.
Although his offensive numbers dipped from previous seasons, Jantunen demonstrated his versatility by shooting efficiently from the perimeter and defending multiple frontcourt positions throughout Fenerbahce’s deep postseason run. He averaged 7.0 points and 3.3 rebounds in the Turkish League while converting 37.1% of his three-point attempts.
Before joining Fenerbahce, Jantunen established himself as one of Paris Basketball’s key contributors during the club’s rapid rise. He started all 38 EuroLeague games in the 2024-25 season, averaging 7.9 points and 4.7 rebounds while helping Paris reach the EuroLeague Playoffs in its debut campaign. A year earlier, he played a major role in Paris winning the 2024 EuroCup title, securing promotion to the EuroLeague.
His time in France also produced domestic success. Jantunen helped Paris lift the 2024 French League Cup before adding both the French Cup and French League championship in 2025, making him one of Europe’s most decorated role players over the last three seasons.
Jantunen’s professional journey began after two collegiate seasons at the University of Utah. He returned to Europe with Oostende, where he helped the Belgian club win the 2022 BNXT League championship and earned the league’s Sixth Man of the Year award. A productive season with Treviso in Italy followed, during which he averaged 8.2 points and 4.9 rebounds before his move to Paris.
The Finnish international has also become a fixture for his national team since debuting as a teenager. He has represented Finland at both the FIBA Basketball World Cup and EuroBasket, playing a significant role in the country’s run to the semifinals at EuroBasket 2025.
Jantunen joins a Real Madrid squad entering a new era. The club finished third in the 2025-26 EuroLeague regular season with a 24-14 record before defeating Hapoel Tel Aviv 3-1 in the playoff quarterfinals. Madrid reached the championship game after beating Valencia 105-90 in the Final Four semifinals but fell 92-85 to Olympiacos in the EuroLeague final.
The offseason has already brought significant changes. Pedro Martinez replaced Sergio Scariolo as head coach, while Jaime Pradilla and Timothe Luwawu-Cabarrot have also joined the roster. Trey Lyles, who led Madrid’s frontcourt with 13.5 points and 4.5 rebounds per game in the EuroLeague before departing, leaves a vacancy that Jantunen will help fill alongside veterans Edy Tavares, Mario Hezonja, Gabriel Deck and Usman Garuba.
