Matti Paatelainen (born 17 June 1944) is a Finnish former international footballer who played as a striker.
Paatelainen earned 47 caps for Finland, scoring eleven goals, between 1970 and 1977. He played club football at Urho, HPS, HIFK and FC Haka. He was Mestaruussarja top scorer in 1970, 1972, 1976 and 1977
He appeared in nine FIFA World Cup qualifying matches, scoring once.
Paatelainen has three sons who all have played professional football - Mixu, Mikko and Markus.