Jussi Jääskeläinen chooses longer club career over national team
Popular Bolton Wanderers keeper played 55 times in a Finnish shirt
Bolton Wanderers goalkeeper Jussi Jääskeläinen will no longer be seen between the posts for the Finnish national football team, the local newspaper The Bolton News confirmed in its Wednesday article, headlined: “Jussi Jaaskelainen puts club before country”.
In actual fact, the decision, first noted on the Bolton Wanderers website a few weeks ago, is more a question of Jääskeläinen's wanting to ensure that he will have as long a career as possible on the club level.
“I felt the time was right because I have at least three or four years left in me and I want to prolong my playing days as long as I possibly can”, Jääskeläinen told the English newspaper.
“It is definitely going to benefit Bolton because when you are away on international duty, there is a lot of travelling involved, and it’s not as easy as people think”, the Finn added.
For the remainder of his career as a top level footballer, Jääskeläinen would most rather continue guarding the goal of the Bolton Wanderers, the team that he has played with for more than ten years.
For Jääskeläinen the most tiring thing about international duties is the travelling.
“You get a little bit tired when you have been travelling to games around Europe on a Saturday and Wednesday, and then come back for a weekend game with Bolton and have to be 100 per cent focused”, the now former Finland international described his everyday life.
Jääskeläinen emphasised that so far this has not affected his performance as the Bolton keeper. Nonetheless, he decided it was time he dedicated more time to his family as well.
“My wife and boys come over to Finland to watch me play, so I had the opportunity to see them whilst I was away, but now I can spend [the time] with them back in Bolton.”
The Finnish goalkeeper also told his local newspaper in England the story of how the Finnish national team got its nickname ‘Huuhkajat’ (Eagle Owls).
For Jääskeläinen, the swoops of the Eurasian eagle owl (Bubo bubo in Latin), aptly nicknamed as ‘Bubi’ in reference to the Finnish Broadcasting Company’s sports reporter and commentator Bror-Erik “Bubi” Wallenius, around the Helsinki Olympic Stadium in the summer of 2007 during a Euro 2008 qualifier against Belgium have been the most memorable moment in his 11-year career in the Finland shirt.
The game had to be suspended for six minutes, until the majestic bird, which perched for some time on Jääskeläinen's crossbar, finally chose to go about its business.
“When we eventually resumed, we scored two quick goals and went on to win the match”, Jääskeläinen recalled.
The keeper’s biggest disappointment is the fact that Finland never quite managed to reach a major international tournament.
“We have just lacked that little bit extra that is necessary to make it to a tournament”, Jääskeläinen fretted.
Jääskeläinen made his debut for the Finnish senior side in 1998, and was for some years the second-choice keeper behind Antti Niemi, another who had a lengthy career in England.
However, after Niemi made a similar decision in 2005, Jussi has been the keeper of choice under first Roy Hodgson and the present coach Stuart Baxter.
A hugely popular player with both club and country, Jääskeläinen's departure will of necessity bring some changes to the look of the national squad, although the chances are he will not be the only established name to decide it is time to call it a day - Finland has quite a number of players on its roster who are approaching retirement age.
Previously in HS International Edition:
One big beautiful bird (12.6.2007)
See also:
Bolton´s Jussi Jääskeläinen joins elite Premiership club (3.11.2008)
Links:
Jussi Jääskeläinen (Wikipedia)
Jääskeläinen announcement on Bolton Wanderers website, 29.10.2009
The Bolton News
Finland national football team (Wikipedia)
Bolton Wanderers
Helsingin Sanomat
|
| 12.11.2009 - TODAY |
Jussi Jääskeläinen chooses longer club career over national team
|
|
