No longer the smallest and slowest

However, the young Huuhkajat gambler has self-confidence. You can hear it from his choice of words and the way he dares to describe his qualities.

He has always had faith in himself, but it has grown to different dimensions in recent years. Antman is a former child star who, despite his skills, considered himself the “smallest and slowest” of his teams when he was younger.

However, that’s not what he is anymore.

Antman has become big and distinctively fast. The kind of player who can use his Speed ​​to knock opponents off their feet in a one-on-one situation.

In addition, that speed came with almost one throw. The change has only happened in the last couple of years.

– To be honest, that speed came within half a year all at the same time in Denmark, Antman tells Urheilu while sitting in the lobby of a hotel in Copenhagen.

Nicknamed “Korson’s Messi”, Antman was a child star who was lured from Vantaa to Spain at the age of 8. The giant Catalan club FC Barcelona tried to get the skilled mohawk-haired Finn into their academy. The insert seen in ‘s news about the wide-smiling linen head playing with a ball has been remembered by many.

You can watch Uutisten’s story about 8-year-old Oliver Antman in the video below.

Antman’s skills with the ball have come from thousands of hours and total dedication to soccer. The 10-year-old from Korso once told Urheiluruutu that he trained 4-6 hours a day at the time. Later, the weekly training hours increased to more than 50 hours.

Coached him for a long time Pertti Kemppinen described For Iltalehti (you switch to another service)that young Oliver’s ball skills, motor skills, step speed and coordination when handling the ball were exceptional even as a child.

The skills accumulated over the years in Finland and at the age of 12 for a year in Spain, but the physical characteristics did not in the same way. When he returned to Finland, he moved to play for Legirus Inter from Korsola, where he noticed that he was a year older than him.

The playmates grew towards adult frames, while the 150-centimeter Oliver had to wrestle against several tens of centimeters shorter and tens of kilograms lighter.

– When I was younger, I was always the smallest in the team and usually also the slowest, Antman says now.

– My physique was completely zero. I then had to be better in other things, technically and tactically.

At the age of 16, Antman moved from Gnistan in Oulu to Denmark. FC Nordsjaelland, which founded its club culture on honing young football talents to the top, recruited him into its ranks.

There he grew to his full size and at the same time became a professional football player.

For all the team’s young players, joint strength training aimed to create a good foundation for speed and strength qualities that can be used in soccer. At first, Antman was not given special attention.

– Our physical trainers probably didn’t think at the beginning that I would somehow become miraculously fast.

However, development began to come with the increase in strength. That’s when the Danish club’s physical trainers noticed that Antman’s step and foot speed could develop into something distinctive.

– They knew that I could become really fast.

He had a lot of discussions with the physical training about what the development would require. However, the young man was very ready to do a lot of work once again.

Huhkajie’s young power man says that he created the foundation for his speed in the gym. The club’s physical trainers took him in for even more detailed guidance.

– I did a lot of strength and jumping training as well as training to develop explosiveness. That’s how it came, Antman sings.

– I’ve always had pretty fast feet. That might be one of the reasons that helped me gain speed overall. Then when you add a little more power to them, it can bring overall speed.

It did, and with that Antman began to stand out even more on the field. Along with ball control skills came a new gear to overtake opponents.

How does it feel when you suddenly notice that you are clearly faster than your opponents?

– It was an amazing feeling, I was surprised by it myself, Antman reflects.

– However, I don’t remember a single moment like that. It didn’t happen by snapping your fingers. But, I used to consider myself a pretty slow player. To be honest, all the speed came at the same time within half a year, he says.

The development of physical characteristics has brought self-confidence and it can also be seen on the field. Antman, who moved to the Dutch premier league FC Groningen on loan, immediately scored a wonderful debut goal in his first match at his new club. The opening goal in the Eredivisie took just four minutes on the pitch.

In Huahkaj, the mark of the pier has been eye-catching. Four national matches for the men have brought three hits, the most recent one came against Denmark in the opening game of the European Championship qualifiers at Parken.

When Antman completed the 1-1 tie at the end of a quick counter-attack, he knew it was no fluke.

– I do know my skills, what I can do and what I am capable of in games. It didn’t come as a surprise. I think I can be much better. I could have scored many more goals, says Antman.

In the sweat interview after the match, Antman stated that he can be dangerous from game to game.

– Absolutely. I’m in a good mood. I feel like every time I go on the pitch I’m going to score a goal.

Urheilu’s football expert Jonne Kunnas describes Oliver Antman as an exceptional Finnish player.

– He really brings a lot more with his own performance level. He is able to pass his opponents in one-on-one situations and thereby create scoring chances. Players that Finland doesn’t have terribly, Kunnas describes.

Kunnas praises Antman’s level of basic play as high and specifically raises his self-confidence as an important factor.

– Speed ​​and confidence are his strengths. The core thing is how good he is with the ball. When you look at Finnish player profiles, there are not many who are able to work with the ball in a tight space, change direction, pass and be aware of what is happening around them all the time.

– All that combined with the speed of doing these things. It is a good combination for Finland.

There can be even more momentum. Antman says that he still trains with an emphasis on developing speed.

– It’s a good combination for me that when I was little I learned all the basics about football and when I was older I developed physics. When you combine them, it’s a really good combo.

A combo worth more national team goals so far.