The artificial grass field in Kankuri, Hyvinkää is the home of the local Palloseura, better known as Villa Park. The field got its nickname from the nearby wool factory.
Although the former junior coach of HyPS Jari Leinonen to argue otherwise, the big English football club Aston Villa and its home stadium known by the same name must have at least a small influence on the matter.
As a football player at Villa Park in Hyvinkää, the striker grew up under Leinonen’s coaching San Francisco. Helmareit’s credit player is now playing for the first time in his career on the prestigious turf in Milton Keynes, England, more than a hundred kilometers away from the original Villa Park.
Franssi, 27, himself comes from Riihimäki – 13 kilometers and seven minutes by train from Hyvinkää. Franssi became familiar with train journeys from a young age, when the Riihimäki Nappulaseura changed to HyPS.
– He started traveling by train when he was young, came from the train station to the field and left the field back. It showed enthusiasm that he did this several times a week. As an older junior, he also took the train to Vantaa, Leinonen recalls.
According to those close to Franss, the strong enthusiasm mentioned by Leinonen is a significant part of the success of the 27-year-old attacker today. Enthusiasm has stayed with him in a career that has taken him to the top teams of the major leagues in Switzerland, Denmark, Italy and Spain. Today, Franssi plays for Real Sociedad in the Spanish league.
– Sanni discovered football when he was 3 years old. For some reason, he announced that he wanted to go play football. The following summer, we went to the Riihimäki race track to see how things looked and we stayed on that road, mother Johanna Franssi tells.
Enthusiasm for sports and movement in general was nurtured in Franssi’s family from an early age. Mother Johanna remembers dog runs and summer cottage trips where the children were always included.
– We were a mobile family. The ball was with us wherever we went. The children liked to do physical things, luckily it wasn’t the age of mobile phones then, laughs Johanna Franssi.
There is another professional athlete from the family. Brother of Sanni Franssi Santeri Hatakka21, played his first NHL games last season with the San Jose Sharks.
– Maybe genes have something to do with it, but I guess it’s not a coincidence. Both are talented. The other two sisters have been dancing, so they have all been interested in sports, thinks mother Franssi.
Sanni Franssi’s hobbies also included skiing, athletics and playing the saxophone, but football and working in a team took the win.
– He is a team player. He liked that things were done together as a team and the coach gave good training, says mother-Johanna.
The fact that Johanna Franssi can’t remember a day when her daughter didn’t want to go to practice also speaks of her uncompromising attitude.
– On the contrary, Sanni always organized school matters and tasks in such a way that he can go to practice. For example, after the old dances, the others went to party, but Sanni changed her dress and went to training with a bun on her head. Same thing with benches. Sometimes he parties, but he made the schedules according to football, says his mother.
Sanni Franssi’s career took off in Vantaa. Through KoiPS and VJS, Franssi ended up in the ranks of PK-35 Vantaa, where he made his breakthrough at the adult level. It wasn’t until Vantaa that the striker became established as a place to play.
– When Sanni came to VJS’s B-girls, she probably played as a topper and we thought about whether now is the right place to play. In Finland, players of that level with such speed and desire to score do not grow on trees, PK-35 who has coached Vantaa’s representative team since 2014 Jari Väisänen remembers.
The change of playing location paid off, and Franssi quickly rose to the national team. In 2016, Franssi won the league’s goal exchange and was chosen as the Finnish champion’s player of the year. Inquiries from abroad had started to come in at an increasing pace, and finally it was time for a decision.
– An offer came from Switzerland and Sanni wondered if he would dare to leave. We talked at home and concluded that you can always go back if you don’t have a good time, says Johanna Franssi.
The year at FC Zürich in Switzerland was successful. The team won silver in the league and Franssi finished with 18 goals. For the next season, Franssi moved Tuija Hyyrynen became a teammate at Juventus and got to celebrate the Italian championship. Ten goals were scored.
From Juventus, Franssi continued his journey to Denmark’s top club Fortuna Hjörring and after two years to his current club Real Sociedad. The goal nets have been swinging everywhere.
HyPS coach Jari Leinonen recalls that Franssi talked about his professional dreams from a young age.
– He already spoke when he was less than 10 years old that he would become a soccer player. It was fun to notice, and now to say that dreams came true.
Mother Johanna doesn’t remember her daughter dreaming of becoming a professional at home at such an early stage.
– I feel that he played football for the love of the sport. He just wanted to play and didn’t necessarily think that the sport could become a profession. In high school, he certainly started to think more about going abroad to play. The process of thinking about it took several years.
Franssi made his first visit to a foreign club Velma Oikarinen with, who blocks balls still PK-35 in Vantaa. At the age of 18, the duo took part in the German Turbine Potsdam test. Oikarinen has been a great support for Franssi throughout his career.
– We have played a lot in the same team and thus experienced a lot together. It has brought it closer. I always listen to concerns when they happen to be there and the same thing works the other way around. This is how friendship works, we support each other and enjoy life every time we see each other, says Oikarinen.
Funny, humorous, friendly – and sometimes a bit temperamental. It’s true if someone can describe the character of their best friend.
– Sannista has always seen that he has the guts to go far. He really enjoys training and daily work a lot, says Oikarinen.
The enjoyment of training and daily work continues even after the Games in the Basque Country. Franssi’s contract with Real Sociedad runs until the summer of 2024.
Helmarit will next face Denmark in the European Championships on Tuesday at 19:00. The live broadcast of the match starts on TV2, Areena and the app at 18:15. You can listen to the match on Puhe from 18:30. You can find everything about the European Championships on ‘s competition page here.