Vesa-Matti Loiri competed at the championship level in football, water polo, handball and billiards. In addition, Loiri competed in boxing and played, among other things, ice hockey at the second highest league level.
Wednesday August 10 dead Vesa-Matti Loiri in addition to his artistic career, he is remembered as a versatile sportsman. He was 77 years old when he died.
Sports and football influencer Erkki Alaja was Loir’s longtime friend. According to him, the sad news has touched many, because Loiri was “a man of the whole nation”.
– This is a sad day. The washing machine was crazy. He was involved in so many. A really nice, uncomplicated and fair stadium, Alaja described.
Alaja doesn’t remember exactly when he got to know Loir.
– Yes, it has happened on those fields. Somewhere in the ballpark. Vesku played futsal in different clubs there. There was Töölön’s Vesaa and then he came to HJK.
Born in 1945, in the 1960s Loiri became the representative team of Töölö Vesa, finishing third at the highest league level. In 1971, Helsinki Football Club acquired Loir as a backup goalkeeper. Loiri played in the team in the 1972 season.
Alaja says that Loiri got the spark to play as a goalkeeper after seeing Yugoslavia shine in the final match of the Helsinki Olympics Vladimir Bearanwho saved Hungary’s penalty kick.
– 20 years later, Vesku guarded the same goal in an international friendly match against Katowice. He didn’t play any official league matches, but he got on the field in a few international matches.
– Vesku did not present itself on the playing fields. He was a funny and fair guy. There was always a bit of Show, but he always played seriously.
Versatility stemmed from childhood
In addition to football, Loiri competed at the championship level in water polo, handball and billiards. In addition, Loiri competed in boxing and also played ice hockey at the second highest league level.
Loiri even served as chairman of the Finnish Billiards Association in the 1990s.
According to Alaja, one of the reasons for Loir’s versatile sporting success was that he grew up in an environment that encouraged exercise.
– He lived near the ball field on Mannerheimintie. He was in a sporting environment all the time. There were enough friends. Since he was little, he has been involved in sports. He was of the old school, who was versatile in different sports.
In addition, Loiri was sensitive to interest and enthusiasm for new stimuli.
– Vesku was a bit like that, that he got excited about one thing, then another and then a third. And we went full blast.
Loiri won three Finnish championships in water polo and one in handball.
– I played handball with him in UK-51, but then there were no championships, Alaja recalls.
Former tennis pro Olli Rahnasto estimated in 2015 for that Loir would also have had the prerequisites to become a top-class tennis player.
Alaja estimates that Loiri could have reached a tough level, at least in ball sports, if he had practiced and focused on them more.
Sports interested me until the end
After his own sports career, Loiri was an enthusiastic bench athlete. One of his dreams came true when he got to witness Huuhkajie playing in the 2021 European Football Championship.
Alaja says that Loiri visited her twin brother Pertin with, for example, watching the Champions League final. Pertti Alaja was the president of the Football Association from 2012 to 2017.
– Vesku liked and followed sports closely. He had many friends in sports circles. It was also one part of his life.
Loir’s own training became less due to the acting work. In recent years, his health deteriorated.
– But a large part of the fact that Vesku lived such a good and long life is due to the fact that he was so active when he was young.