Teemu Puk’s family moved from the United States back to Finland, and at the same time, the star striker’s playing minutes have been few in the club and national team. Fortunately, support has been found nearby.
Jussi Vainikka,
Samu Saatsi
The Finnish men’s national football team’s all-time best goal scorer Teemu Pukki played exactly four minutes in the North American MLS series in the fall.
A hamstring injury kept the Minnesota forward out of games for three games at the turn of September and October, but otherwise Pukki has been sitting on the bench. The last time he was in Minnesota’s starting lineup was in August.
– My club team year has been quite a farce, Pukki admits to Urheilu.
Minutes have been few even in the national team. Pukki has played a total of 77 minutes in five matches. In the away match against England, the player from Kotka was the opening act, but the head coach Markku Kanerva decided to replace Puki during the break.
– I know that I haven’t really played any minutes anywhere. We have other strikers who score goals in big roles in their own clubs. It is understandable that the starting lineup’s place in the national team is not realistic at the moment, says Pukki.
Pukki turns 35 in March, so his National Team career is naturally on the eve.
– I used to think about it more. If at some point there was a thought that the qualifiers could have been the last, then I don’t want to end like this either. There is still fire to show and I believe that I can still help the national team, Pukki states.
– If only the invitation goes through next year as well, of course I hope that I will be able to play more.
Pukki repeats several times that club team successes would be of great importance for the national team as well. Puk’s contract with Minnesota continues until next summer with an option at the end of the year.
There has been speculation in the media about Puki’s return to Finland, in which case the alternatives would be HJK and his foster club KTP, which has returned to the Veikkausliiga. Pukki does not want to comment on his future yet.
It is easy to imagine that Puki’s will is in many ways to return to Finland. The family currently lives in Helsinki, because the daughter has started school and Pukki decided with his wife that it is better to start the school journey in his own country.
Pukki says that loneliness has plagued North America. A teammate By Robin Lodi support has been important to him in Minnesota.
– It makes it easier to be bored when there is a friend next door. I get to follow their family life. I can open up to Robin if there are things that are pressing on and off the field. It has become a big support.
Another lifeline has been the national team camps, during which you can meet not only family but of course teammates from Huuhkaji.
– The gang is full of best friends. Here, the troubles of the club team do not weigh much. I forget those things right away at the airport, says Pukki.
Among the players, it is Pukki who has most strongly personified the Huuhkaji’s historic success of recent years, which, although right now, is only a memory.
With the relegation to the C level of the Nations League, Finland has returned to the same starting point, where Kanerva’s coaching season and Puki’s rise to become one of the all-time players began more than six years ago.
– Even then we went really deep, but within a few years we were at the games. I could say that we are playing better than in 2017, but there have been no results.
Finland has won only one match this year, and that was a practice match against Estonia. Pukki has occasionally entered the field more on the wing than in his familiar position as a center forward.
– Yes, I am an attacker and I see that as my best position. Of course, I still see myself as a goalscorer, although the role has been a little different now. Recently, there have been no goals, but after all, there have been some this year, says Pukki.
It’s true, Pukki has scored three times in the national team shirt this year. Because he is the team’s best scorer this year. No one else has succeeded even twice.
Perhaps Puki’s goal tally will still increase on Sunday at the Olympic Stadium in the final match against Greece in the Nations League.
– We hope that we will get something positive for this final year. It would be really important to break the losing streak now. That way, we would get to the World Cup qualification with a little more freedom, says Pukki.