Jari Litmanen

Jari Litmanen
Personal information
Full name Jari Olavi Litmanen
Date of birth February 20, 1971 (1971-02-20) (age 38)
Place of birth    Lahti, Finland
Height 1.82 m (5 ft 11+1⁄2 in)
Playing position Striker, attacking midfielder, second striker
Club information
Current club FC Lahti
Number 10
Youth clubs
1977–1987 Reipas
Senior clubs1
Years Club App (Gls)*
1987–1990
1991
1992
1992–1999
1999–2001
2001–2002
2002–2004
2004
2005
2005–2007
2008
2008-		 Reipas
HJK
MyPa
Ajax
FC Barcelona
Liverpool
Ajax
FC Lahti
Hansa Rostock
Malmö FF
Fulham
FC Lahti		 086 (28)
027 (16)
018 0(7)
159 (91)
021 0(3)
026 0(5)
020 0(5)
011 0(3)
013 0(1)
010 0(3)
000 0(0)
006 0(3)   
National team2
1989- Finland 118 (30)

1 Senior club appearances and goals
counted for the domestic league only and
correct as of October 5, 2008.
2 National team caps and goals correct
as of November 20, 2008.
* Appearances (Goals)

Jari Olavi Litmanen (pronunciation) (born February 20, 1971 in Lahti) is a Finnish footballer, widely considered the country's greatest ever.[1] He was chosen as the best Finnish player of the last 50 years by the Football Association of Finland in the UEFA Jubilee Awards in November 2003 [2]. Litmanen also finished 42nd in the 100 Greatest Finns voting in 2004. The Association of Football Statisticians' (The AFS) compendium of 'Greatest Ever Footballers' listed Litmanen as the 53rd best footballer ever [3]. In Finland he is often called "Litti" or "Kuningas" ("The King").

Litmanen currently represents FC Lahti of the Finnish Premier Division.

Litmanen was released by Fulham in May 2008, but is the captain of the Finnish national team, in an international career spanning almost two decades. He has also represented Reipas, HJK, MyPa and FC Lahti in Finland, as well as Ajax Amsterdam, FC Barcelona, Liverpool FC, Hansa Rostock and Malmö FF abroad. Considered one of the best attacking midfielders [4], he became the first Finnish footballing superstar while playing for Ajax in the mid-1990s. In 2008 he was invited to represent the Rest of the World in the 10th anniversary charity game, arranged in honour of French 1998 World Cup winning team, along with players like Gabriel Batistuta, Luis Figo and Davor Suker.

Contents

Club career

Litmanen made his first-team debut for Reipas in Finland's top division Veikkausliiga at the age of 16 in 1987. After four seasons he moved to HJK Helsinki, Finland's biggest club, in 1991. A year later he joined MyPa, where he was coached by Harri Kampman, who later became his agent. Litmanen won the Finnish Cup with MyPa before moving abroad in the summer of 1992. His performance in the cup final convinced a scout of Ajax that the club should sign him. “For me, he was the player,” the scout later told the Finnish television.

Litmanen had been chased by a host of European clubs, but in the end it was Ajax who bought him. His first season in the Netherlands was spent in Dennis Bergkamp's shadow, but when Bergkamp moved to Inter Milan it was Litmanen who was given the famous number 10 shirt. He scored 26 goals in the 1993-94 season, becoming the league's top scorer, and leading Ajax to the title.

He was one of the star players of Louis van Gaal's team that reached the UEFA Champions League final twice in a row. Litmanen became the first ever Finnish player to have won the European Cup when Ajax beat AC Milan in the 1994-95 final. In 1995-96, Litmanen was the Champions League top scorer with nine goals, including the equaliser in the final against Juventus, which Ajax lost on penalties 4-2. He also won the Intercontinental Cup against Grêmio in 1995, and came third in the voting for the Ballon d'Or, having finished eighth the previous year.

Litmanen spent seven years in Amsterdam, winning four Dutch championships and three Dutch Cups. He is the club's top scorer in European competition with 24 goals in 44 matches. Litmanen owns the honour of being one of just three players presented in a special video featurette at the Ajax Museum. The other two are Marco van Basten and Johan Cruyff.[5]In his time at Ajax, some fans called him "Merlin" because of the magic he brought to the pitch.

In 1999, Litmanen was re-united with his old boss van Gaal at FC Barcelona. His stint with the club was, however, largely plagued by injuries, and when van Gaal was replaced by Llorenç Serra Ferrer, his chances of playing became even smaller. In the end, Litmanen moved to Liverpool FC on a free transfer, in January 2001.

Litmanen was hailed as "one of the most exciting signings Liverpool have ever made" by the manager Gérard Houllier upon signing for the club he had supported as a boy.[6] But, once again, injuries meant that Litmanen was given little playing time. He did score goals against Tottenham Hotspur and Bayer Leverkusen, and scored a penalty in Liverpool's victory over AS Roma in the Champions League. He was part of the Liverpool team that won the "cup treble" of the Worthington Cup, FA Cup and UEFA Cup in 2001, even though he missed all three finals because of injury. Litmanen was again given permission to move clubs for free after the 2001-02 season.

Litmanen decided to return to Ajax, and was given a hero's welcome with the crowd once again singing his name. He was one of the key players as Ajax reached the quarter-finals of the 2002-03 Champions League. Much of the following season, though, was once again spent on the sidelines, and once again, in the spring of 2004, Litmanen was released.

Litmanen's return to Finland, as he joined FC Lahti, was much hyped, and was hailed as "the return of the king".[7]However, Litmanen moved to German Bundesliga strugglers Hansa Rostock in January 2005 to help save them from relegation. At Rostock he had the longest run of first-team football in recent memory. In the end, though, Hansa were relegated, which ended Litmanen's stint at the club.

Litmanen joined Malmö FF in July 2005 in a bid to help the Swedes qualify for the Champions league. This bid, however, failed, and Litmanen himself was injured during the whole of the autumn, only making a few appearances. He decided to continue his career with Malmö in the 2006 season, which saw Litmanen continue to be sidelined with a number of injuries for much of the season. However, the matches he did play showed he remains a brilliant player when healthy. After an operation to repair a damaged ankle during the winter break, Malmö and Litmanen decided to extend his contract over the 2007 season. However, an ankle injury in June 2007 forced Litmanen to cancel it.[1]

In January 2008, Litmanen received a 10-day trial invitation from Fulham FC, managed by former Finland manager Roy Hodgson, and was signed on January 31, 2008 alongside countryman Toni Kallio. Just weeks after signing with Fulham, Litmanen had to return to his native Finland to rest, after serious heart concerns.

On March 31, 2008, Litmanen made his debut in a Fulham shirt, in a Reserve-team match against Tottenham Reserves. Five minutes before half time, Litmanen scored the opening goal from a penalty kick. He was substituted after 63 minutes, and Fulham Reserves went on to lose the match 1-3. Despite signing for the club in January, Litmanen was released by Fulham in May of the same year without playing a single game in the first team.[8]

Local newspapers of Helsinki wrote that during his vacation in Rome in June, he was approached by former Greece player, and now General Director of PAOK FC, Zisis Vryzas for the prospect of joining his club for the following season. The situation is yet to be resolved. In the summer of 2008 Litmanen has trained with FC Lahti for some weeks.

On August 8, 2008 it was announced that Jari Litmanen would join his former club FC Lahti of the Finnish Premier Division for the remainder of the 2008 season.[9] Litmanen played 34 minutes in his return match. He scored twice and gave passes to two other goals. Litmanen played an important role when FC Lahti managed to finish third in the league and qualify for Europe for the first time in the club's history.

International career

Litmanen made his Finland debut on October 22, 1989 against Trinidad and Tobago, and scored his first goal on May 16, 1991 against Malta. The fact that Finland have never qualified for a major tournament has also prevented Litmanen from proving his talent at the highest level in international competition. Litmanen served as Finland's captain since 1996, and arguably its key player for more than a decade.

Litmanen received his 100th cap on January 25, 2006 against South Korea. He now holds the record for most caps for Finland, and is one of only two Finns to have reached a century of caps, the other being Ari Hjelm. Litmanen is also Finland's all-time leading scorer with 31 goals.

It was thought that Litmanen would miss the rest of the Euro 2008 qualifying campaign, due to the operation on his ankle in 2007, and would have to be out for 6 months. However, Finland coach Hodgson announced Litmanen once again for the squad on November 8, with two crucial qualifying games left. He was Finland's leading goalscorer in Finland's Euro 2008 qualifying campaign with three goals, one against Kazakhstan and two against Poland. His last game for Finland was the qualifier against Portugal on 21.11.2007 as a starter (substituted on the 67th minute). On February 6, 2008, he scored his 29th international goal, giving Finland the lead in a friendly played in Nicosia, Cyprus, against Greece, eventually won 2-1 by the reigning European champions. On March 26, 2008, Litmanen played as a starter in a friendly against Bulgaria, and scored the opening goal, his 30th international goal, from a penalty kick. Although he played very well, he was substituted after the first half, and Bulgaria eventually won the friendly by 2-1.

Personal life

Litmanen was born into a footballing family. His father, Olavi Litmanen, was also a Finnish international and a Reipas player. His mother also played for Reipas at the women's highest level. Litmanen became a father in November 2005, when his Estonian girlfriend Ly Jürgenson gave birth to a son named Caro. In September 2007, the couple's second son was born.

Career statistics

Club performance League Cup League Cup Continental Total
Season Club League Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals
Finland League Finnish Cup Finnish League Cup Europe Total
1987 Reipas Lahti Veikkausliiga 9 0
1988 26 8
1989 25 6
1990 26 14
1991 HJK Helsinki Veikkausliiga 27 16
1992 MyPa Veikkausliiga 18 7
Netherlands League KNVB Cup League Cup Europe Total
1992-93 Ajax Eredivisie 12 1
1993-94 30 26
1994-95 27 17
1995-96 26 14
1996-97 16 6
1997-98 25 16
1998-99 23 11
Spain League Copa del Rey Copa de la Liga Europe Total
1999-00 Barcelona La Liga 21 3
2000-01 0 0
England League FA Cup Football League Cup Europe Total
2000-01 Liverpool Premier League 5 1
2001-02 21 4
Netherlands League KNVB Cup League Cup Europe Total
2002-03 Ajax Eredivisie 14 5
2003-04 6 0
Finland League Finnish Cup Finnish League Cup Europe Total
2004 Lahti Veikkausliiga 11 3
Germany League DFB-Pokal Premiere Ligapokal Europe Total
2004-05 Hansa Rostock Bundesliga 13 1
Sweden League Svenska Cupen League Cup Europe Total
2005 Malmö Allsvenskan 2 1
2006 8 2
2007 0 0
England League FA Cup Football League Cup Europe Total
2007-08 Fulham Premier League 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
Finland League Finnish Cup Finnish League Cup Europe Total
2008 Lahti Veikkausliiga 6 3
Total Finland 146 56
Netherlands 179 96
Spain 21 3
England 26 5
Germany 13 1
Sweden 10 3
Career Total 396 165

Honours

Club titles

Personal awards and achievements

Awards and achievements
Preceded by
Flag of the Netherlands Dennis Bergkamp		 Dutch Footballer of the Year
1993		 Succeeded by
Flag of the Netherlands Ronald de Boer
Preceded by
Flag of Finland Jani Sievinen		 Finnish Sportsman of the Year
1995		 Succeeded by
Flag of Finland Mika Myllylä
Preceded by
-		 UEFA Jubilee Awards
Finland		 Succeeded by
-
Sporting positions
Preceded by
Flag of the Netherlands Dennis Bergkamp		 Dutch Eredivisie Topscorer
1993 – 1994		 Succeeded by
Flag of Brazil Ronaldo
Preceded by
Ari Hjelm		 Finland football captain
1996–present		 Succeeded by
Incumbent

References

  1. ↑ news.bbc.co.uk
  2. ↑ uefa.com
  3. ↑ ESPNsoccernet - England - Your Verdict: 100 greatest ever footballers
  4. ↑ guardian.co.uk
  5. ↑ soccernet.espn.go.com
  6. ↑ news.bbc.co.uk
  7. ↑ hs.fi
  8. ↑ "Bocanegra heads Fulham clear-out". BBC (2006-05-23). Retrieved on 2008-05-23.
  9. ↑ palloliitto.fi

External links