When a country has spent over 60 years trying to qualify for a major tournament, it is easier to establish which players deserve to be regarded as their best in history. As far as Finland are concerned, you will struggle to find many natives of the Scandinavian country who do not hold Jari Litmanen as their national team hero with the forward still holding the record for most caps and goals on the international scene. However, while the former Ajax star will be deemed untouchable by some, his status as the country's greatest is being challenged by Teemu Pukki, who is now idolised by supporters of Huuhkajat and English side Norwich City. Ahead of Finland's appearance at Euro 2020 in the summer, has Pukki already done enough to surpass Litmanen, his own childhood hero?
Just like punters can benefit from using an online casino site in Finland, the country have made progress on the international scene through having recognisible names at both ends of the pitch. There was a period during the late nineties and 2000's when Sami Hyppia's presence in defence helped complement Litmanen's leadership and threat in attack, but Finland were never able to get over the line in qualification campaigns. The closest that they came was in their attempt to feature at Euro 2008 with 24 points being collected from 14 matches, even finishing six points ahead of current world number one nation Belgium. However, as Hyppia and Litmanen became less effective, and Jonatan Johansson and Mikael Forssell dropped off the scene, with it went Finland's immediate hopes of featuring among the elite.
Litmanen ended his 21-year stint with Finland with 32 goals from 137 appearances, while Hyppia featured on 105 occasions between 2002 and 2010. Johansson and Forssell also chipped in with 51 goals between them during their international careers, but it was still not enough to get their country over the line. However, unbeknownst to the majority of people at the time, Pukki was starting to gain the experience which would help him become a household name in his homeland. Despite making his senior debut in 2009, Pukki did not score his first international goal until 2012, making his current return of 27 strikes from 87 caps all the more impressive.
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Pukki, now 30 years of age, has been a slow-burner with Finland, mirroring how it took him time to develop into a high-profile name with his clubs. Over 60% of his international goals have come since the start of 2018, but the relentlessness with which he has found the back of the net has been the catalyst for Finland's journey up the world rankings. They are currently down in 55th spot courtesy of finishing below Wales in their UEFA Nations League Group, but consolidation during the back end of 2020 was more than acceptable after their exploits of previous years.
All things considered, Finland and Pukki did not have to do anything special to earn their spot at Euro 2020. They made the most of Greece's and Bosnia-Herzegovina's inconsistencies to finish second in a group behind Italy, even losing each away game to those three opponents. Nevertheless, Pukki scored nine times during the process, including all three strikes in the crucial home wins over their nearest rivals. Is that enough to make people view him as a more talented player than Litmanen? Categorically, no.
That is an argument strengthened when taking into consideration that Pukki has gone eight years without scoring from open play against one of the top nations. His goal against Italy in September 2019 was from the penalty spot, leaving his equaliser versus Spain back in 2013 as his most high-profile effort. However, while Pukki is not Finland's greatest, he is most certainly Finland's most effective. Seventeen goals have come from his last 25 appearances for his country, and it has stopped his nation from spending any more time in the shadows of Denmark, Sweden and Norway.
