Global Foxes: Jari Rantanen

The Player: Jari Rantanen

Jari Rantanen, the only Leicester City player to be capped by Finland, won 10 of his 29 caps whilst at Filbert Street. He had played in Finland, Portugal, Belgium and Sweden before Leicester manager Bryan Hamilton signed him for £50,000 in August 1987 from IFK Gotenborg, to partner club record signing Mike Newell in attack. 

Jari, a giant centre-forward, only made 19 first team appearances for Leicester City but he quickly became a cult hero, nicknamed ‘The MIghty Finn’. He scored his only three goals for the Club in his first six games. 

After that, he made only four more league starts in 18 months due to injury and manager David Pleat’s desire to sell him. He went on loan in December 1988 to Portuguese club Os Belenenses. 

In July 1989, he was transferred for £45,000 to top Finnish Club HJK Helsinki, with whom he had spent two previous spells. He spent four years there, winning the Finnish title in 1990 in the newly reconstructed Finnish Premier League. 

He then spent three years at Helsinki-based FinnPa, (newly promoted to the Premier League), and a cup-winning season back at HJK in 1996. He returned to FinnPa in 1997, when, a year before it folded, that club finished third in the league. After a more few games in the Finnish top flight with PK-35 Jari then coached in Finland and the USA. 

The Country: Finland 

Football, introduced to Finland by British sailors in the 1890s, is second to ice hockey as Finland’s main spectator sport. Until 1917, Finland was not an independent nation, but part of the Russian Empire. 

This did not prevent Finland joining FIFA in 1908, playing its first international (against Sweden) in 1911 and competing in the 1912 Stockholm Olympics. 

However Finland’s international record is not distinguished. They have never qualified for tournament finals in the World Cup or European Championships. 

Currently 92nd in FIFA rankings, Finland’s highest position was 30th in 2006 -07 when Roy Hodgson was their manager. They only have an outside mathematical chance of qualifying for the Euro 2016 finals.

The professional Finnish Premier League, was founded in 1990, replacing the amateur and semi-professional league which had been in existence since 1930. Its 12 teams play each other three times each season, which runs from April to October. 

Jari’s old club, the Helsinki-based HJK have been Finnish Champions for the last six years. Their total of 27 titles far surpasses any other Finnish club’s record. 

They have regularly competed in European competitions such as the European Cup, the European Cup Winners’ Cup, the Champions League, the UEFA Cup, the Europa League and the Inter-Toto Cup. 

Finnish players who have played in England include Jari Litmanen, Antti Niemi, Sami Hyypia, Mikael Forssell, Mixu Paatelainen and Jussi Jaaskelainen.