Jari Litmanen facts for kids

Quick facts for kids
Jari Litmanen

Litmanen in 2015
Personal information
Full name	Jari Olavi Litmanen
Date of birth	(1971-02-20) 20 February 1971 (age 54)
Place of birth	Lahti, Finland
Height	1.82 m (6 ft 0 in)
Position(s)	Attacking midfielder Second striker
Youth career
1977–1987	Reipas
Senior career*
Years	Team	Apps	(Gls)
1987–1990	Reipas	86	(28)
1991	HJK	27	(16)
1992	MyPa	18	(7)
1992–1999	Ajax	159	(91)
1999–2001	Barcelona	21	(3)
2001–2002	Liverpool	26	(5)
2002–2004	Ajax	20	(5)
2004	Lahti	11	(3)
2005	Hansa Rostock	13	(1)
2005–2007	Malmö FF	10	(3)
2008	Fulham	0	(0)
2008–2010	Lahti	40	(10)
2011	HJK	18	(1)
Total		449	(173)
International career
1989–2010	Finland	137	(32)
*Club domestic league appearances and goals

Jari Olavi Litmanen (born 20 February 1971) is a famous Finnish former professional footballer. He mostly played as an attacking midfielder, which is a player who helps both defend and attack, or a second striker, a player who plays just behind the main striker. Many people think he is the greatest Finnish football player ever. He was the main captain for the Finland national team from 1996 to 2008. His international career lasted a long time, from 1989 to 2010.

In Finland, fans often called him "Litti," a nickname from his last name. He was also known as "Kuningas" which means "The King." In 2003, the Football Association of Finland chose him as the best Finnish player of the last 50 years. In 2015, he was added to the Finnish Football Hall of Fame.

During his club career, Litmanen played for several teams. These included Reipas, HJK, MyPa, and Lahti in Finland. He also played for big clubs like Ajax, Barcelona, Liverpool, Hansa Rostock, and Malmö FF in other countries. He became a huge football star while playing for Ajax in the mid-1990s. He helped Ajax win the Champions League in 1995, which was a highlight of his career.

Later in his career, Jari had many injuries. These injuries made it hard for him to play as well as he did at Ajax, especially when he was at Barcelona and Liverpool. Even so, he still had some great games. In 2025, when Ajax celebrated its 125th anniversary, fans voted Litmanen as one of the best 11 players in the club's history. They also named him Ajax's best midfielder.

Jari's Club Career

Starting in Finland

Jari Litmanen began his professional football journey at a young age. He played his first game for Reipas in Finland's top league in 1987 when he was just 16. After four seasons with Reipas, he moved to HJK in 1991, which was Finland's biggest club.

In 1992, he joined MyPa. While playing for MyPa, he won the Finnish Cup in July 1992. His great performance in the cup final, where he even scored a goal, caught the eye of a scout from Ajax, a famous Dutch club. This led to his transfer to Ajax that same summer.

Becoming a Star at Ajax

Jari Litmanen's Ajax shirt in the Sports Museum of Finland

Before joining Ajax, several big European clubs were interested in Litmanen. In the end, Ajax signed him. David Endt, who was Ajax's team manager in the 1990s, said that Jari had a "great willpower" and was a "diplomat" on the field. He also said Jari was like a "Professor" because he knew so much about football.

In his first season at Ajax (1992–93), Jari mostly played for the reserve team. But then, the team's physiotherapist suggested he fill in for an injured player named Dennis Bergkamp. The manager, Louis van Gaal, was impressed. When Bergkamp left, Van Gaal announced that Litmanen would take his place and wear the famous number 10 shirt, which is often given to the team's main playmaker.

Jari did incredibly well! In the 1993–94 season, he scored 26 goals, becoming the league's top scorer, and helped Ajax win the league title. He was also named the Footballer of the Year in the Netherlands in 1993.

Jari Litmanen's shirt in Vodafone Park, Istanbul

Litmanen was a key player for Van Gaal's Ajax team. They won three Dutch championships in a row and reached the UEFA Champions League final twice. From 1994 to 1996, Ajax went undefeated for a long time in both the Dutch league and the Champions League. When Ajax beat Milan in the 1995 Champions League final, Litmanen became the first Finnish player to win the Champions League.

In the 1995–96 Champions League, he was the top scorer with nine goals. He even scored the tying goal in the final against Juventus, though Ajax lost on penalties. In 1995, he also won the Intercontinental Cup and finished third in the voting for the Ballon d'Or, which is a huge award for the best player in Europe.

Jari spent seven years in Amsterdam. He won four Dutch championships and three KNVB Cups. He scored a total of 129 goals for the club. He is Ajax's top scorer in European competitions with 26 goals. He is one of only three players featured in a special video at the Ajax Museum, alongside legends like Marco van Basten and Johan Cruyff. His teammate, Frank Rijkaard, once said that Jari was the "best No.10 we ever had." Some fans even called him "Merlin" because of his magical play.

However, Jari was also known as "The Man of Glass" because he got injured often. These injuries caused him to miss many games, and they became a bigger problem later in his career.

Moving to Barcelona

In 1999, Litmanen joined Barcelona, where he was reunited with his former Ajax manager, Louis van Gaal. Unfortunately, his time at Barcelona was mostly affected by injuries. He also found it hard to get used to the new team and country. Van Gaal later said that Jari was a different player at Barcelona than he was at Ajax.

After a difficult season, Van Gaal was replaced by a new manager, and Litmanen was not used much. He stayed at the club until January 2001, when he moved to Liverpool for free.

Playing for Liverpool

When Litmanen joined Liverpool, manager Gérard Houllier called him a "world-class player." Jari was very happy, saying it had always been his dream to play for Liverpool. He wanted to wear the number seven shirt, like his childhood hero Kenny Dalglish, but it was already taken.

Jari started well at Liverpool, but he broke his wrist playing for Finland in March 2001 and missed the rest of the season. Even though he was part of the Liverpool team that won three trophies (the League Cup, FA Cup, and UEFA Cup) in 2001, he missed all three finals because of his injury. The next season, he didn't play much, but he did score some important goals in the Premier League and UEFA Champions League.

Litmanen was frustrated that he didn't get to play more at Liverpool. He left the club for free after the 2001–02 season, having scored 9 goals in 43 games.

Back to Ajax

Litmanen decided to return to Ajax, where fans gave him a hero's welcome. He was a key player when Ajax reached the quarter-finals of the 2002–03 Champions League. But injuries continued to bother him, and he spent much of the next season on the sidelines. In 2004, Ajax released him from his contract.

Later Career in Finland and Sweden

Jari's return to Finland, where he joined Lahti, was a big event. People called it "the return of the king." However, he soon moved to Germany to play for Hansa Rostock in January 2005, but he couldn't stop them from being moved down to a lower league.

In July 2005, Litmanen joined the Swedish club Malmö FF. He hoped to help them qualify for the Champions League, but this didn't happen. He was injured for most of that autumn and the next season. After an ankle operation, Malmö extended his contract, but another ankle injury in June 2007 forced him to leave.

In January 2008, Litmanen had a trial with Fulham in England. He signed with them but had heart concerns and had to return to Finland to rest. He eventually played one reserve-team match but was released in May 2008 without playing for the first team.

On 8 August 2008, Litmanen rejoined his former club Lahti in the Finnish Premier Division. Even though he only played a short time in his first match, he scored twice and helped with two other goals. He played an important part in helping Lahti finish third in the league and qualify for European competition for the first time. He scored his 50th Veikkausliiga goal in October 2010, but his team was still moved to a lower league.

Final Years at HJK

On 20 April 2011, at age 40, Litmanen signed a one-year contract with the Finnish champions HJK. This made him one of the few footballers to play professionally in four different decades (1980s–2010s). He usually came on as a substitute for 10–30 minutes. The HJK coach called him a "precision munition" because of his impact.

On 24 September 2011, he played in the Finnish Cup final. He came on when the score was 0–0 and scored a fantastic goal in extra time, helping HJK win 2–1. This was his first Finnish Cup final since winning it with MyPa in 1992.

On 2 October 2011, HJK won their third straight Finnish championship, winning both the league and the cup. Litmanen had played 18 matches for HJK that season, and they had won every game he was on the field. This amazing streak ended on 14 October 2011 when HJK drew a game.

On 29 October 2011, Litmanen celebrated his 200th league match by setting up three goals in HJK's 5–2 win. This was his last game of the season and proved to be the last of his professional career.

International Career for Finland

Litmanen after his last international game against San Marino in November 2010

Jari Litmanen played more games for Finland than any other player. He was also Finland's top goalscorer for a long time, until Teemu Pukki broke his record in October 2021. His international career for Finland lasted 21 years, from 1989 to 2010.

He played his first game for Finland on 22 October 1989 and scored his first goal on 16 May 1991. Litmanen was Finland's captain from 1996 to 2008. He was their most important player for over ten years, helping the team win many unexpected games against stronger opponents.

On 25 January 2006, Litmanen played his 100th game for Finland. He was one of only four Finnish players to reach this milestone. When he played for Finland against South Korea on 19 January 2010, he became one of the few male players to represent their national team in four different decades.

On 17 November 2010, Litmanen became the oldest player ever to score for Finland. He also became the oldest player to score a goal in the qualifying stages for the UEFA European Championship. He scored a penalty in an 8–0 win over San Marino, which was his last international match.

Life After Playing

Paavo Arhinmäki interviews Litmanen when his autobiography was announced in 2015

Litmanen playing in a friendly game in 2017

After retiring from playing, Jari Litmanen has been involved in football in other ways. His former teammates at Ajax have said that the door is always open for him to work for the club as a coach.

He has also worked as a TV expert for Finnish TV during major football tournaments like the Euros and World Cups. He also wrote comments and analysis for a newspaper. Jari Litmanen has confirmed in his autobiography that his professional playing career ended in 2011.

Personal Life

Jari Litmanen comes from a football-loving family. His father, Olavi Litmanen, also played for the Finnish national team and for Reipas. His mother also played football at the highest level for women.

Jari became a father in November 2005 when his girlfriend, Ly Jürgenson, gave birth to their son, Caro. Their second son, Bruno, was born in September 2007.

On 10 October 2010, Jari Litmanen became the first Finnish team sport player to have a statue made in his honor. The statue stands at Kisapuisto in Lahti, where he started his career. A 2012 documentary film called The King – Jari Litmanen tells the story of his career.

In May 2020, Litmanen shared that he had tested positive for the coronavirus and was recovering. He said he had "never been in such bad shape."

His Influence in the Netherlands

Because of Jari Litmanen's popularity, the name Jari became very popular for baby boys in the Netherlands and Belgium starting in the 1990s. As of 2017, there were over 2,000 people named Jari in the Netherlands, including several professional footballers. At one point, the name Jari was even more popular in the Netherlands than in Finland!

Career Statistics

Club Games and Goals

• Finnish League Cup held for the first time in 1994.

International Goals

      Win       Draw       Loss

No.	Date	Home team	Visiting team	Goals	Score	Result	Venue	Competition
1.	16 May 1991	Finland	Malta	87' 2–0	2–0	Win	Helsinki Olympic Stadium	UEFA Euro 1992 qualifying
2.	25 March 1992	Scotland	Finland	41' 1–1	1–1	Draw	Hampden Park, Glasgow	Friendly
3.	13 October 1993	Sweden	Finland	60' 3–2	3–2	Loss	Råsunda Stadium, Stockholm	1994 FIFA World Cup qualification
4.	16 November 1994	Finland	Faroe Islands	53' 2–0  72' 3–0	5–0	Win	Helsinki Olympic Stadium	UEFA Euro 1996 qualifying
5.
6.	29 March 1995	San Marino	Finland	45' 0–1	0–2	Win	Stadio Olimpico, Serravalle	UEFA Euro 1996 qualifying
7.	11 June 1995	Finland	Greece	45+1' 1–1 (pen.)	2–1	Win	Helsinki Olympic Stadium	UEFA Euro 1996 qualifying
8.	2 June 1996	Finland	Turkey	25' 1–0	1–2	Loss	Helsinki Olympic Stadium	Friendly
9.	2 February 1997	Turkey	Finland	17' 0–1	1–1	Draw	Atatürk Stadium, Denizli	Friendly
10.	2 April 1997	Azerbaijan	Finland	26 ' 0–1	1–2	Win	Tofik Bakhramov Stadium, Baku	1998 FIFA World Cup qualification
11.	8 June 1997	Finland	Azerbaijan	65' 2–0	3–0	Win	Helsinki Olympic Stadium	1998 FIFA World Cup qualification
12.	6 September 1997	Switzerland	Finland	16' 0–1	1–2	Win	Stade Olympique de la Pontaise, Lausanne	1998 FIFA World Cup qualification
13.	14 October 1998	Turkey	Finland	90+6' 1–3	1–3	Win	Ali Sami Yen Stadium, Istanbul	UEFA Euro 2000 qualifying
14.	29 March 2000	Wales	Finland	21' 0–1	1–2	Win	Millennium Stadium, Cardiff	Friendly
15.	16 August 2000	Finland	Norway	24' 1–0  61' 2–1	3–1	Win	Finnair Stadium, Helsinki	2000–01 Nordic Football Championship
16.
17.	2 September 2000	Finland	Albania	45 ' 1–0	2–1	Win	Finnair Stadium, Helsinki	2002 FIFA World Cup qualification
18.	15 August 2001	Finland	Belgium	3–0 (pen.)	4–1	Win	Helsinki Olympic Stadium	Friendly
19.	5 September 2001	Finland	Greece	53' 5–1	5–1	Win	Helsinki Olympic Stadium	2002 FIFA World Cup qualification
20.	27 March 2002	Portugal	Finland	41' 1–3  53' 1–4	1–4	Win	Estádio do Bessa, Porto	Friendly
21.
22.	30 April 2003	Finland	Iceland	55' 1–0 (pen.)	3–0	Win	Pohjola Stadion, Myyrmäki, Vantaa	Friendly
23.	31 April 2004	Malta	Finland	86' 0–2	1–2	Win	Ta' Qali National Stadium, Valletta	Friendly
24.	28 May 2004	Finland	Sweden	8' 1–0 (pen.)	1–3	Loss	Ratina Stadion, Tampere	Friendly
25.	26 March 2005	Czech Republic	Finland	46 ' 2–1	4–3	Loss	Na Stinadlech, Teplice	2006 FIFA World Cup qualification
26.	2 September 2006	Poland	Finland	54' 0–1  76' 0–2 (pen.)	1–3	Win	Zdzisław Krzyszkowiak, Bydgoszcz	UEFA Euro 2008 qualifying
27.
28.	11 October 2006	Kazakhstan	Finland	29' 0–1	0–2	Win	Almaty Central Stadium, Almaty	UEFA Euro 2008 qualifying
29.	6 February 2008	Finland	Greece	66' 1–0	1–2	Loss	Neo GSP Stadium, Nicosia	Friendly
30.	26 March 2008	Bulgaria	Finland	22' 0–1 (pen.)	2–1	Loss	Vasil Levski National Stadium, Sofia	Friendly
31.	9 September 2009	Liechtenstein	Finland	74' 0–1 (pen.)	1–1	Draw	Rheinpark Stadion, Vaduz	2010 FIFA World Cup qualification
32.	17 November 2010	Finland	San Marino	71' 6–0 (pen.)	8–0	Win	Helsinki Olympic Stadium	UEFA Euro 2012 qualifying

Awards and Achievements

MyPa

• Finnish Cup: 1992

Ajax

• Eredivisie (Dutch League Champion): 1993–94, 1994–95, 1995–96, 1997–98, 2003–04
• KNVB Cup (Dutch Cup): 1992–93, 1997–98, 1998–99
• Dutch Supercup: 1993, 1994, 1995
• UEFA Champions League: 1994–95 (Winner); 1995–96 (Runner-up)
• UEFA Super Cup: 1995
• Intercontinental Cup: 1995

Liverpool

• FA Cup: 2000–01
• Football League Cup: 2000–01
• FA Charity Shield: 2001
• UEFA Cup: 2000–01
• UEFA Super Cup: 2001

HJK

• Veikkausliiga (Finnish League Champion): 2011
• Finnish Cup: 2011

Finland National Team

• Nordic Football Championship: 2000–01

Individual Awards

• Finnish Sports Journalists Player of the Year (8 times): 1990, 1992, 1993, 1994, 1995, 1996, 1997, 1998
• Finnish Football Association Player of the Year (9 times): 1990, 1992, 1993, 1994, 1995, 1996, 1997, 1998, 2000
• Veikkausliiga Player of the Year: 1990
• Dutch Footballer of the Year: 1993
• Dutch league top scorer: 1993–94 (26 goals)
• Ballon d'Or: 1994 (8th place), 1995 (3rd place)
• Finnish Sports Personality of the Year: 1995
• ESM Team of the Year: 1994–95, 1995–96
• UEFA Champions League top scorer: 1995–96 (9 goals)
• Captain's Ball: 2002
• UEFA Jubilee Awards – Greatest Finnish Footballer of the last 50 Years: 2003
• Most games played for the Finland national team: 137 caps
• 2nd all-time top scorer for the Finland national team: 32 goals
• All-time top scorer in European competitions for Ajax: 26 goals
• Oldest Player to Score in UEFA European Championship qualifying: 39 years and 270 days
• FC Lahti Hall of Fame: 2016

See also

In Spanish: Jari Litmanen para niños

• List of men's footballers with 100 or more international caps