Jussi Jääskeläinen facts for kids

Quick facts for kids
Jussi Jääskeläinen

Jääskeläinen training with West Ham United in 2012
Personal information
Full name	Jussi Albert Jääskeläinen
Date of birth	(1975-04-19) 19 April 1975 (age 50)
Place of birth	Mikkeli, Finland
Height	1.91 m (6 ft 3 in)
Position(s)	Goalkeeper
Team information
Current team	PK-35 (goalkeeping coach)
Youth career
	MP
Senior career*
Years	Team	Apps	(Gls)
1992–1995	MP	64	(0)
1995–1997	VPS	54	(0)
1997–2012	Bolton Wanderers	474	(0)
2012–2015	West Ham United	57	(0)
2015–2017	Wigan Athletic	44	(0)
2017–2018	ATK	1	(0)
Total		694	(0)
International career
1998–2010	Finland	56	(0)
Managerial career
2018	Wrexham (joint caretaker)
*Club domestic league appearances and goals

Jussi Albert Jääskeläinen (born 19 April 1975) is a Finnish football coach and former player. He was a goalkeeper during his playing career. Jussi is currently a goalkeeping coach for the Finnish club PK-35.

Jääskeläinen is best known for playing with Bolton Wanderers from 1997 to 2012. He played over 500 games for the club. During his time there, Bolton changed from a second-tier team to a strong club in the Premier League. After Bolton, he played for West Ham United and Wigan Athletic. With Wigan, he won the League One title. He finished his playing career in India with ATK in 2018.

Jussi also played for the Finland national team 56 times. He started playing for his country in 1998 and retired from international football in 2010.

Playing Career Highlights

Starting in Finland

Jussi Jääskeläinen began his football journey in his hometown of Mikkeli, Finland. He joined the team MP Mikkeli. He got his chance to play in the first team when another player was injured.

Jääskeläinen played his first game for MP Mikkeli on 17 May 1992. He helped his team win 1–0 and didn't let the other team score any goals. He played a few more games that season, helping his club stay in the top league. In 1994, Jussi became the main goalkeeper for MP Mikkeli. He played 26 games that year and helped his team avoid being moved down to a lower league. He continued to be a key player in 1995, helping the team avoid relegation for a third time.

After leaving MP Mikkeli, Jääskeläinen joined VPS Vaasa in October 1995. He quickly became the first-choice goalkeeper. In his first season, he helped VPS Vaasa stay safe from relegation. In 1997, Jussi helped VPS Vaasa have a great season. They competed for the league title and finished in second place. Jussi played 27 games that season and was recognized as one of the best players in the league.

Time at Bolton Wanderers

Jääskeläinen warming up ahead of Bolton Wanderers’ match against Liverpool on 27 August 2011.

In 1997, Jääskeläinen moved to England to play for Bolton Wanderers. The manager, Colin Todd, bought him for £100,000. At first, Jussi was the third-choice goalkeeper. However, after some injuries and players leaving, he became the main goalkeeper for the 1998–99 season. He played his first game for Bolton on the opening day of that season.

Jussi quickly became a fan favorite. He was known for his amazing saves. In the 1999–2000 season, he continued to impress. He even won the "Junior Whites Player of the Year" award from the club's young fans. In 2000, he signed a new contract with Bolton. Sadly, he suffered a serious knee injury in January 2001, which kept him out for the rest of the season.

Jääskeläinen returned for the 2001–02 season, which was Bolton's first season in the Premier League. He made a fantastic start, helping Bolton win their first three games. He even made a famous double-save against Manchester United in October 2001, which was later voted one of the best saves in Premier League history. He continued to be a top goalkeeper and signed another contract extension in 2002.

Jääskeläinen in goal, as Nicky Hunt was preparing to defend.

In the 2002–03 season, Jussi played every single league game. He was praised by his manager, Sam Allardyce, and even by Bolton legend Eddie Hopkinson. Jussi helped Bolton avoid relegation from the Premier League. He continued his strong performances in the 2003–04 season, playing every league game again. He helped Bolton reach the League Cup final, but they lost to Middlesbrough. For his great play, he won the "Lion of Vienna Award."

The 2004–05 season saw Jussi continue as Bolton's main goalkeeper. He made many important saves and helped the club finish sixth in the Premier League. This meant Bolton qualified for the UEFA Cup for the first time in their history. He signed another contract, keeping him at the club until 2008.

In the 2005–06 season, Jussi played in Bolton's first-ever European match. He helped them get through to the UEFA Cup group stage. He continued to make great saves and was a very consistent player. In March 2006, he played his 300th game for Bolton.

Jääskeläinen playing against Chelsea on 29 December 2010.

The 2006–07 season was another excellent one for Jussi. He saved two penalties in one game against Blackburn Rovers, which was a memorable moment. He was named Bolton's "Player of the Year" and "Players' Player of the Year" for his efforts. Bolton finished in a UEFA Cup spot again.

Jussi signed a new four-year contract in 2008, showing his commitment to Bolton. In the 2008–09 season, he played his 400th game for the club. His manager, Gary Megson, called his performance "unbelievable." Jussi continued to make crucial saves, helping Bolton stay in the Premier League. Fans voted him "Player of the Year" again.

In August 2009, Jussi had a special "testimonial match" to celebrate his long career at Bolton. He continued to be a key player in the 2009–10 season, making his 400th Premier League appearance. He helped the team avoid relegation once more.

Jääskeläinen (second right) looked on, as players from Chelsea and Bolton Wanderers confronted referee Mike Jones.

For the 2010–11 season, Jussi aimed to play 500 games for Bolton. He achieved this milestone in March 2011. He helped Bolton reach the FA Cup semi-finals, but they lost to Stoke City. In his final season, 2011–12, Bolton was relegated from the Premier League. Jussi decided to leave the club after 15 years, having played 530 games. He is remembered as one of Bolton's most consistent goalkeepers.

Moving to West Ham United

On 13 June 2012, Jussi joined West Ham United. He was happy to work again with his former manager, Sam Allardyce. Jussi quickly became West Ham's first-choice goalkeeper. He kept three clean sheets in their first four Premier League games.

He continued to make impressive saves and was named "SBOBET Player of the Month" twice. In April 2013, West Ham extended his contract. Jussi played all 38 league games in the 2012–13 season and was voted runner-up for West Ham's "Hammer of the Year" award.

In the 2013–14 season, Jussi started well, keeping three clean sheets in the first four games. However, he was later replaced by another goalkeeper, Adrián. He signed a new one-year contract in June 2014, but only played one game in the 2014–15 season. He left West Ham when his contract ended.

Playing for Wigan Athletic

In August 2015, Jussi signed a one-year deal with Wigan Athletic, who had just been relegated to League One. He made his debut on 3 October at 40 years old, keeping a clean sheet.

Jussi helped Wigan go on an 18-match unbeaten run, keeping 15 clean sheets in 32 games. His great performances helped Wigan climb to second place in the league. In March 2016, he extended his contract. Wigan ended the season as champions, winning the League One title. Jussi played 38 games that season.

In the 2016–17 season, Jussi became the second-choice goalkeeper again. He played a few games when the main goalkeeper was injured. However, he lost his spot again in January. Wigan was relegated back to League One, and Jussi was released from the club.

Final Club: ATK

On 1 September 2017, Jussi, at 42 years old, moved to India to play for Indian Super League club ATK. He made his debut three months later. He played one game before being released in January 2018. It was later confirmed that he would stay at the club as a coach, ending his playing career.

International Career

Jääskeläinen next to Andrey Arshavin in goal against Russia in 2008.

Jussi Jääskeläinen played for Finland at different youth levels before joining the senior Finland national team. He made his debut on 25 March 1998 against Malta. For many years, he was the second-choice goalkeeper behind Antti Niemi.

After Niemi retired from international football in 2005, Jussi finally became Finland's number one goalkeeper. He played in the qualifying matches for the 2006 FIFA World Cup. In 2006, he helped Finland win a penalty shootout against Belarus.

Jussi played a big role in Finland's UEFA Euro 2008 qualifying campaign. He helped the team keep many clean sheets. However, Finland did not qualify for the tournament. For his excellent performances that year, he won the "Finnish Footballer of the Year" award in 2007.

Jääskeläinen playing for Finland in 2009.

In the 2010 FIFA World Cup qualification, Jussi helped Finland get important points. He played a great game against Wales in March 2009, helping Finland win 2–0. However, Finland did not qualify for the World Cup.

On 29 October 2009, Jussi announced he was retiring from international football after playing 55 games for his country. He said he wanted to focus on his club career. However, he made a one-off return in October 2010 for a match against Hungary when another goalkeeper was injured.

Coaching Career

In 2018, Jussi Jääskeläinen became the goalkeeper coach at Wrexham. He worked under manager Sam Ricketts, who was his former teammate at Bolton. Jussi even took charge of a game as a caretaker manager with other coaches in December 2018. He left Wrexham in June 2019.

More recently, on 1 February 2024, Jussi started working as a goalkeeping coach for the Finnish club PK-35. This team plays in the second-tier league in Finland called Ykkösliiga.

Personal Life

Jussi Jääskeläinen is married to Tessa, and they have three sons. All of their sons were born in England. Jussi's oldest son, Will Jääskeläinen, is also a goalkeeper and plays for Woking FC. He even wears the number 22 shirt, just like his dad did at Bolton. His youngest son, Emil Jääskeläinen, plays football in the United States for St. Louis City SC.

Jussi is known for being a modest and quiet family man. He grew up in Finland and was a fan of Liverpool. He looked up to goalkeeper Bruce Grobbelaar, who inspired him to become a goalkeeper. After living in England for 23 years, Jussi moved back to Finland in 2021.

During his time at Bolton, Jussi also helped with charity work and local community projects. He donated money from his testimonial match to three local charities. Jussi has also worked as a football commentator for Viaplay.

Career Statistics

Club

* includes 2 play off matches

International

Honours and Awards

Bolton Wanderers

• Football League Cup runner-up: 2003–04

Wigan Athletic

• Football League One: 2015–16

Individual Awards

• Shoot’s Goalkeeper of the month: August 2001
• Bolton Wanderers Player of the Year: 2006–07
• Lion of Vienna Award: 2003–04

Finland

• Nordic Football Championship: 2000–01

Individual Awards

• Finnish Footballer of the Year: 2007
• SBOBET Player of the Month: November 2012 and February 2013.

See also

In Spanish: Jussi Jääskeläinen para niños