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)
Playing position	Goalkeeper
Club information
Current club	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)
National team
1998–2010	Finland	56	(0)
Teams managed
2018	Wrexham (joint caretaker)
Senior club appearances and goals counted for the domestic league only. † Appearances (Goals).

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

Jääskeläinen is best known for playing with Bolton Wanderers from 1997 to 2012. He played 530 games for them. During his time, Bolton grew from a lower-league team to a top Premier League club. 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.

Jääskeläinen also played for the Finland national team. He played 56 games for his country between 1998 and 2010.

Playing Career Highlights

Early Days in Finland

Jääskeläinen started his football journey in his hometown of Mikkeli, Finland. He played for MP Mikkeli in the Veikkausliiga, Finland's top league. He made his first team debut in May 1992, keeping a clean sheet. He quickly became the main goalkeeper for MP Mikkeli. He helped the club avoid being relegated from the top league for three seasons.

In 1995, Jääskeläinen joined VPS Vaasa. He became their first-choice goalkeeper right away. In the 1997 season, he helped VPS Vaasa finish second in the league. This was a great achievement for the club. His strong performances made him one of the best players in the league.

Time at Bolton Wanderers

Jääskeläinen warming up before a Bolton Wanderers match in 2011.

In 1997, Jääskeläinen moved to England to play for Bolton Wanderers. At first, he was a third-choice goalkeeper. But soon, he became the team's main goalkeeper for the 1998–99 season. He quickly became a fan favorite.

He played a big part in Bolton's success. In the 2000–01 season, he helped Bolton get promoted to the Premier League. This was a huge step for the club. Even after a serious knee injury, he came back strong.

In the Premier League, Jääskeläinen continued to shine. He made amazing saves and was known for his consistency. In 2001, one of his saves against Manchester United was voted among the best in Premier League history. He helped Bolton avoid relegation many times. He was praised as one of the top goalkeepers in the league.

Jääskeläinen helped Bolton reach the League Cup final in 2004. They lost to Middlesbrough, but it was a big moment for the club. He also helped Bolton qualify for the UEFA Cup for the first time in their history in 2005.

He continued to be a key player for Bolton. In 2006, he famously saved two penalties in one game against Blackburn Rovers. This helped Bolton win 1–0. He won the Bolton Player of the Year award in 2007. Jääskeläinen played over 500 games for Bolton Wanderers. He is one of the club's all-time top players. He left Bolton in 2012 after 15 years.

Moving to West Ham United

In 2012, Jääskeläinen joined West Ham United. He reunited with his former manager, Sam Allardyce. He quickly became West Ham's first-choice goalkeeper. He played all 38 league games in his first season. He was voted second for West Ham's Player of the Year award. He stayed with West Ham until 2015.

Time at Wigan Athletic

In 2015, Jääskeläinen signed with Wigan Athletic. He was 40 years old at the time. He helped Wigan win the League One title in his first season. He kept 15 clean sheets in 32 games. This helped Wigan go on an 18-match unbeaten run. He played for Wigan until 2017.

Short Spell at ATK

In 2017, Jääskeläinen moved to India to play for ATK in the Indian Super League. He played one game before becoming a coach at the club. He officially retired from playing in 2018.

International Career

Jääskeläinen playing for Finland in 2008.

Jääskeläinen played for Finland at different youth levels. He made his debut for the senior national team in 1998. For many years, he was the second-choice goalkeeper.

After the main goalkeeper retired in 2005, Jääskeläinen became Finland's number one. He played in many important qualification matches. He helped Finland get good results, including a win against Poland in 2006. He also kept many clean sheets in qualifiers. In 2007, he was named Finnish Footballer of the Year.

He retired from international football in 2009. He wanted to focus on his club career. However, he made a one-off comeback in 2010 due to an injury to another player.

Coaching Career

After retiring as a player, Jääskeläinen became a goalkeeping coach. In 2018, he joined Wrexham as a coach. He even took charge of one game as a caretaker manager. He left Wrexham in 2019. In 2024, he returned to Finland to coach goalkeepers for PK-35.

Personal Life

Jääskeläinen is married to Tessa. They have three sons, all born in England. His oldest son, Will Jääskeläinen, is also a goalkeeper. He plays for Woking FC and wears the number 22 shirt, just like his dad did at Bolton. His youngest son, Emil Jääskeläinen, plays for St. Louis City SC.

Jääskeläinen grew up supporting Liverpool. He looked up to goalkeeper Bruce Grobbelaar. He also became a fan of cricket after living in England. He considers himself an "adopted Boltonian" because of his long time at Bolton Wanderers. In 2021, he moved back to Finland.

He has also done charity work. After his special match in 2009, he donated money to three local charities. Jääskeläinen has also worked as a football commentator for Viaplay.

Career statistics

Club

* includes 2 play off matches

International

Honours

Bolton Wanderers

• Football League Cup runner-up: 2003–04

Wigan Athletic

• Football League One: 2015–16

Individual

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

Finland

• Nordic Football Championship: 2000–01

Individual

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

Images for kids

• 

  Jääskeläinen playing against Chelsea in 2010.

• 

  Jääskeläinen (second right) looking on during a match.

• 

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

• 

  Jääskeläinen playing for Finland in 2009.

See also

In Spanish: Jussi Jääskeläinen para niños