Viljami Sinisalo says that Teemu Pukki’s ‘very complimentary’ words helped sell him on a move to Celtic.
Pukki, now an icon of the Finnish national team, was signed by Neil Lennon in 2013 as a direct replacement for Gary Hooper.
Despite scoring on his debut at Tynecastle and again on his home debut at Celtic Park, he struggled to pay back his £3 million fee, scoring seven goals in 32 appearances.
His compatriot Sinisalo has already outlasted him in Glasgow, and has reflected on discussing the club with the striker.
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Viljami Sinisalo on discussing Celtic with ‘cult hero’ Teemu Pukki
Sinisalo told the Celtic FC Podcast: “He (Pukki) is one of [those] players that everyone looks forward to…
“When you get the team sheet of who’s in the Finland squad, you look out for Teemu Pukki. He’s the name on the back of shirts of a lot of young kids back home, I’ll tell you that – me being one of them!
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“Yeah, he’s a bit of a cult hero. I remember when we played Scotland at Hampden (friendly in 2024) , and there was all this talk of me signing [for Celtic] and stuff.
“I started asking a few things about the football club, and he always spoke really nicely about Celtic and what it was like here, even though he openly said that he didn’t necessarily play his best football at that time.
“But he was always very complimentary of all the staff and the people and the club in general, so [it was] another good bit of advice before signing here.”
Finland aren’t known for their footballing exploits, but Pukki ensured his legacy as a legend by helping them qualify for their first ever major tournament in EURO 2020.
He is their all-time top-goalscorer, and ranks second behind Ajax legend Jari Litmanen in terms of all-time caps.
Across his career as a whole, he has scored 237 goals. That includes 88 at Norwich City, where he became a fan favourite after his spell in Glasgow.
He has also played for Sevilla, Brondby and Schalke, from whom Celtic signed him.
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The career of Celtic’s Viljami Sinisalo
After playing in various youth academies in his home country of Finland, Sinisalo was picked up by Aston Villa in 2018.
He spent time on loan at Ayr United, where he played with Luke McCowan. Since making his debut for Finland, he has received six caps.
His defining loan spell came at Exeter, where he played 45 games for the League One side, being named in the division’s team of the season.
He is now enjoying a golden opportunity to be the team’s number one in the absence of Kasper Schmeichel – but with a daunting run-in ahead, he’ll have to impress to remain so next season.
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