Volg hier Jari Litmanen naar het EK-2008

Zaterdag won Finland van Polen. Vandaag speelden ze gelijk tegen Portugal.

Litmanen staat nog steeds in het rijtje wereldtoppers dat nooit op een groot toernooi speelde.

Zal ie wel presteren wat Ryan Giggs, George Best en Oleg Blochin nooit lukte ?

quote:

Op donderdag 7 september 2006 01:35 schreef Jajong het volgende:
Dan is ie al bijna 40 alleen

Hij is nu 35. Het kan nog steeds.

Litmanen made his first team debut for Reipas in Finland's top division Mestaruussarja at the age of just 16 in 1987. After four seasons at his home-town club he moved to Finland's biggest club, HJK Helsinki, for the 1991 season and then again to MyPa for the 1992 season. At MyPa he was coached by Harri Kampman, who later became his agent. Litmanen won the Finnish Cup with MyPa before moving abroad in the summer of 1992.

Litmanen had been chased by a host of European clubs, but in the end it was Ajax Amsterdam who bought him. His first season in the Netherlands was spent in Dennis Bergkamp's shadow, but when Bergkamp moved to Inter it was Litmanen who was given the famous number 10 shirt. He scored 26 goals in the 1993-94 season, becoming the league's top scorer, and leading Ajax to the title.

It was, however, in the UEFA Champions League that Litmanen made his name. He was the leading star of Louis van Gaal's team which reached the final twice in a row. Ajax beat AC Milan in the 1994-95 final, and Litmanen became the first ever Finnish player to have won the European Cup. In 1995-96 Litmanen was the Champions League top scorer with nine goals, and also scored in the final against Juventus, which, however, Ajax lost. He also won the Intercontinental Cup with Ajax in 1995, and came third in the voting for the Ballon d'Or, having finished eight the previous year.

In total Litmanen spent seven years in Amsterdam, winning four Dutch championships and three Dutch Cups. He also became one of the most popular players and a legend at the club, and was given a memorable farewell (together with Danny Blind who was retiring) in his last match at the ArenA in 1999.

As Litmanen's contract with Ajax had expired, he was able to leave the club for free, and was re-united with his old boss van Gaal at FC Barcelona in 1999. His stint with the club was, however, largely plagued by injuries, and when van Gaal was replaced by Llorenç Serra Ferrer, his chances of playing became even smaller. In the end, Litmanen was given a free transfer by Barça in January 2001, and he moved to Liverpool.

Litmanen was hailed as "one of the most exciting signings Liverpool have ever made" by the manager Gérard Houllier upon signing for the club he had supported as a boy. But, once again, injuries and Houllier's inability to fit him into his long-ball tactics meant that Litmanen was given little playing time. This was much to the resentment of Liverpool fans who hadn't seen a player like him at Anfield since Kenny Dalglish, Litmanen's boyhood hero. He endeared himself to them with mercurial performances whenever he was given the chance, not least with magnificent goals against Tottenham Hotspur and Bayer Leverkusen. He played a starring role in Liverpool's remarkable victory over AS Roma in the Champions League, scoring an early penalty that set the tone for the required 2-goal-victory that would see the Merseyside club through against the Serie A champions. In the heartstopping 2nd leg of the next round against Bayer Leverkusen, Litmanen came off the bench and thought he had scored the winning away-goal with a fantastic individual effort. However, this was wiped out by Brazilian defender Lucio's late winner for the German giant-killers and Liverpool's hopes of a dream semi-final tie against arch-rivals Manchester United were destroyed. He was a part of the Liverpool team that won the "cup treble" of the Worthington Cup, FA Cup and UEFA Cup in 2001, even though he missed all three finals because of injury. Litmanen was again given permission to move clubs for free after he had become frustrated with his situation after the 2001-02 season.

Litmanen decided to return to Ajax, and was given a hero's welcome with the crowd once again singing his name. He also played quite a good season in 2002-03, and was one of the key players as Ajax reached the quarter-finals of the Champions League. Much of the 2003-04 season, though, was once again spent on the sidelines, and once again, in the spring of 2004, Litmanen was released.

Litmanen's return to Finland was much hyped, and was hailed as "the return of the king". Unusually big crowds of over 10,000 turned up to matches to see their hero – more often than not just to find out that Litmanen wasn't able to play. All in all, his stint at FC Lahti turned out to be a big disappointment for all parties.

Litmanen was then given one more chance to play in one of Europe's top leagues when he was signed by German Bundesliga strugglers Hansa Rostock in January 2005 to help save them from relegation. Rostock's form improved significantly after Litmanen's arrival, and he had the longest run of first team football in recent memory. In the end, though, Hansa were relegated, which ended Litmanen's stint at the club.

Litmanen joined Malmö FF in July 2005 in a bid to help the Swedes to qualify for the Champions league. This bid, however, failed, and Litmanen himself was injured during the whole of the autumn, only making a few appearances. He decided to continue his career with Malmö in the 2006 season.

Litmanen is considered one of the most underrated players of 1990s in many circles. In a generation that produced wonderful playmakers as Zinedine Zidane, Roberto Baggio, Dennis Bergkamp and Luis Figo, he deserves a mention with the best of them, possessing wonderful craft and imagination with the ball at his feet and scoring supreme goals. He is revered near the top of Ajax's long list of legends. But for a long list of injuries and managers who were unable to accommodate his individuality on the pitch, he could have achieved greater things after leaving Amsterdam. He is also seen as one of the best penalty-takers in the world with his unmatched precision and nerve from 12 yards.


International career
Litmanen made his Finland debut on October 22, 1989 against Trinidad and Tobago, and scored his first goal on May 16, 1991 against Malta. The fact that Finland have never qualified for a major tournament has also prevented Litmanen from proving his talent at the highest level in international competition. Litmanen has been Finland's captain since 1996, and he has been the heart and soul of the team for over a decade now.

Litmanen received his 100th cap on January 25, 2006 against South Korea. He now holds the record for most caps for Finland, and is one of only two Finns to have reached a century of caps. Litmanen is also Finland's all-time leading scorer with 27 goals

Club titles
Finnish Cup: 1992
Dutch championship: 1994, 1995, 1996, 1998
Dutch Cup: 1993, 1998, 1999
Dutch Super Cup: 1993, 1994, 1995
English Super Cup: 2001
UEFA Champions League: 1995
UEFA Cup: 2001
European Super Cup: 1995, 2001
Intercontinental Cup: 1995

Personal awards and achievements
Finnish Player of the Year: 1990, 1992, 1993, 1994, 1995, 1996, 1997, 1998, 2000
Finnish Sportsperson of the Year: 1995
Dutch Player of the Year: 1993
European Footballer of the Year, 8th place: 1994
European Footballer of the Year, 3rd place: 1995
Dutch league top scorer: 1993-94
UEFA Champions League top scorer: 1995-96
All-time cap leader of the Finnish national team
All-time top scorer of the Finnish national team

Jammer