News book | Mixu Paatelainen talks about the call he used to end Jari Litmanen’s career in Huuhkaj: “It didn’t feel right to give mercy balls”

The squealers former head coach Mixu Paatelainen recalls in his biography Mixu Paatelainen – The Fighting Big Finn (January 2024) call that ended Jari Litmanen career in the national team.

Litmanen played his last national A match on November 17, 2010 against San Marino and scored from a penalty kick in the match that ended in Finland’s 8–0 victory.

After that, served as temporary head coach in the spring of 2011 Markku Kanerva nor Paatelainen, who was chosen for the position in March 2011, could not find a role for Litmas.

Paatelainen says in his book that he made it to the national team Alexander Ring young players like At the same time, experienced ring foxes stepped aside.

“One of them was my good friend Jari Litmanen, whom I respect a lot. Litti didn’t like my decision. I told Liti about my decision with a phone call. He was 40 years old and scored the winning goal for HJK in the Finnish Cup final that season,” says Paatelainen.

Paatelainen reveals that he told Litmanen that the decision was due to the age of Finland’s all-time footballer, even though Litmanen was still able to solve games.

“My role in the Finnish national team is to look to the future. You won’t be in the national team in five years, and that’s where I’m already building a new team,” Paatelainen says he told Litmase.

“That’s why I choose younger players. Those who will possibly be involved in another 5–7 years.”

Litmanen had replied to Paatelainen that he did not agree with the matter. Paatelainen says that he justified the need for rejuvenation surgery and that he was honest about the reasons for the decision.

“Litti was disappointed in my decision. It was a shame, but of course understandable. Sometimes you have to make decisions that happen in order for things to move forward,” says Paatelainen.

Litmanen already confirmed Paatelainen’s playing in his biography published in 2015 Litmanen 10 (Oak). According to Litmanen, Paatelainen had wanted him in the previous autumn, but in the spring of 2011 he could no longer find a suitable role for Konkar.

“I had the honor of ending my national team career against the country ranked 208 in the world ranking in front of a few thousand spectators on a dark November evening,” Litmanen recalled in his biography.

Litmanen said that it seemed like little value for more than 20 years of national team career. Paatelainen tells now Jukka Lyytinen in the biography he is writing, why Litmanen didn’t get another chance to say goodbye.

“I also didn’t think it was right to give Liti some grace points where he could get on the field to finish his national team career. It would almost feel insulting. I respected him far too much to do something like that,” says Paatelainen.

Litmanen already said in his biography that he has nothing in his teeth, and the relationship is fine with both Paatelainen and Kanerva.

Paatelainen served as Huuhkajie’s head coach 2011–2015. As a player, he wore Finland’s shirt at the same time as Litmanen and praises him in the book many times.

Paatelainen reminds that Litmanen was one of the best players in the world when Richard Moller Nielsen started as the head coach of the national team in 1995.

“We had a feeling that now the national team’s game is starting to improve properly.”

Paatelainen praises Litma as a fantastic teammate who had great passing skills and the ability to see the game as well as world-class finishing skills.