Odds comparison next Finland Manager
The current manager of the Finland national team is Markku Kanerva. Kanerva was born in Helskini in 1964 and has been in charge of his native country since 2016. He has spearheaded something of a Finnish footballing revolution in the country since his appointment and is well-loved by players and fans alike.
Before becoming the manager he is today, Kanerva began his footballing education in his hometown of HJK Helsinki. He played for HJK Helskini for seven years between 1983 and 1990 after graduating from the team's academy at the age of 18, Kanerva went on to play nearly two centuries of games for the club. During this time, Kanerva became a mainstay in international football, winning his first cap in 1986 and going on to make 58 more - one of the finest achievements of his career, he says.
His time with HJK was abundant with trophies. They won five Mesteruusaja (later rebranded Veikkausliiga) in 1985, 1987, 1988, 1990 in his first spell as a player. In addition, they were successful in the 1984 edition of the Finnish Cup.
He left Finland in favour of Sweden in 1991 where he spent a season with IF Elfsborg. In this time he made 44 appearances and scored three goals while also maintaining his ever-presence in the Finnish national team.
From here, after a brief hiatus from football, Kanerva moved on to FinnPa back in Finland where he spent a single season before returning for the first time to HJK Helsinki. In this second spell he played 52 times and scored once and won the Finnish League Cup for the first time in 1994.
He switched to FC Honka but strangely only played one solitary game before returning for a third glorious spell with HJK. In his final few seasons with the club and of his career, Kanerva won another league title, two more Finnish Cups and three further Finnish League Cups.
Unsurprisingly given his almost pathological tendency to return to the club, Kanerva went back to HJK Helsinki when he was looking for a career in the coaching side of the game. In 2001 he was made assistant manager of the side. It would prove to be his last position with the club he loves to date. His clear footballing intelligence was recognised and he was given a first senior managerial position with FC Vikingit in 2003. He held the position for a year and won exactly half of his games.
This respectable performance in his debut season earned him a move into the Finland international system. He first took charge of the under-21 side in 2004. He maintained this position for six years, an unusual phenomenon for a youth coach.
In 2011 Kanerva got his first taste of senior international football as he was appointed as assistant manager of the Finland international football team. As second in command, he oversaw five years of impressive football. In 2016, he got the top job on a permanent basis.
Under his stewardship, Kanerva's side won their inaugural Nations League group and are a team that is widely regarded as one of the most progressive on the international scene.