Teemu Pukki provided glowing Celtic endorsement to Viljami Sinisalo

Teemu Pukki celebrates. Celtic v Hibs, 14 December 2013. Photo by Vagelis Georgariou Despite making an immediate impression by scoring on his debut at Tynecastle and again in his first appearance at Celtic Park, the forward ultimately struggled to live up to his £3 million transfer fee, finishing with seven goals in 32 appearances.

However, Sinisalo has already surpassed his compatriot’s time at the club and has reflected on the conversations he held with the striker before making the move. Speaking via Celtic FC Podcast , Sinisalo said: “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! ” “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 may not traditionally be regarded as a powerhouse in international football, but Pukki cemented his place in the nation’s history by playing a pivotal role in securing qualification for their first-ever major tournament at EURO 2020.