A man who many regarded as one of Bolton Wanderers’ greatest ever servants, Jussi Jaaskelainen, recently announced he would be hanging up his goalkeeping gloves for the last time.
The Finnish stopper, who is currently in India with Super League club Atletico Kolkata, has decided he now wants to focus solely on progressing as a coach.
During his playing days Jaaskelainen quickly became a regular fixture in the Bolton starting XI, after joining under then manager Colin Todd in 1997.
After several seasons struggling to earn promotion back to the top-flight, Wanderers brought in Sam Allardyce to try and change their fortunes.
With a new manager at the helm it could’ve been easy for him to point the finger solely at Jaaskelainen as the reason for Bolton failing to earn promotion from the old First Division (now the Championship).
However he backed the Fin and his loyalty paid off with Jaaskelainen’s efforts between the sticks playing a big part in Wanderers securing their place back in the top-flight.
Although he picked up a serious injury which ruled him out for half of their 2000-01 promotion campaign Jaaskelainen proved to be hugely reliable and helped Wanderers build great momentum - During the 26 league matches he was on the pitch Bolton managed to keep 11 clean sheets.
Knowing that you have a goalkeeper who is extremely dependable and doesn’t buckle under the pressure often breeds confidence through the rest of the team and it was no different with Bolton.
All the best, Jussi! Thanks for the memories! 🙌
👉 ⏩
#BWFC 🐘 🏰
Wanderers proved to be a real threat at the other end of the pitch, winning 12 matches after scoring two goals or more. From the statistics it is clear there is a strong correlation between Jaaskelainen’s composure in goal and how well the whole team played.
Amongst his 530 appearances another highlight will be the role he played helping them create history during 2006-07, as Wanderers booked their place in the UEFA cup for the first time ever.
The Finland international continued to showcase his shot-stopping abilities during that campaign, keeping the joint-fourth highest amount of clean sheets in the league (12).
Tying level with Chelsea goalkeeper Petr Cech and keeping more than the man who helped Manchester United win the league that season, Edwin van der Sar, shows just how well he performed.
Throughout his Bolton career there has always been a great deal of respect for Jaaskelainen and that campaign was no exception as he won Player of the Year and Players’ Player of the Year awards.
The 42-year-old did also spend time at West Ham United and Wigan Athletic, who he won a League One title with during his first season, but it was his time at Bolton which will provide the fondest memories.
Jaaskelainen might now be embarking on the next chapter of his career standing somewhere other than between the goalposts but Bolton fans will never forget how much he contributed to some of their greatest moments in recent history.
