Futisfoorumilta kopsattuna Talvitien haastattelu belgialaisesta lehdestä kääntäjän läpi ajettuna. Ja kuten linkistä näkyy, futarin tyyli alkaa olla kunnossa myös...
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Meet Juho Talvitie, the 17-year-old top talent of Lommel SK: “I want to win the Golden Ball”
Wearing a baseball cap backwards to show off his voluminous head of hair even better, the teenager sits down outside on a chair between the Lommel pine forests. The renovated press room has just been cleaned. The acne on his cheeks betrays his young age. “I don't feel like I've skipped puberty,” says a candid Talvitie. “But my parents sometimes think I can do more in the household.”
What do you miss about Finland?
“Nothing really. I now play football in Belgium and have good friends here as well. I am living my dream here. Lommel is the perfect place to be at the moment. The biggest difference with Finland? The temperature in winter. In Finland it is much colder, up to twenty degrees below zero.”
What's it like to be the youngest player in the locker room?
“I don't think about it. It's nothing special. Last season it was different. Then I crawled into my phone trying not to stand out. In the meantime I have made friends and can be myself more.”
Do you still study?
“I am obliged to take online lessons until I am 18. I had a choice of five different subjects and at the moment I am taking history. But I wouldn't call it passion." (laughs)
Your ambitions are on the turf. What is your big dream?
“Most people like to dream of a specific competition, but I really want to play at the top of, for example, the Premier League or play the Champions League every year. I want to have a nice and long career. One day I would also like to win the Golden Ball. Since I've been in Lommel, it's hard work every day and being mentally strong to achieve my goals."
Who is your idol?
“As a Finn, I can only say Jari Litmanen. I look up to him a lot. Litmanen is a fantastic player with a great career at Ajax, FC Barcelona and Liverpool. He should have always won the Golden Ball in 1995.”
Last season you were voted Finnish talent of the year as a 16-year-old.
“It was a special moment with my mother because I didn't know that trophy existed. Frankly, I was not surprised to win, as I was the youngest Finn abroad to play professional football. Afterwards I had my picture taken at the football gala in Helsinki with Sami Hyypiä, Finland's second best footballer of all time. I have saved his number in my phone.”
Have you seen the other side of the coin as a coveted teenager?
“Fortunately, I didn't see much of all the interest from top teams in Europe, because my parents protected me. At the beginning of 2020, as a 15-year-old, I also spent a week on an internship at Manchester United, but the choice ultimately fell on Manchester City. Their project in Lommel to play matches in a first team as a young player convinced me.”
Finally, you can't miss your luscious head of hair.
“I have been growing my hair since the end of last season. I wanted to try something new and then I saw that Jari Litmanen and other older players also have a haircut like this. I was obsessed with the 80s at one point. I listened to old Led Zeppelin records with my father. I appreciate the classics. By the way, my older sister Sanni (19) is a professional violinist in London.”
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