JARI LITMANEN AND THE CHAMPIONS LEAGUE

A formidable and exceptionally gifted striker, Jari Litmanen can certainly lay claim to being one of Finland’s greatest ever players, perhaps even THE greatest.  Chased by a number of clubs following rapid progress with Reipas, HJK and MyPa, Litmanen was a little off the pace when he first arrived at Ajax in the early nineties.  Deployed initially as a stand in for the soon to be Internazionale bound Dennis Bergkamp, Litmanen gradually grew into the iconic Dutchman’s role.

While Bergkamp stuttered in Milan, and initially at Arsenal, the team he left behind excelled under Louis Van Gaal with Litmanen featuring prominently as Ajax won and finished runners up in the Champions League in 1995 and 1996 respectively.

Litmanen is still remembered fondly at Liverpool, Barcelona and several other clubs, yet he was only a cameo performer in comparison with his time in Amsterdam.

41 today, Litmanen continues to resist the temptation to hang up his boots, despite several job offers remaining open, including an open door at Ajax.

Here’s Jari at the peak of his powers.

Click the image to watch.