Teemu Pukki announces retirement at 36 after Norwich and Finland career
Finland's all-time leading scorer Teemu Pukki will retire after the Veikkausliiga season ends on 8 November, closing a career that included two promotions with Norwich City.
Teemu Pukki, the former Norwich City and Finland striker, has announced he will retire from football at the age of 36. The Finn, who stepped away from international duty last year, said he will hang up his boots after the Veikkausliiga season with HJK Helsinki concludes on 8 November.
Pukki leaves as Finland's men's all-time top scorer, with 43 goals in 133 caps, a tally second only in his country's history for appearances. His club career took him to Schalke, Brondby, Celtic and Minnesota United, and he scored nine goals in 38 games for Celtic between 2013 and 2015.
His defining spell came at Norwich, where he joined on a free transfer in summer 2018 and scored 88 goals in 210 appearances over five years, helping the Canaries win promotion to the Premier League twice. He also collected two Championship titles and two player of the season awards, and sits fourth on the club's all-time scoring list.
In a message on Instagram, Pukki reflected on a career that exceeded his childhood ambitions, saying football had shown him the world and given him experiences he could not have found elsewhere. He acknowledged the game had not always been enjoyable but said his love for it had never faded, and thanked the clubs and supporters he played for.
Norwich supporters' attachment to Pukki was underlined by the club's analysis of his time there, which noted that his free-transfer arrival drew little attention and that Celtic fans had questioned whether he was good enough. Instead, his link-up with Emi Buendia, described as "magical" by then head coach Daniel Farke, made him an all-time Norwich great. The 'Pukki Party' is set to be remembered fondly in Norfolk.
Image: Getty Images / BBC Sport
