A biography for Teemu Pukkihasn’t been written yet.
“When I was a little boy, my dream was to play in Spanish football, which I've done, and then it was the Premier League, so it's all worked out OK.”
“I had four seasons with Brondby in Denmark and they were crucial, mentally. The first two seasons there, I score nine goals, then nine goals. Then we get a new coach, Alexander Zorniger. A German guy. The next two seasons, I score 20 then 17.”
“I didn't really adapt to Scottish football well, but I enjoyed my time there. The physical nature and the pace of the game was a big thing, and many of the teams defended really deep against Celtic so there was not so much space to run in behind. That's a big part of my game, so that was one thing as well.”
“It's not easy to be a footballer.”
“As a young guy I was really shy, more shy than I am now.”
“Neil Lennon was a great manager; he really got your team in the mood and wanting to play for him.”
“Celtic are a great, traditional club.”
“Even if you have a contract you can be sold.”
“It took me some time to get used to the game in Scotland because it was very different. The game is quicker and more physical. You don't get much time on the ball, that's for sure. It is probably better than I thought as well.”
“I always try not to read anything of people talking about me, but of course you can still feel pressure at the stadium, during the games, if you don't play well.”
“When I moved to Schalke it took me a few months to settle.”
“My favourite team was always Barcelona. When I was young, I went to see them, my first ever big game. Jari Litmanen was playing there at the time. In Finland, Litmanen is a big hero for all of us.”
“It was not so easy for me in Scotland in general.”
“Those years in Denmark changed my game and how I played football.”
“I just live life and I do not think about what will happen.”
“Klaas-Jan Huntelaar is one of the best goalscorers in the world and even watching him in training and in games you can learn from him.”
“I haven't made any targets of how many goals I want to score, because I just want to help the team.”
“I played in Germany which is quite a physical league.”
“Since I was a young boy, it was about playing football, always as a striker, never another position.”
“I got the call, 'Celtic want you.' And I knew Celtic were a top, top team. I thought it would be much easier than it was. It was quicker than I thought. When you got the ball, there was always a defender at you.”