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By Gary Rose
BBC Sport
Soon Finland prime minister Antti Rinne shook France president Emmanuel Macrons hand, got up in the scenic Elysee Palace in Paris and then presented him.
This is a Teemu Pukki football shirt.
This is Finland strikers and also the in-form Norwich reputation at the instant that his title even makes it onto the schedule of major political meetings, alongside commerce deals and issues.
Considering joining the Canaries on the summer of 2018, with 44 goals, Pukki is now arguably one of the players in world football at the moment.
But it wasnt always that way to get a participant once callednot a complete disaster after having a less-than-impressive stint in Celtic.
Since Pukki looks to make it six goals in seven games for Finland when they face Bosnia and Herzegovina on Saturday (17:00 BST) and move them a step closer to qualifying for their first key tournament, BBC Sport charts the fall and rise of Norwichs talismanic striker.
Pukkis narrative is not one but rather a player who constantly had the capability but did not find himself the ideal circumstances.
Having impressed in his biography from an early age – he even made his debut for his hometown team in 16 and was named Finlands Young Player of the Year in his first season – Pukki caught the attention of several foreign scouts while playing for Finland in an Under-17s tournament in Portugal.
What he had then was his extraordinary time in his runs on the other side of the defence, says Flemming Berg, who was at that championship working as a scout for Chelsea. Hes those qualities now and he had them as a teenager.
Clubs have been on the lookout for the upcoming Finnish superstar, Together with the career of Finlands biggest player, Jari Litmanen, going towards its end. Pukki was invited for a trial Chelsea and was rumoured interest from Sevilla and Juventus, although nothing came from it.
It had been , in 2008, Sevilla was combined by Pukki.
Pukki perhaps fell victim to becoming too far. He came in the Spanish town as a cynical 17 year old, living with his mum in a apartment while being unable to speak the language.
After a couple of years in the youth team of the La Liga side, the manager who signed him Diego Rodriguez – had been sacked and Pukki discovered himself even more. He returned to Finland to attempt to kick-start his career.
Following a spell in HJK Helsinki, Pukki was offered the opportunity for playing in one of the big leagues of Europe – this time with German club Schalke.
His progress was surpassed by situation, despite scoring two in his debut. Ahead of all Pukki were Dutch striker Klaas-Jan Huntelaar and Spanish legend Raul, whod go on to enjoy among the seasons of their career with 48 goals in 48 games. Pukki was up against it from the beginning.
A movement to Celtic followed but there he fought with both the physicality of the league and playing out of position.
The thing with him Celtic was that he had been played the left hand side, he wasnt played at a central part or not very often, former Celtic and Norwich striker Chris Sutton tells BBC Sport. That certainly did not help – hes a number nine and hes such excellent movement
Keeping tabs on his progress was Berg, who was now working as a scout for Brondby.
The matter with Teemu would be, even though he did not score a lot of goals in Schalke and Celtic, his goals-per-minutes ratio was actually great at these clubs, he says.
The data certainly spoke for themselves. While Celtic he averaged to a goal every other game In Schalke that his ratio was nearly on par with his album in Norwich.
I understood his agent and thought I would try and get him Brondby, adds Berg. I didnt believe there would be a chance since it was a tiny step down but they stated yes.
A measure down it might have been ultimately it was the movement that made Pukki the player.
In the club hed come to function under German trainer Alexander Zorniger, that felt Pukki needed to become fitter so he could do job – pick the ball up, to fall deep and help assemble attacks.
I was probably a bit lazy, Pukki told the Eastern Daily Press earlier this season. I wasnt performing the defensive work I must get done, and that is 1 thing Zorniger taught me. When I do defensive function well it always helps my offensive game.
Suddenly, all that potential which had laid back for decades was published. Pukki scored after more and 48 goals in 90 games for Brondby interest in his services was high.
Unable to agree that a new contract at Brondby clubs expressed an interest but it was Norwich who suggested the deal to Pukki, particularly given the most expressive, passing style of soccer the Canaries played that suited his game longer.
After scoring 29 goals in 43 Championship matches to assist Norwich win promotion hes six goals in eight matches with Norwich continuing to maintain faith in the system which has served them, and Pukki, so well.
Am I surprised by how well he has done? Yes, Match of the Day pundit Alan Shearer tells BBC Sport.
Hes had an excellent beginning in the Premier League but that the task now is for him to keep that. If you can find a person to score you 15 Premier league goals then youve a very good probability of staying up. With six goals he is well on his way into this.
Pukkis shape during the past year has seen his fame.
He has a featured on the front pages of papers and magazines lately while his exploits – and Norwichs advertising – have awarded TV supervisors.
Liverpool are undoubtedly the hottest team in the country however Pukkis performances have led to be shown live.
Tero Vaatainen is part of a set of fans calledFinnish Canaries, who gather at the city of Tampere to see they can, Norwich matches.
Right now hes massive, he tells BBC Sport. After each Norwich match theres one story about it in all the newspapers, focusing on how Pukki playedwith.
He is almost getting to Sami Hyypia and Jari Litmanen level in terms of a favorite player in Finland.
When he can score the goals to flame Finland to Euro 27, one thing which would raise Pukki would be.
Following Tuesday after Saturdays game against Bosnia and Herzegovina, Finland sponsor Armenia. Victories from each of those games would ensure automatic eligibility for Markku Kanervas squad.
It would also induce him closer to surpassing Litmanen because the record goalscorer of Finland. Pukki has 20 goals, 12 behind the Finland legend.
I think that are the clinching stage, adds Vaatainen. He would go beyond Litmanen and Hyypia and some of the others
From top leagues into being on the verge of perhaps becoming the greatest player of Finland is, by the standards of anyone, be a turnaround.
If you take a look at his or her back-story, thereve been quite a few clubs who have really fancied him and it has not happened for him, BBC pundit and former Liverpool defender Mark Lawrenson says.
Thats the thing – finally, if you have got that ability, which he has, it will happen to you personally. And of course its happened for him in the end
Additional reporting by Chris Bevan
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