Ville Lehtinen
Encyclopedia
Ville Lehtinen is a former Finnish
footballer
.
As a junior Lehtinen played for Jyväskylän Jalkapalloklubi
. He made his first-team debut in Finland's top division Veikkausliiga for Helsingin Jalkapalloklubi in 1997. He played only two games before moving to Sheffield United
. In Sheffield United he played only in youth and reserve team matches.
In December 1998 Lehtinen returned to Finland and practised with FC Inter Turku. Inter and Lehtinen had some controversy regarding the contract between them. Inter claimed that Lehtinen was only for trial in the team, but Lehtinen claimed he had signed a one-year contract with Inter. Inter won the court battle, and in 1999 Lehtinen played for FC Jazz
from Pori
. In 2000 he played with Pallo-Iirot
from Rauma
.
In 2001 Lehtinen joined Tampere United
. He made seven goals and won the Finnish championship. During the seasen 2002 he moved to Norwegian
F.K. Bodø/Glimt
. He spent three years in Norway before returning to Finland and AC Allianssi
. With Allianssi he won the Finnish League Cup
in 2005. After Allianssi was drifted to match fixing scandal, Lehtinen returned to Tampere United during the seasen. In 2006 he was the best goalscorer for the team and again won the Finnish championship. After the season he traveled to England doing trials for many clubs like Leeds United and also tried to sign contract with FC Honka
from Espoo
. However no contract was made and Lehtinen decided to end his football career and concentrate on his job as an investment manager. In July 2007 Lehtinen decided come back to football fields. He played two games in Atlantis FC
in Ykkönen
(the second tier) before the contract with Veikkausliiga team AC Oulu
was announced.
Lehtinen is very well-built player and sometimes ridiculed because of his slight overweight. Occasionally Lehtinen writes about his football career and personal life in the most popular Finnish football discussion forum, Futisforum2.org, using an alias "FATMAN". He is also a musician
and his fist single Naapurintyttö was released in 2006. Many Finnish radio stations have played his music.
Finland
Finland , officially the Republic of Finland, is a Nordic country situated in the Fennoscandian region of Northern Europe. It is bordered by Sweden in the west, Norway in the north and Russia in the east, while Estonia lies to its south across the Gulf of Finland.Around 5.4 million people reside...
footballer
Football (soccer)
Association football, more commonly known as football or soccer, is a sport played between two teams of eleven players with a spherical ball...
.
As a junior Lehtinen played for Jyväskylän Jalkapalloklubi
Jyväskylän Jalkapalloklubi
JJK Jyväskylä is a Finnish football club, based in Jyväskylä. It currently plays in the Finnish top-flight Veikkausliiga. The club's manager is Kari Martonen...
. He made his first-team debut in Finland's top division Veikkausliiga for Helsingin Jalkapalloklubi in 1997. He played only two games before moving to Sheffield United
Sheffield United F.C.
Sheffield United Football Club is a professional English football club based in the city of Sheffield, South Yorkshire.They were the first sporting team to use the name 'United' and are nicknamed 'The Blades', thanks to Sheffield's worldwide reputation for steel production...
. In Sheffield United he played only in youth and reserve team matches.
In December 1998 Lehtinen returned to Finland and practised with FC Inter Turku. Inter and Lehtinen had some controversy regarding the contract between them. Inter claimed that Lehtinen was only for trial in the team, but Lehtinen claimed he had signed a one-year contract with Inter. Inter won the court battle, and in 1999 Lehtinen played for FC Jazz
FC Jazz
FC Jazz is a football club from Pori, Finland.- History :The club was founded in 1934. They played 19 seasons in the Finnish premier division Veikkausliiga between 1984 and 2004. The club was dissolved in 2005, as a result of financial difficulties. The club won the Finnish championship title in...
from Pori
Pori
Pori is a city and municipality on the west coast of Finland. The city is located some from the Gulf of Bothnia, on the estuary of the Kokemäenjoki river, which is the largest in Finland. Pori is the most important town in the Satakunta region....
. In 2000 he played with Pallo-Iirot
Pallo-Iirot
Pallo-Iirot is a football club from Rauma in Finland. The club was formed in 1930 and their home ground is at the Äijänsuon stadion. The men's first team currently plays in the Kakkonen...
from Rauma
Rauma, Finland
Rauma is a town and municipality of ca. inhabitants on the west coast of Finland, north of Turku, and south of Pori. Granted town privileges on May 17, 1442 , Rauma is known of its high quality lace , and of the old wooden architecture of its centre , which is a Unesco world heritage...
.
In 2001 Lehtinen joined Tampere United
Tampere United
Tampere United is a Finnish football club, which played in the Veikkausliiga, the premier football league in Finland, until the 2010 season, but is currently excluded from participating in Finnish football. The club comes from the city of Tampere. The current head coach of the club is Jarkko Wiss,...
. He made seven goals and won the Finnish championship. During the seasen 2002 he moved to Norwegian
Norway
Norway , officially the Kingdom of Norway, is a Nordic unitary constitutional monarchy whose territory comprises the western portion of the Scandinavian Peninsula, Jan Mayen, and the Arctic archipelago of Svalbard and Bouvet Island. Norway has a total area of and a population of about 4.9 million...
F.K. Bodø/Glimt
F.K. Bodø/Glimt
FK Bodø/Glimt is a Norwegian football club from the town of Bodø and was founded in 1916. Its nickname is the original club name: Glimt.Bodø/Glimt have been Northern Norwegian champions nine times, Norwegian Cup Champions twice and league runners-up three seasons .Glimt are known for their yellow...
. He spent three years in Norway before returning to Finland and AC Allianssi
AC Allianssi
AC Vantaan Allianssi was a Finnish football club, based in the town of Vantaa.Allianssi have been a club in decline since an 8-0 defeat at fellow Finnish club FC Haka. The match was believed to have been fixed by a Belgian-Chinese betting cartel, which took control of the club in summer 2005...
. With Allianssi he won the Finnish League Cup
Finnish League Cup
The Finnish League Cup is a knock-out football competition contested annually during pre-season in winter by teams from Veikkausliiga.-Finnish League Cup finals:...
in 2005. After Allianssi was drifted to match fixing scandal, Lehtinen returned to Tampere United during the seasen. In 2006 he was the best goalscorer for the team and again won the Finnish championship. After the season he traveled to England doing trials for many clubs like Leeds United and also tried to sign contract with FC Honka
FC Honka
FC Honka is a Finnish football club, based in Tapiola, Espoo. It was promoted into the Finnish premier division , for the first time in its history, at the end of the 2005 season. The club's manager is Mika Lehkosuo, and it plays its home matches at Tapiolan urheilupuisto...
from Espoo
Espoo
Espoo is the second largest city and municipality in Finland. The population of the city of Espoo is . It is part of the Helsinki Metropolitan Area along with the cities of Helsinki, Vantaa, and Kauniainen. Espoo shares its eastern border with Helsinki and Vantaa, while enclosing Kauniainen....
. However no contract was made and Lehtinen decided to end his football career and concentrate on his job as an investment manager. In July 2007 Lehtinen decided come back to football fields. He played two games in Atlantis FC
Atlantis FC
Atlantis FC is a Finnish football club, based in Helsinki. It currently plays in the third tier of Finnish football .-History:The club was founded in late 1995 when Johanneksen Dynamo and FC Norssi merged...
in Ykkönen
Ykkönen
Ykkönen is the second highest level of the Finnish football league system , although it is the highest league managed by the Football Association of Finland.-Competition:...
(the second tier) before the contract with Veikkausliiga team AC Oulu
AC Oulu
AC Oulu is a Finnish football club, based in Oulu. The club's coach is Juha Malinen, and it plays its home matches at Raatin Stadion.-History :...
was announced.
Lehtinen is very well-built player and sometimes ridiculed because of his slight overweight. Occasionally Lehtinen writes about his football career and personal life in the most popular Finnish football discussion forum, Futisforum2.org, using an alias "FATMAN". He is also a musician
Musician
A musician is an artist who plays a musical instrument. It may or may not be the person's profession. Musicians can be classified by their roles in performing music and writing music.Also....* A person who makes music a profession....
and his fist single Naapurintyttö was released in 2006. Many Finnish radio stations have played his music.