Markku Kanerva

Markku Kanerva

Kanerva as manager of Finland in 2021
Personal information
Full name	Markku Tapio Kanerva [1]
Date of birth	(1964-05-24) 24 May 1964 (age 60)
Place of birth	Helsinki, Finland
Height	1.83 m (6 ft 0 in)
Position(s)	Defender
Senior career*
Years	Team	Apps	(Gls)
1983–1990	HJK	184	(26)
1991–1992	Elfsborg	44	(3)
1993	FinnPa	26	(1)
1994–1998	HJK	79	(2)
1996	→ Honka (loan)	1	(0)
Total		334	(32)
International career
1986–1995	Finland	59	(1)
Managerial career
2001–2002	HJK (assistant)
2003	Viikingit
2004–2010	Finland U21
2011–2016	Finland (assistant)
2016–2024	Finland
*Club domestic league appearances and goals

Markku Tapio Kanerva (born 24 May 1964) ^[2] is a Finnish football manager, former player and elementary school teacher. Most recently he served as the manager of the Finland national team.

Playing career

Kanerva, who is known by the nickname "Rive", was born in Helsinki. In Finland, he played as a central defender and full back in his hometown clubs HJK Helsinki (1983–1990 and 1994–1998) and the season 1994 in the then local rivals FinnPa. The seasons 1991 and 1992, he played in the Swedish team IF Elfsborg in second-tier Superettan. His last years as a player were shadowed by injuries, but he was still an important part of the HJK defense. His playing career ended in 1998 which included the historical UEFA Champions League participation with HJK. At the Finnish top leagues Mestaruussarja and Veikkausliiga, he played total of 291 matches and scored 29 goals.

At international level, Kanerva went on to win 59 caps, and scored one goal for the Finland national team.

Coaching career

Kanerva worked as a school teacher during his playing career in Sweden and in Haaga, Helsinki, but since then he has been concentrating on football coaching. In 2001 and 2002, he was an assistant coach of Jyrki Heliskoski and Keith Armstrong in his former club HJK, and in 2003 he was the head coach of the Vuosaari-based club FC Viikingit in second-tier Ykkönen.

As the head coach of Finland under-21 national team, he led the team to the 2009 UEFA Euro U21 Championship final tournament. In the same year, he was awarded the Coach of the Year in Finland.

On 29 November 2010, it was announced that Kanerva would coach the Finland senior national team for the Spring period in 2011, while the Finnish FA will be seeking for a new head coach. ^{[3] [4]} Mika Laurikainen took his place as the Finland U21 coach. Kanerva had another spell as caretaker manager of Finland NT in 2015. In December 2016, he was permanently appointed manager of the Finland national team on a three-year contract. ^[5] In November 2019, he managed the Finland team to qualify for the UEFA Euro 2020 final tournament for the first time in the nation's history.

On 17 June 2024, the Finnish FA announced the extension of Kanerva's contract as the head coach, through the 2026 FIFA World Cup qualification campaign and the possible final tournament, with assistant coaches Jani Honkavaara, Teemu Tainio and Tim Sparv completing the coaching staff. ^[6] After the 2024–25 UEFA Nations League B, in which Finland lost all six matches with a goal difference on 2–13, Kanerva was dismissed by the Finnish FA. ^[7]

Personal life

His nickname "Rive" dates back to 1970s when he was playing football with the kids in the neighbourhood in Pukinmäki, Helsinki. According to the story, he was so good at football that the older kids started to call him Rive by the former Brazilian footballer Rivellino. ^[8]

Kanerva is married since 1991, currently living in Tapaninvainio, Helsinki. He has two children with his wife. ^{[9] [10] [11]}

While playing for IF Elfsborg in 1991–1992 in Sweden, Kanerva also worked in a primary school in Borås as a physical education teacher. ^[12]

Career statistics

As of 18 May 2024 ^{[13] [14] [15]}

Appearances and goals by club, season and competition

Club	Season	League			Europe		Total
		Division	Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals
HJK	1983	Mestaruussarja	20	4	2 [a]	0	22	4
	1984	Mestaruussarja	17	3	2 [a]	0	19	3
	1985	Mestaruussarja	26	4	4 [b]	1	30	5
	1986	Mestaruussarja	22	5	2 [c]	0	24	5
	1987	Mestaruussarja	22	4	–		22	4
	1988	Mestaruussarja	27	1	2 [c]	1	29	2
	1989	Mestaruussarja	22	2	2 [c]	0	24	2
	1990	Veikkausliiga	28	3	–		28	3
	Total		184	26	14	2	198	28
Elfsborg	1991	Superettan	18	1	–		18	1
	1992	Superettan	26	2	–		26	2
	Total		44	3	–	–	44	3
FinnPa	1993	Veikkausliiga	26	1	–		26	1
HJK	1994	Veikkausliiga	19	1	2 [b]	0	21	1
	1995	Veikkausliiga	23	0	4 [d]	0	27	0
	1996	Veikkausliiga	11	0	3 [a]	0	14	0
	1997	Veikkausliiga	12	0	2 [b]	0	14	0
	1998	Veikkausliiga	14	1	8 [e]	0	22	1
	Total		79	2	19	0	98	2
Honka (loan)	1996	Ykkönen	1	0	–		1	0
Career total			334	32	31	2	365	34

1. Includes UEFA Cup
2. Includes UEFA Cup Winners' Cup
3. Includes European Cup
4. Includes UEFA Intertoto Cup
5. Includes UEFA Champions League

International goals

No.	Date	Venue	Opponent	Score	Result	Competition
1.	30 January 1994	Muscat, Oman	Oman	2–0	2–0	Friendly

Managerial statistics

As of 17 November 2024 ^[update]

Team	From	To	Record
			G	W	D	L	Win %
Viikingit	2003	2003	26	13	8	5	050.00
Finland U21	2004	2009	29	12	4	13	041.38
Finland (interim)	January 2011	December 2015	7	3	3	1	042.86
Finland	December 2016	22 November 2024	89	36	14	39	040.45
Total			151	64	29	58	042.38

Honours

HJK ^[14]

• Mestaruussarja: 1985, 1987, 1988
• Veikkausliiga: 1990, 1997
• Finnish Cup: 1984, 1996, 1998

Sources

• Veikkausliigan verkkonäyttely: MARKKU KANERVA at archive.today (archived 14 September 2012)(in Finnish)

References

1. Markku Kanerva – UEFA competition record (archive) 
2. Keskitalo, Tapio (12 December 2016). "Kanerva otti maajoukkueen tyynenä komentoonsa". Turun Sanomat (in Finnish). Retrieved 24 October 2023.
3. "Suomen Palloliitto – Artikkeliarkisto". Archived from the original on 6 March 2012. Retrieved 30 November 2010.
4. "Suomen Palloliitto – Artikkeliarkisto". Archived from the original on 6 March 2012. Retrieved 12 January 2011.
5. "Markku Kanerva A-maajoukkueen päävalmentajaksi" (in Finnish). Suomen Palloliitto. Archived from the original on 20 December 2016. Retrieved 12 December 2016.
6. Markku Kanerva jatkaa Huuhkajien päävalmentajana – Valmennusryhmässä iso uudistus, Finnish FA, 17 June 2024
7. Markku Kanerva sai potkut, Ilta-Sanomat, 22 November 2024
8. Huuhkajien valmentaja Markku Kanerva on Rive, Perus-Markku ja Maisteri – lempinimien takaa piisaa tarinoita, Ilta-Sanomat, 17 September 2018
9. Jalkapallomaajoukkueen valmentaja Markku Kanerva: "Voisimme olla maailman parhaita ryhmähengessä", helsinki.fi
10. Huuhkajien sankariluotsi Markku Kanerva saapui Linnan juhliin harvoin julkisuudessa nähdyn puolisonsa kanssa, Ilta-Sanomat, 6 December 2019
11. Markku Kanerva Minun Helsinkini -palstalla: "Näemme rohkean ja voitontahtoisen Suomen", hel.fi, 3 June 2021
12. Huuhkajien päävalmentaja Markku Kanerva työskenteli opettajana ennen valmennusuraansa, telma-lehti, 28 April 2021
13. Markku Kanerva, Finnish Fa
14. Markku Kanerva at National-Football-Teams.com
15. Markku Kanerva at WorldFootball.net