The Nice Guys Are Desperate Not To Finnish Last

Success for Sparv and Co at Finland’s first Euros would be nothing more than their actions deserve

- Paul Brown

Finland are a team of Marcus Rashfords aiming to prove that nice guys do not always finish last.

So says Crystal Palace cult hero Aki Riihilahti, who won 69 caps for the land of lakes and saunas, and will be at their opener with Denmark tomorrow.

Just like campaigning Manchester United star Rashford, Finland captain Tim Sparv has made it his mission to back good causes.

Sparv (top) was quick to stand up for team-mate Glen Kamara when the Rangers midfielder was racially abused by Slavia Prague’s Ondrej Kudela. But Riihilahti (above), who learnt to play on a tiny pitch cut out of a strip of Finnish forest by his dad, says Sparv is far from alone.

“It’s a team full of players who are not like your typical footballers. The captain is actively taking a stand to do what’s right,” he said. “You have Teemu Pukki, the nicest and most humble guy in the world. The keeper, Lukas Hradecky. You can’t find a lovelier guy.