It may have been a surprise to some just how well a 23-year-old goalkeeper, whose CV to this point had featured spells in the Scottish Championship, English League One and the odd Football Trust Trophy match for Aston Villa’s under-21s, handled the task of filling the pretty formidable gloves of the English Premier League winning, 113-times capped Kasper Schmeichel in goal for Celtic recently.
A run that included being thrown in at Ibrox for an Old Firm debut, let’s not forget, and having various objects thrown at him in the process.
When you speak to Viljami Sinisalo though, you quickly realise that all is not as it may seem on the surface. Not least when the Finn speaks and an accent which is more common on the Holte End than on the streets of Helsinki escapes from his mouth.
It is his temperament though that belies his relative lack of big-time experience, and the calmness he exudes which seems to have a stabilising effect on the defenders in front of him, and has already convinced many observers he has what it takes to be a future Celtic number one.
That has been helped by his commitment to getting out into nature, something he developed a love for in his homeland growing up, and something he has been able to maintain since coming to Celtic. Though, as he gets more recognisable, finding peace and quiet even in some of the remotest locations in the West of Scotland is proving trickier.
“Yeah, I get the factor 50 on and I do love it,” Sinisalo said.
“I do quite a bit of that at home. I do enjoy it. Loch Lomond's been our favourite with the missus. So, yeah, it's been good.
“I’m very much a nature type of guy, obviously being from Finland there's quite a bit of that back home. So, yeah, we'll try and get out as much as you can now. Somewhere quiet, peaceful.
“No-one's ever got a problem with taking a picture. It's not a problem. So, it's been nice. “I suppose [I’m getting that a little bit more] now that I've played a few more games. People probably recognise you because you're in the limelight a little bit. But it's part and parcel of it. That's why you're here. Everyone wants to play and that comes with playing, so I can't complain.
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“I understand what it takes to be here. Listen, whether I'm 23 or 33, I'll try and prove that I'm that calm persona in goal you can rely on. That's just what I am as a person on the pitch and off the pitch. I'm quite calm. “I try and show my personality when I play. That's one of the big things as a goalkeeper - you've got to show that personality and that real presence you've got. “That probably helps with age. You get better as you go. But, that's just who I am. I'm trying to just show my personality.”
He certainly did that during the recent draw with Rangers, not only in his strength of character to remain unfazed by the missiles being aimed in his direction, but after Celtic scored too. Though, his celebration – which caused quite a stir on social media – almost backfired spectacularly. “It's funny, obviously, because I've celebrated and the goal's been chalked off,” he said.
“But, I wouldn't know that because I'm celebrating. So, how football goes, you get a bit from the fans and stuff like that.
“Then, there's the VAR check and the goal gets given. So, you celebrate a little bit more! But, that's just how it is. I never like to celebrate too early, though, in terms of there's a time and a place to go and celebrate. “That tends to kick you in the backside if you celebrate too early. But, yeah, it's nice moments. There's a bit of passion, obviously. I want to play with a bit of passion. That's just who I am.”
The Celtic fans will get an opportunity to see Sinisalo in action again during the game against Aberdeen at Pittodrie tomorrow night, with Brendan Rodgers already confirming that he will take Schmeichel back out of the line-up following his return from injury against Hibs at the weekend.
Whether he will be able to do enough to convince his manager that he is the man best-placed to face the Dons again when the teams meet in the Scottish Cup Final remains to be seen, but whatever way that call goes, Sinisalo has been delighted to have been able to contribute to his side’s success in recent weeks.
“I suppose nothing's a given in football,” he said.
“I'm not even focusing that far ahead. I'm just trying to enjoy the moment. Every chance you get to play is a privilege. I'm just happy I've now had the chance to play and I'm trying to show to people that probably haven't seen me as much of what I am and what I'm about. “That's all you can do. Then if the manager makes the decision, the manager makes the decision. But I can only do what I can on the pitch and try and show in training and on the pitch what I'm about.
“So, I'm just trying to prove that I can be a Celtic goalkeeper for the foreseeable.”
