I’ve been able to fulfil quite a few dreams, but I do have some left as well. For example, one day I would like to see the Finnish national team playing in the World Cup. Unfortunately, it’s not up to me. Another one of my dreams is though.

For years now I’ve been planning a book in which I would go through about 50 football fixtures that I have personally watched in different parts of the world. The idea is not so much to give an account of the games as to discuss the political and cultural phenomena surrounding the teams that played in them. There have been similar books in the world but not one that would be an exact fit for my dreams. I have been collecting data for 15 years so I think the book is making good progress. Although I have to say that my previous book, Urheilulajien synty (‘The origin of the sports’, 2012) took such a heavy toll on me that I swore I would never write a book again.