Teemu Tainio could have played for Manchester United
Teemu Tainio could have played for Manchester United
Teemu Tainio revealed he had to abandon a potential contract with Manchester United due to mandatory military service.
The 45-year-old Finnish defensive midfielder, who made a name for himself in Ligue 1 with Auxerre from 1997 to 2005, impressed during a two-week training spell with Sir Alex Ferguson's Red Devils, even scoring four goals in two reserve games. While Tainio claims Ferguson was keen on bringing him to the north west of England permanently, his obligations to Finland took precedence.
Speaking to Sky Sports, Tainio said: "I trained for two weeks with Man United and it was a great experience. I played two games for the reserves and I scored four goals. I had to go back to Finland to complete my army service. I was supposed to go to Auxerre for a year and then move to Old Trafford. I talked with Sir Alex Ferguson and he wanted to sign me."
In Finland, all able-bodied men between 18 and 29 are required to serve between 165 and 347 days in the military, with alternative non-military service available as well. It worked out alright for Taino in France and he left to join Tottenham Hotspur on a free transfer in 2005.
During his time with Spurs, he made 83 appearances and won a League Cup in the 2007/08 season before transferring to Sunderland AFC. Following a two-year spell on Wearside, Tainio went on to play for Ajax, New York Red Bulls and HJK Helsinki before retiring from professional football in February 2015.
He then made the transition into management, initially serving as an assistant at Klubi 04 and Haka, before taking over the helm at the latter. Fast forward to 2025, and Tainio is currently managing Estonian Meistriliiga team Tallinna Kalev, while also acting as an assistant coach for the Finland national team.
Teemu Tainio went on to play for Spurs, Sunderland and Ajax (Image: Jeremy Pardoe)
Despite boasting a number of accolades from his distinguished playing career - including an Eredivisie title with Ajax and two Veikkausliiga titles with HJK - he'll certainly wonder what could have been if his military service hadn't prevented him from signing for United.
Between 1997 and 2013, Ferguson led the Red Devils to nine Premier League titles, two FA Cups, three League Cups, and two coveted Champions League trophies, including a treble in the 1998/99 season - all of which Tainio could have potentially contributed to had circumstances been different. The Finnish football sensation isn't the only high-profile player whose career has been impacted by compulsory national service over the years either.
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Spurs' Son Heung-Min was allowed a shortened service time of three weeks, rather than the standard 21 months for South Korea, due to his role in securing victory for his country in the 2018 Asian Games - a stint he completed during the global Coronavirus pandemic.
In a similar vein, Pavel Nedved served the Czech Republic by playing for the army-run team FK Dukla Praha in the early 1990s. It comes as Spurs prepare to welcome Manchester United to the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium in the Premier League on Sunday.
Manager Ange Postecoglou is under pressure to secure points following a disappointing start to the season, with just eight wins from 24 matches. Ruben Amorim, on the other hand, will also be keen to change fortunes at United, who are only two points ahead of the north London side in the league table after a season fraught with difficulties.
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