There's no escape from fanatical Celtic fans even when I climb a hill, but I love that says Viljami Sinisalo

Scottish Sun

13-05-2025

The 23-year-old says he's adjusting to life in the spotlight at the treble-chasing Hoops
FINN PEAKS There's no escape from fanatical Celtic fans even when I climb a hill, but I love that says Viljami Sinisalo
PLAYING in the Scottish Cup final might look like a mountain to climb for Viljami Sinisalo right now.
But the goalie has got used to what comes with being a Celtic player — after being spotted out hillwalking.
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Viljami Sinisalo will be back in goal against Aberdeen
Credit: Kenny Ramsay
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Viljami Sinisalo in training
Credit: Kenny Ramsay
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Viljami Sinisalo saves from Rangers' Nico Raskin
Credit: Willie Vass
As a kid growing up in Finland, Sinisalo always loved the outdoors.
So he's jumped at the chance to explore Scotland since joining the Hoops from Aston Villa almost a year ago.
Sinisalo has also grasped the opportunity to impress while first pick Kasper Schmeichel has nursed a shoulder injury.
The Dane returned for the win over Hibs on Saturday but Sinisalo will be back between the sticks for tomorrow's trip to Aberdeen.
His appearances have seen him recognised more while he's been out and about — but that's something he's more than comfortable with.
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Sinisalo, 23, said: 'I do love the outdoors. I do quite a bit of that at home and I enjoy it.
'I'm very much a nature type of guy and being from Finland there's quite a bit of that back home.
'In the good weather I've got the factor 50 on. Loch Lomond's been my favourite with the missus.
'We try to get out as much as we can now. It tends to be somewhere that's quiet and peaceful.
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'I went to Conic Hill at Loch Lomond recently and there were a few Celtic fans in the car park there, but people are nice.
'I suppose I'm getting that a little bit more now 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.
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'So you get that everywhere now, wherever you go.
'It's so big. Whether you go to a golf driving range or just for a little walk in the park, you get a few but it's fine.
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'When you're with other people, people know to leave you to yourself. No one's ever got a problem with taking a picture. So it's been nice.'
There have been plenty of players Sinisalo's age who have crumbled when handed their chance in the Old Firm pressure cooker.
There have been plenty of goalies many years older than the Finn who have failed to take their chances and had their reputation tarred forever because of their blunders too.
But Sinisalo is as cool as they come and insists he's embraced the levels of expectation placed on his shoulders.
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He said: 'Yeah, I understand what it takes to be here. Listen, whether I'm 23 or 33, I'll try and prove 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 to show my personality when I play.
'That's one of the big things you need as a goalkeeper — you've got to show that personality and the real presence you've got.
'That probably comes with age. You get better as you go. But, that's just who I am.'
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Sinisalo reckons the opportunity to study other keepers has helped him develop the method he thinks works best between the sticks.
He said: 'There's so much football out there for you to watch now that you look at goalkeepers and you think, 'right, I want to take that from him'. Or, 'I don't want to be that and I don't want to be erratic'.
'I want to be someone your defenders look at and be, 'We're fine here, we're absolutely fine. He's there, he's calm, he doesn't look fazed'.
'That's what I want to be. But listen, that's just who I am. The more work you do and the more times you get exposed to situations of high pressure, the better you get at that.
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'So, the more of that I get, the more of those games I play in like the Old Firm, the calmer you probably look. But that's just how I am.
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'I don't try to be this erratic goalie. I try to be a calming force and lead in that way.'
That isn't to say he doesn't possess that mad streak essential for most keepers to succeed.
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He grinned: 'I suppose if you ask the lads, I probably do! I'm not going to come here and say I'm this very boring persona that's very one-line.
"I'm still very passionate about what I do. You see us celebrating and I'll be the first to celebrate and run over to the corner if we score a last-minute winner. Don't worry about that.
'You almost need that madness in you. In general you don't come across many goalkeepers that aren't that way.
'We're normally very nice human beings, goalkeepers!
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'You know the nature of your position and how hard it can be and the respect you have for other goalkeepers.
'When someone does well, there's got to be that mutual respect with people, which I'm glad to see there definitely is in the modern game.
'You know that, every goal that goes in, the first person who's getting looked at, no matter how it goes in, is yourself.
'So it's a completely different position. It's kind of like a sport within a sport, goalkeeping, because you're scrutinised and the pressure is high."
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