Viljami Sinisalo unwittingly chose not to answer the most important phone call of his life recently.
Seeing an unknown number flash up on his phone, the 20-year-old opted to let a call from Finland national team manager Markku Kanerva go to voicemail.
When the call was followed up by a message explaining who it was, Sinisalo was quick to get back on the phone to receive the news that he’d been selected for the senior squad for the first time.

“I was surprised in a way, but it was definitely one of the happiest days of my life to get the call-up,” Sinisalo reflected.
“I’m very honoured and proud to be getting that – not many do. It’s a proud moment for myself and my family, it’s just brilliant.
“I can’t put into words how hard I’ve been working towards it and for it to come at the age of 20 is brilliant.”
The phone call with Kanerva signalled the start of a senior international career that promises much following a six-year journey through the Finnish junior ranks that has propelled the goalkeeper’s career to date.
Sinisalo has played 50 times at age-group level since attending his first national team camp in 2016, culminating in the goalkeeper captaining the Under-21 squad in the summer.

And while his debut didn’t go to plan, Sinisalo has relished playing for his country.
“My first national team camp was when I was 15. It was in 2016 and we played Poland away, we lost 5-0 on my debut,” he recalled.
“That’s eventually my dream: I want to captain my country, I want to play as many games as I can for my country and I’ll do whatever it takes to get to that.”
Viljami Sinisalo
“Fifty games later – I’ve played 50 games for the youth national teams – I’ve now been called up. It’s what you’re working towards when you’re in the youth teams.
“For it to come so early after finishing the Under-21s in the summer is just brilliant. I don’t have a break between playing for my country.”

Representing Finland is particularly significant for the goalkeeper given it has played a pivotal part of his path to becoming a professional footballer.
The road leading Sinisalo from a small village in Finland to the hustle and bustle of Birmingham began to take shape when he made his senior debut aged 15 in the third division of Finnish football.
A maiden start for FC Espoo might have ended in a 4-1 defeat against Bollklubben-46 but it helped to push his cause with the national team, and soon after Sinisalo attracted the attention of Villa’s scouts.
“I was playing for Finland and we did really well in this Under-17 tournament,” he recounted.
“We had Iceland, Faroe Islands and Russia in our group and I didn’t concede a goal. We did alright, won the group and it was just a bit of luck that there was a scout there when I had a bit of a worldie at the age of 16.”

Things progressed so quickly that two weeks after the tournament, the teenage stopper was on trial at Bodymoor Heath. And it wasn’t long before Sinisalo was handed a scholarship at the club.
However, adapting to a new country, a new way of life and an alien culture meant it wasn’t a completely smooth transition.
“It’s a big jump coming from the third tier of Finnish football, which is semi-pro, to coming to Villa,” he said.
“Everything changed; you’re a professional footballer all of a sudden. Your lifestyle changes, you’re walking around a building with senior professionals and staff. It’s completely different to how it is in Finland.”
He added: “There was an induction day for the scholars and then I moved straight into digs. I was with a family in Aston that were very Brummie, so I had to catch on to the accent straight away.

“I did struggle a lot in the first couple of months because it’s a different culture. It’s a very quiet culture in Finland and everyone minds their own business.
“During the first year of my scholarship, I picked up an injury very early on, which was difficult as I was 16 and it was my first time living away from home. I was thinking, ‘Can I do this?’.”
Sinisalo’s belief that he could make it as a pro was boosted as the first season of his scholarship reached its climax. The goalkeeper trained with the first team on a number of occasions, including in the build-up to Villa beating Derby County in the Championship play-off final at Wembley to secure a return to the Premier League.
The arrival of Neil Cutler as goalkeeping coach part way through that season played a part in his rapid rise while working with Academy coach Mark Naylor reaped benefits.
“Cuts has been top class. From the moment he walked in, I felt he took to me and helped me in any way I needed,” revealed Sinisalo.

“The level of detail he goes into is something I’ve not seen before, and I doubt I’ll see anywhere else. You can see that in Emi (Martinez), his mentality and the level of detail he goes into and how critical he is of himself.
“He wants to be the best goalkeeper in the world and, eventually, that’s my dream, to be the best goalkeeper in the world. Cuts and Nayls have been top class, helping me all the way.”
Excelling for Villa’s Under-18 and Under-23 sides meant the Finn was ready for a loan move. And just a few days prior to deadline day in September 2020, Ayr United came calling.
“I had to get all of my stuff from digs in the car and drive five hours up north to Scotland to Ayr,” Sinisalo recalled.
“I stayed in a hotel for the first month, which was difficult because there was no washing machine so that caused me a bit of trouble. I eventually got my own place, which the club sorted. I can’t be more grateful to the club for giving me that chance and helping me.”

Sinisalo proved a hit during his time with the Scottish Championship side, becoming their first-choice shortly after his arrival and making 29 appearances before injury curtailed his time there.
“Playing men’s football, you learn what it takes and how much it means to people,” he said.
“There’s so much on the line. It was difficult in a way because I was on my own with Covid restrictions, so I couldn’t travel back home to see the family and spent Christmas on my own.
“Everything was closed in Scotland so I couldn’t go out for coffee or anything. The fact that I was playing so much football was the thing that kept me going. I enjoyed it and I’d never change it.”
After serving as Villa’s number three ‘keeper last season, Sinisalo is spending the 2022/23 campaign on loan at League One side Burton Albion.

And while he’s hopeful of a strong season with the Brewers despite a tough start, his focus over the coming days is fully on making a good impression with the national team.
Sinisalo is ready to do all he can to help Finland in their Nations League games against Romania on Friday night (September 23) and Montenegro on Monday (26 September).
The goalkeeper is wise enough to know his first cap may not come immediately as he battles against Bayer Leverkusen’s Lukáš Hrádecký and Dundee United’s Carljohn Eriksson for playing time, but he has big ambitions for the future as his international career gets set to begin.
“My dream is to captain Finland one day, but I’ve got to be realistic and realise that’s not going to come overnight,” he said.
“That’s eventually my dream: I want to captain my country, I want to play as many games as I can for my country and I’ll do whatever it takes to get to that.”