{{short description|Finnish footballer and manager (born 1964)}} {{Use dmy dates|date=March 2019}} {{Infobox football biography | name = Markku Kanerva | fullname = Markku Tapio Kanerva<ref>{{UEFA}}</ref> | image = File:Markku Kanerva 2021.jpg | caption = Kanerva as manager of Finland in 2021 | birth_date = {{birth date and age|df=yes|1964|5|24}} | birth_place = Helsinki, Finland | height = 1.83 m | currentclub = | clubnumber = | position = Defender | years1 = 1983–1990 | clubs1 = HJK | caps1 = 184 | goals1 = 26 | years2 = 1991–1992 | clubs2 = Elfsborg | caps2 = 44 | goals2 = 3 | years3 = 1993 | clubs3 = FinnPa | caps3 = 26 | goals3 = 1 | years4 = 1994–1998 | clubs4 = HJK | caps4 = 79 | goals4 = 2 | years5 = 1996 | clubs5 = → Honka (loan) | caps5 = 1 | goals5 = 0 | totalcaps = 334 | totalgoals = 32 | nationalyears1 = 1986–1995 | nationalteam1 = Finland | nationalcaps1 = 59 | nationalgoals1 = 1 | manageryears1 = 2001–2002 | managerclubs1 = HJK (assistant) | manageryears2 = 2003 | managerclubs2 = Viikingit | manageryears3 = 2004–2010 | managerclubs3 = Finland U21 | manageryears4 = 2011–2016 | managerclubs4 = Finland (assistant) | manageryears5 = 2016–2024 | managerclubs5 = Finland }}
'''Markku Tapio Kanerva''' (born 24 May 1964)<ref>{{Cite web |url=https://www.ts.fi/urheilu/3128579 |title=Kanerva otti maajoukkueen tyynenä komentoonsa |last=Keskitalo |first=Tapio |date=12 December 2016 |website=Turun Sanomat |language=fi |access-date=24 October 2023}}</ref> is a Finnish football manager, former player and elementary school teacher. Most recently he served as the manager of the Finland national team.
==Playing career== Kanerva, who is known by the nickname ''"Rive"'', was born in Helsinki. In Finland, he played as a central defender and full back in his hometown clubs HJK Helsinki (1983–1990 and 1994–1998) and the season 1994 in the then local rivals FinnPa. The seasons 1991 and 1992, he played in the Swedish team IF Elfsborg in second-tier Superettan. His last years as a player were shadowed by injuries, but he was still an important part of the HJK defense. His playing career ended in 1998 which included the historical UEFA Champions League participation with HJK. At the Finnish top leagues Mestaruussarja and Veikkausliiga, he played total of 291 matches and scored 29 goals.
At international level, Kanerva went on to win 59 caps, and scored one goal for the Finland national team.
==Coaching career== Kanerva worked as a school teacher during his playing career in Sweden and in Haaga, Helsinki, but since then he has been concentrating on football coaching. In 2001 and 2002, he was an assistant coach of Jyrki Heliskoski and Keith Armstrong in his former club HJK, and in 2003 he was the head coach of the Vuosaari-based club FC Viikingit in second-tier Ykkönen.
As the head coach of Finland under-21 national team, he led the team to the 2009 UEFA Euro U21 Championship final tournament. In the same year, he was awarded the Coach of the Year in Finland.
On 29 November 2010, it was announced that Kanerva would coach the Finland senior national team for the Spring period in 2011, while the Finnish FA will be seeking for a new head coach.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.palloliitto.fi/viestinta/?num%3D177394 |title=Suomen Palloliitto – Artikkeliarkisto |accessdate=30 November 2010 |url-status=dead |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20120306092550/http://www.palloliitto.fi/viestinta/?num=177394 |archivedate=6 March 2012 }}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.palloliitto.fi/viestinta/?num%3D179286 |title=Suomen Palloliitto – Artikkeliarkisto |accessdate=12 January 2011 |url-status=dead |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20120306092620/http://www.palloliitto.fi/viestinta/?num=179286 |archivedate=6 March 2012 }}</ref> Mika Laurikainen took his place as the Finland U21 coach. Kanerva had another spell as caretaker manager of Finland NT in 2015. In December 2016, he was permanently appointed manager of the Finland national team on a three-year contract.<ref>{{cite web|title=Markku Kanerva A-maajoukkueen päävalmentajaksi|url=https://www.palloliitto.fi/uutiset/maajoukkueet/markku-kanerva-maajoukkueen-paavalmentajaksi|publisher=Suomen Palloliitto|accessdate=12 December 2016|language=fi|url-status=dead|archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20161220114016/https://www.palloliitto.fi/uutiset/maajoukkueet/markku-kanerva-maajoukkueen-paavalmentajaksi|archivedate=20 December 2016}}</ref> In November 2019, he managed the Finland team to qualify for the UEFA Euro 2020 final tournament for the first time in the nation's history.
On 17 June 2024, the Finnish FA announced the extension of Kanerva's contract as the head coach, valid through the 2026 FIFA World Cup qualification campaign and the possible final tournament, with assistant coaches Jani Honkavaara, Teemu Tainio and Tim Sparv completing the coaching staff.<ref>[https://www.palloliitto.fi/ajankohtaista/markku-kanerva-jatkaa-huuhkajien-paavalmentajana-valmennusryhmassa-iso-uudistus Markku Kanerva jatkaa Huuhkajien päävalmentajana – Valmennusryhmässä iso uudistus], Finnish FA, 17 June 2024</ref> After the 2024–25 UEFA Nations League B, in which Finland lost all six matches with a goal difference on 2–13, Kanerva was dismissed by the Finnish FA.<ref>[https://www.is.fi/huuhkajat/art-2000010851866.html Markku Kanerva sai potkut], Ilta-Sanomat, 22 November 2024</ref>
==Personal life== His nickname "''Rive''" dates back to 1970s when he was playing football with the kids in the neighbourhood in Pukinmäki, Helsinki. According to the story, he was so good at football that the older kids started to call him Rive by the former Brazilian footballer Rivellino.<ref>[https://www.is.fi/huuhkajat/art-2000005830577.html Huuhkajien valmentaja Markku Kanerva on Rive, Perus-Markku ja Maisteri – lempinimien takaa piisaa tarinoita], Ilta-Sanomat, 17 September 2018</ref>
Kanerva is married since 1991, currently living in Tapaninvainio, Helsinki. He has two children with his wife.<ref>[https://www.helsinki.fi/fi/uutiset/opetus/jalkapallomaajoukkueen-valmentaja-markku-kanerva-voisimme-olla-maailman-parhaita-ryhmahengessa Jalkapallomaajoukkueen valmentaja Markku Kanerva: "Voisimme olla maailman parhaita ryhmähengessä"], helsinki.fi</ref><ref>[https://www.is.fi/linnanjuhlat/art-2000006335027.html Huuhkajien sankariluotsi Markku Kanerva saapui Linnan juhliin harvoin julkisuudessa nähdyn puolisonsa kanssa], Ilta-Sanomat, 6 December 2019</ref><ref>[https://julkaisut.hel.fi/fi/helsinki-lehti/22021-kesakuu/markku-kanerva-minun-helsinkini-palstalla-naemme-rohkean-ja Markku Kanerva Minun Helsinkini -palstalla: "Näemme rohkean ja voitontahtoisen Suomen"], hel.fi, 3 June 2021</ref>
While playing for IF Elfsborg in 1991–1992 in Sweden, Kanerva also worked in a primary school in Borås as a physical education teacher.<ref>[https://telma-lehti.fi/huuhkajien-paavalmentaja-markku-kanerva-tyoskenteli-opettajana-ennen-valmennusuraansa Huuhkajien päävalmentaja Markku Kanerva työskenteli opettajana ennen valmennusuraansa], telma-lehti, 28 April 2021</ref>
== Career statistics == {{updated|18 May 2024}}<ref>[https://tulospalvelu.palloliitto.fi/person/390238/player/seasons Markku Kanerva], Finnish Fa</ref><ref name=nft/><ref>{{WorldFootball.net|markku-kanerva}}</ref>
{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center" |+ Appearances and goals by club, season and competition |- !rowspan="2"|Club !rowspan="2"|Season !colspan="3"|League !colspan="2"|Europe !colspan="2"|Total |- !Division!!Apps!!Goals!!Apps!!Goals!!Apps!!Goals |- |rowspan="9"|HJK |1983 |Mestaruussarja |20||4||2{{efn|Includes UEFA Cup|name=uc}}||0||22||4 |- |1984 |Mestaruussarja |17||3||2{{efn|name=uc}}||0||19||3 |- |1985 |Mestaruussarja |26||4||4{{efn|Includes UEFA Cup Winners' Cup|name=ucwc}}||1||30||5 |- |1986 |Mestaruussarja |22||5||2{{efn|Includes European Cup|name=euc}}||0||24||5 |- |1987 |Mestaruussarja |22||4||colspan="2"|–||22||4 |- |1988 |Mestaruussarja |27||1||2{{efn|name=euc}}||1||29||2 |- |1989 |Mestaruussarja |22||2||2{{efn|name=euc}}||0||24||2 |- |1990 |Veikkausliiga |28||3||colspan="2"|–||28||3 |- !colspan="2"|Total !184!!26!!14!!2!!198!!28 |- |rowspan="3"|Elfsborg |1991 |Division 1 |18||1||colspan="2"|–||18||1 |- |1992 |Division 1 |26||2||colspan="2"|–||26||2 |- !colspan="2"|Total !44!!3!!–!!–!!44!!3 |- |FinnPa |1993 |Veikkausliiga |26||1||colspan="2"|–||26||1 |- |rowspan="6"|HJK |1994 |Veikkausliiga |19||1||2{{efn|name=ucwc}}||0||21||1 |- |1995 |Veikkausliiga |23||0||4{{efn|Includes UEFA Intertoto Cup|name=ui}}||0||27||0 |- |1996 |Veikkausliiga |11||0||3{{efn|name=uc}}||0||14||0 |- |1997 |Veikkausliiga |12||0||2{{efn|name=ucwc}}||0||14||0 |- |1998 |Veikkausliiga |14||1||8{{efn|Includes UEFA Champions League}}||0||22||1 |- !colspan="2"|Total !79!!2!!19!!0!!98!!2 |- |Honka (loan) |1996 |Ykkönen |1||0||colspan="2"|–||1||0 |- !colspan="3"|Career total !334!!32!!31!!2!!365!!34 |} {{notelist}}
===International goals=== {| class="wikitable" |- ! No. !! Date !! Venue !! Opponent !! Score !! Result !! Competition |- | 1. || 30 January 1994 || Muscat, Oman || {{fb|OMA}} || align=center|'''2'''–0 || align=center| 2–0 || Friendly |}
===Managerial=== :''{{As of|2024|11|17}}'' {| class="wikitable" style="text-align: center" |- !rowspan="2"|Team !rowspan="2"|From !rowspan="2"|To !colspan="5"|Record |- !G!!W!!D!!L!!Win % |- |align=left|Viikingit |align=left|2003 |align=left|2003 {{WDL|26|13|8|5}} |- |align=left|Finland U21 |align=left|2004 |align=left|2009 {{WDL|29|12|4|13}} |- |align=left|Finland <small>(interim)</small> |align=left|January 2011 |align=left|December 2015 {{WDL|7|3|3|1}}
|- |align=left|Finland |align=left|December 2016 |align=left|22 November 2024 {{WDL|89|36|14|39}} |- !colspan="3"|Total {{WDLtot|151|64|29|58|decimals=2}} |}
==Honours==
'''HJK'''<ref name=nft>{{NFT|14244}}</ref> *Mestaruussarja: 1985, 1987, 1988 *Veikkausliiga: 1990, 1997 *Finnish Cup: 1984, 1996, 1998
'''Individual''' *Finnish Football Manager of the Year: 2008, 2019
==Sources== * {{Webarchive |url=https://archive.today/20120914061543/http://www.urheilumuseo.fi/portals/44/veikkausliiga20v/pelaajat/kanerva.htm |date=14 September 2012 |title=Veikkausliigan verkkonäyttely: MARKKU KANERVA}} {{in lang|fi}}
==References== {{reflist}}
{{Helsingin Jalkapalloklubi Hall of Fame}} {{Finland national football team managers}} {{Finland squad UEFA Euro 2020}} {{Portal bar|Association football|Biography|Finland}} {{Authority control}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Kanerva, Markku}} Category:1964 births Category:Living people Category:Men's association football defenders Category:Finnish men's footballers Category:Finland men's international footballers Category:Finnish football managers Category:Finnish expatriate men's footballers Category:Finnish expatriate sportspeople in Sweden Category:Expatriate men's footballers in Sweden Category:Helsingin Jalkapalloklubi players Category:IF Elfsborg players Category:FC Honka players Category:FinnPa players Category:Finland national football team managers Category:UEFA Euro 2020 managers Category:Footballers from Helsinki Category:Veikkausliiga players Category:Mestaruussarja players Category:Ykkönen players Category:National team coaches Category:Helsingin Jalkapalloklubi non-playing staff Category:21st-century Finnish educators Category:20th-century Finnish sportsmen