When Pukki signed with Minnesota United in the summer of 2023, he was supposed to be the final piece in the Loons attack. For a player who had already scored more than 200 times in a near-two-decade-long career, including nearly two dozen goals in the Premier League, MLS was going to be just another stop in a storied career.

Ten goals in 19 matches, including nine in his final nine, was a good return for his first half-season. Come the beginning of 2024, he was the team’s only established center forward, set to be the focal point of the Loons offense.

Instead, he went from first-choice striker, to super-sub, to making occasional cameo appearances if the team was searching for a late goal. And now, Minnesota is officially transferring him to Finnish giants HJK, and exercising a contract buyout to remove his salary from their books.

By the end of 2024, Pukki knew it was time to go. “Not playing a lot, being away from family, it felt a bit pointless to be here,” he said. “I knew the option was there for me to go back home, and I think it will help all the parties, like opening the spot for a DP [designated player] and stuff like that — and then obviously, for me, to get to go home.”

The 34-year-old has three kids — one born just before last season, and the oldest of whom was old enough to start school in Finland. Pukki made the hard decision that his family should stay in Finland so that she could go to school at home, which meant a year with only a few visits.

“They were here a couple of times last year, for a longer period, but being away from your family — it’s not easy,” he said. “It was a tough year and probably affected my football last year as well.”

Pukki is a legend at Norwich City, for whom he scored 87 league goals over five seasons, split between the Premier League and second-tier Championship. He’s a legend in Finland, where he’s scored more goals for the national team than anyone, and played more games than all but one other player.

So why keep going?

Again, it’s about the kids.

“My son is just turning 1, so he’s probably not going to remember me [playing] football, but if I keep going a couple more years, maybe he will,” Pukki said. “So that would be something nice, for him to remember me, and not just in videos and stuff, but on the pitch.”

Pukki also is hoping to keep going for the Finnish national team, which endured an awful 2024. The Finns played seven competitive matches, across the Nations League and qualifying for the Euros — and lost all seven. “As a team, we want to show that we are not as bad as we were last year,” he said. “I still feel like I have something to give for that team, as well.”

“I think the fact that he wants to go home and he wants to play is a really big thing, because there’s a lot of people in his position, that wouldn’t need to nor wouldn’t want to,” Loons coach Eric Ramsay said. “I think the fact that he’s chosen to go for games and the love of the sport and being connected to his family, I think it’s a really impressive thing.

“When I came here, my vision of the team was with him in it. It didn’t transpire that way, but I feel like he’s always been really professional.”

In terms of professionalism, you can’t beat his last day with Minnesota United. It was a special Friday for the Loons, which had the infamous “beep test” scheduled for the players — who had to sprint back and forth across the field quickly enough to beat a recording, one that kept speeding up as the players got more tired.

Pukki knew it was his last day. He didn’t have to run, or train afterward; nobody would have blamed him.

But there he was, in the middle of the line of wheezing players. He didn’t even finish last. And, like the rest of the team, he trained afterwards — still, as ever, just playing soccer.