Norwich City goalscoring legend Teemu Pukki wants one more crack at the European Championship finals as he leads Finland into Thursday’s sudden death play-off against Wales in Cardiff.

The club's double Championship title winner in a decorated spell with the Canaries is still a key man for his country, after firing them to the last Euros four years ago.

Finland’s all-time leading scorer has produced 17 goal assists in his last 18 international appearances, and arrives back in the UK with 12 goals in 18 MLS outings for Minnesota.

The 33-year-old moved to America in 2023 after a five-year spell in green and yellow that saw him score 88 goals in 210 games, and become a huge part of a memorable era under Daniel Farke.

Pukki is now bidding to try and join the likes of ex-City team mates Angus Gunn, Kenny McLean and Grant Hanley at this summer’s tournament in Germany.

“From the beginning it just went well. Daniel Farke as a manager really trusted me. We had a good team, good team spirit. A lot of things clicked. That club became such a big part of my life,” said Pukki, who joined on a free from Danish football after a spell earlier in his club career at Celtic. “Scotland was tough. I don’t think I was ready at that stage to play at a club like Celtic. There is massive pressure.

"Maybe if I had gone there a couple of years later it would have been a different story but in the end the year at Celtic helped me to get where I did with Norwich.

“For a long time, MLS had been a thing I wanted to try before I retired. It is a big change but it was something I wanted after being in Germany, England, Spain, Scotland, Denmark. I have seen so much of Europe, I wanted something else. And the winter in Minnesota is similar to what we have in Finland.”

Pukki, interviewed by the Guardian, was prepared to call time on his international career at the end of this qualifying cycle, but is now having second thoughts.

“We went to the Euros the last time but we want to do it again and want to do better than we did three years ago,” he said. “We played Wales a couple of years ago in the Nations League and lost both games but they were very close. I believe it will be tight again.

“If you look at where the guys play, they will have more in the Premier League and similar but we have been doing really well over the last four years or so. We want to win this game to bring ourselves to another final. This is our last chance.

“The next Euros are certainly out of the question. There was a moment last year that I was thinking this campaign would be my last, that I would soon be done with the national team, but now I am not so sure. I think I will keep playing after this one but all my focus is on this Wales game.”

The winners of Thursday's Cardiff tie will set up a one-leg play-off final against Poland or Estonia next Tuesday.