Arvo Närvänen

Arvo Närvänen played in his hometown for Viipurin Sudet (Vyborg Wolves). Vyborg, the second biggest city in Finland at the time, had to be ceded to the Soviet Union with part of the province Karelia after World War II. Närvänen was a skilled tackler and smart fullback. He made his first appearance for the national team at the age of 19 and played 41 matches on the international level until 1933. In 1936 he was called to the team again and earned his 42nd and final cap during the Olympic match against Peru. As a defender, he scored his only goal for Finland in 1929, when the team defeated Latvia.

With his club’s bandy team Närvänen won eight Finnish Championships and played 14 matches for Finland internationally. Arvo Närvänen’s younger brother Ville also played football for Viipurin Sudet and together they played international matches on the B-team.