Football: Ortopedia Lasse Lempainen’s customers are world stars – this is how trust is born

To the top can’t get there in a moment. Neither the athlete nor the doctor treating the athlete.

Know this Lasse Lempainenthe trusted orthopedist of the world’s top soccer players. Lempainen, who specializes in the treatment and surgery of lower limb injuries, made headlines again at the end of April, because the world’s biggest football club, Real Madrid, needed his services. Star top Eder Militaon the hamstring injury was so bad that Militao flew to Turku for surgery.

According to Lempainen, the operation went well, and now the rehabilitation phase begins. At the same time, Lempainen was able to add yet another top club in the world to his resume and contact list. Previously, he has worked as an orthopedic consultant for FC Barcelona, ​​Atletico Madrid, AC Milan and Juventus, among others.

A career with elite athletes is no accident. Like a top player or coach, Lempainen also knew early on what he wanted to do in his career.

“I already knew when I was studying that I wanted to be an orthopedist and specialize in sports orthopedics. The idea kept getting stronger, and when I got Sakari Oravan to be mentored, my own path was sealed”, says Lempainen.

The orthopedist’s voice shows immense respect for Orava. He was the trusted man of world stars for decades. Lempainen slowly became his assistant in surgeries. Then they worked as equal colleagues. At the end of Orava’s career, the master became the former apprentice’s assistant.

“I want to see how far my pebbles are enough. Sakar’s career and opening doors have been of paramount importance,” he praises.

Ratio with the doctors and players of the world’s top clubs is not born easily. A network of contacts is built only with hard work. Lempainen travels year after year at sports medicine conferences and various events, speaking and meeting people.

In addition, Lempainen keeps in close contact with the doctors and associations with which he has already cooperated. As people move from club to club, word gets around.

“No one will pick you up from home separately for work. This job requires a lot of your own activity. If you are not ready to be active yourself, travel the world and put your body in the gym, no one will come here to the dark far north to the operating rooms”, Lempainen repeats like an athlete.

Successful surgeries and rehabilitations have spread the word. Competing clubs like it when Lempainen saves the career of a blood-enemy player. For example, he says he received congratulatory messages from the Barcelona camp when Militao’s surgery was successful.

So the situation is the opposite of, for example, with coaches. Madrid could never hire a former Barcelona coach, but for example a successful surgery for a Barcelona star would be a signal to Madrid that this man knows what he’s doing.

“The connection with Real Madrid came about when the doctor from Granada’s La Liga club went to the club. When Militao’s hamstring injury recurred, Madrid’s head doctor contacted me. I knew him from different meetings.”

What When it comes to Militao’s surgery, Lempainen emphasizes that he only talks about things that Real Madrid has already made public.

The player was plagued by a hamstring injury. Despite the club’s high-quality rehabilitation, the injury recurred.

A hamstring injury is not exactly straightforward to treat. According to Lempainen, if surgery and rehabilitation are not successful, a career at the top is at stake. It is now known that the surgery went well. The rehabilitation still needs to be successful.

Together with Lempainen, Militao and Madrid ended up undergoing surgery, even though it meant that the summer World Cup would be missed for sure.

“When the decision was made, they came to Finland on Monday. The surgery was on Tuesday, and on Wednesday he flew home. Eder seems motivated to rehabilitate and wants to get back to the top level.”

Self players are an important part of Lempainen’s career development. The word gets around in the dressing room when the doctor has done a good job. Teammates notice when a badly injured teammate recovers well, or if a player suffers a similar injury themselves, they may ask who you were stabbed by.

One One of Lempainen’s most famous customers was Ousmane Dembele in 2021. Lempainen operated on him and, as is usual, also participated in the rehabilitation phase.

Lempainen doesn’t just operate stars. He said that after Militao, on Thursday, a player from the Academy of the Premier League club Tottenham flew to operate on him. Finland and Turku are not obstacles to seeking treatment, even if you can find top-class doctors and conditions in England, Spain or Italy.

“They understand that, for example, the hamstring is one of the most important tools for a soccer player. Traveling all the way here can be surprising, and for some it can be a threshold to leave London here. But we can take care of many steps of the whole process remotely, for example diagnostics and initial examinations. The players are used to traveling.”

For example, Militao jumped on a private plane and traveled to Turku. He left Finland the day after the surgery. So it wasn’t a big problem.

Lempainen says that occasionally the players might, for example, give their jerseys with an autograph as a small thank you for a good job. However, he lives a very low profile. Top athletes are not impressed by buying expensive things around them.

“Yes, it’s the trail of work that they’re interested in. I have my feet firmly on the ground. Star players may come here on a private jet, but they’re also ordinary people in the end. I think they value authenticity and honesty.”

“Perhaps in Italy or elsewhere, someone may wonder what kind of watch the doctor wears. I will solve the matter by not wearing a watch at all,” he says and laughs afterwards.

Lempainen’s work will continue normally after Militao’s operation. If and when the player returns to the top level as expected, the word will circulate even more strongly about the Finnish orthopedist who saves the careers of star players.