Mum of Finland players Leo and Sauli Vaisanen was 1984 Miss World finalist

Anna-Liisa Tilus was crowned Miss Finland in 1984 (Image: Youtube)

By Gareth Bicknell 14:08, 12 JUN 2021

WAGs are often given their share of the spotlight at major football tournaments, but at Euro 2020 it could be the Vaisanen brothers' mum who makes the headlines back home

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Leo and Sauli Vaisanen could learn from their mum about competing on the international stage as they prepare for Finland's Euro 2020 bid.

The two brothers, both centre-backs, are gearing up for their country's first ever major finals game, against Scandinavian rivals Denmark on Saturday.

Leo, 23, plays for Swedish top-flight side Elfsborg, while 27-year-old Sauli plies his trade for Chievo in Italy's second tier.

And while WAGs are often given their share of the spotlight at major football tournaments, it could be the Vaisanen brothers' mum who makes the headlines back home in Finland.

Anna-Liisa Tilus will have told her sons all about the demands of representing their nation after she reached the Miss World final in 1984.

The 56-year-old is a well-known TV presenter in her home country, where her career in the media has spanned three decades.

But she first found fame as a teenager, when the stunning brunette was crowned Miss Finland in 1984

Then aged just 19, she qualified for the Miss World final the same year, beating dozens of other hopefuls to finish in the top 10 of the pageant won by Astrid Irrazabal of Venezuela.

Anna-Liisa competed at the Miss World final, where she made the top 10 (Image: Youtube)

At the time Miss World was a global television event, with the 1984 competition watched by 17million in the UK alone after British model Sarah-Jane Hutt won the previous year's edition.

This weekend, the eyes of the viewing public in Finland will be on the country's football team as they begin their Group B campaign.

Finland's Leo Vaisanen in action against Sweden's Emil Krafth (Image: Jonas Ekstromer/EPA-EFE/REX/Shutterstock)

After facing Denmark in Saturday's opener, things don't get any easier for Markku Kanerva's squad as they take on Russia before playing the world's top-ranked team Belgium in their final group game.

Fans of English football will recognise Norwich striker Teemu Pukki and Rangers' Glen Kamara in the Finland squad, as well as QPR's Niko Hamalainen, Brentford's Marcus Forss and Bristol Rovers' Anssi Jaakkola.

Leo and Sauli's mum Anna-Liisa is a familiar face on Finnish TV screens (Image: @AnskuTilus/Twitter)

They head into the Euro 2020 finals having failed to win in their last five matches.

However, they will be looking to cause a few upsets after beating world champions France in a friendly back in November, following on from Nations League wins over Bulgaria and the Republic of Ireland in the autumn.

https://www.dailystar.co.uk/sport/football/finland-denmark-euro-2020-euros-24286549