Mypa-47 (Finland),
Anjalankoski (Finland), Willem 2 (Holland), Liverpool FC
(England)
Honours
2001
European SuperCup winner (Liverpool)
2005 Champions League winner (Liverpool)
2001 UEFA Cup winner (Liverpool)
2001 FA Cup winner (Liverpool)
2001 League Cup winner (Liverpool)
2003 League Cup winner (Liverpool)
2001 Charity Shield winner (Liverpool)
2005 League Cup Finals (Liverpool)
Biography
Sami Hyypiä (born October 7, 1973 in Porvoo) is a Finnish
footballer who plays for Liverpool F.C. in the English
Premiership. Hyypiä is considered one of the best central
defenders in Europe.
He played for Pallot-Peikot and KuMu, before joining
Veikkausliiga club MyPa for the 1992 season. He won the Finnish
Cup with MyPa in 1992 and 1995. In 1995, Hyypiä was bought by
the Dutch club Willem II. He had a successful time at the club
and soon became a fan favourite there. In 1999, Hyypiä departed
the Netherlands for the UK when he was bought by Liverpool, the
team he supported as a boy, for £3 million, and would soon prove
to be a bargain buy.
His height of 1.92 m has helped Hyypia become known as the
towering figure of the Liverpool team, and he has also scored a
number of times with his head. He has been a highly composed and
competent defender for Liverpool, though has been shown lacking
at time due to his slow pace, but has proven to be arguably one
of the best defenders in Europe. He had a successful partnership
in the centre of defence with his former teammate Stephane
Henchoz, but has not faired well with other players in the
center, such as Igor Biscan. Alongside Jamie Carragher however,
a solid and consistent defensive partnership has once again
emerged for Liverpool.
He is an inspirational figure for the Liverpool team, and in the
2000–2001 season, Hyypiä shared the captaincy of Liverpool with
striker Robbie Fowler while Jamie Redknapp, the then full-time
captain, was suffering from a long-term injury. During that
season, Hyypiä and Fowler lead the team to a historic cup treble:
the Worthington Cup, FA Cup, and UEFA Cup. In 2002, Hyypiä
became the full-time Liverpool captain after Redknapp, who had
been blighted by long-term injuries, left the club. In 2003,
Hyypiä was replaced as Liverpool captain by the English
international Steven Gerrard, which drew no anger, at least
publicly, from Hyypiä; indeed, after some poor performances as
captain, Hyypiä's performances improved upon the captaincy
change. As of 2005, he has seemingly been relegated to third-choice
captain after Jamie Carragher's ascent as Gerrard's deputy on
the field. Hyypia had also contributed in the victory of the
UEFA Champions League final against AC Milan with his teammates
at the Ataturk Olympic Stadium in Istanbul, Turkey on May 25,
2005. Hyypiä also won the European Super Cup with Liverpool
twice (2001 and 2005) and the Charity Shield in 2001.
Hyypiä has made over 350 appearances for Liverpool, and has also
scored over 20 goals in the process. On 10 August, 2005 it was
reported that Hyypiä had agreed to a new three-year contract
after weeks of talks with the Reds which will keep him at
Anfield until 2008.
Hyypiä made his debut for the Finnish national team against
Tunisia in 1992. As of 2005, he has played 74 times for Finland,
and scored 4 goals. He is the leader of Finland's defence, and
is also the second choice captain of the team.
