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Birthdate:
07.10.1973
Birthplace: Porvoo, Finland
Other clubs: Mypa 47, Willem II, Bayer Leverkusen
Bought from: Willem II
Signed for LFC: £2500000 19.05.1999
International debut: 07.11.1992 vs. Tunisia
International caps: 103/5 (71/5 at LFC) - 14.10.2009
Liverpool debut:
07.08.1999
Last appearance: 24.05.2009
Debut goal: 11.09.1999
Last goal: 28.12.2008
Contract expiry: 01.06.2009
LFC league games/goals: 318 / 22
Total LFC games/goals: 464 / 35
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Player Notes:
Sami Hyypia's performances have reminded fans of the good old days of legendary giant Ron Yeats. Yeats was Shankly's tower in defence, Hyypia was Houllier's, and now Rafa's. He is strong, composed and leads by example. His game was so immaculate he did not receive a booking for 87 matches in a row from January 2000 to October 2001. It was just a matter if time before he was made captain. He was Liverpool's captain in 2000-2001 in Redknapp's absence and formally took the captain's armband in April 2002 after Redknapp left the club. This consistent performer was not his usual self in 2002 and 2003 and in October 2003 Houllier made Gerrard captain instead of the mighty Finn. Hyypia's performances on the field took an upward turn and was back to his best.
Sami formed a superb partnership with Stephane Henchoz, bettered only by the the Hyppia-Carragher combination under Benítez. It is testiment to the Big man's ability that through two different Anfield regimes, he has remained as solid and dependable as ever, and having won every other trophy, just needs a Premier League Winners medal to complete his set.
Daniel Agger's emergence in the 2006-2007 season forced the Finn out of the 1st eleven, but when called upon, was still a class act. Sami was linked with other clubs during the summer of 2007 but nothing came of it. He started his 9th season at Liverpool less sure of his place in the team than at any other time since his arrival in 1999. This was partly due to his advancing age but also because of strong competition for places. Daniel Agger's long-term injury gave Hyypia a more prominent role in the team and he didn't disappoint. Martin Skrtel was the only other serious competitor for Hyypia's place in the team but he didn't arrive until January, 2008 and so it was that the tall Finn added another 44 appearances to his already-impressive total and towards the end of the season he joined a select band of men who have made 300 League appearances for the club.
Although far more concerned with keeping goals out than putting them in, Sami added another 4 goals, all headers, to bring his total for Liverpool to an impressive 33. When he equalised against Arsenal at Anfield in April, he became one of surely very few players to have scored in three Champions League quarter-finals, having already done so against Bayer Leverkusen in 2002 and Juventus in 2005, all three goals being scored in the first-half of matches and all at the Anfield Road end of the stadium.
In April, 2008 Sami Hyypia signed an extension to his Liverpool contract that would keep him at the club until the Summer of 2009. Sami Hyypia only played 19 times for the first-team in his 10th and what would be his final season as a Liverpool player. Despite figuring in less than half of the League programme, he could always be relied on to do a fine job when called on, just as he did in the 4-1 win at Old Trafford in March 2009, a stadium where he did not have particularly happy memories after being sent off there in 2003 in a 4-0 defeat and where he was also off the field receiving attention when United equalised in March, 2000.
Eventually Liverpool fans and the great Finn had to part ways. Sami had been sitting firmly on the bench in the previous 4 League matches, but there was huge expectation that he would play some part in his final match at Anfield against Tottenham. Rafa kept us waiting until the 84th minute, at which point Steven Gerrard was substituted who in turn took off the captain’s armband and handed it to Hyypia symbolically and the big Finn proudly wore it for the final time as the match reached its conclusion. Sami was extremely emotional at the end of the match and the ovation he received from all parts of Anfield reflected not just what a terrific servant Hyypia had been for Liverpool, but also what a genuinely nice guy he is. A Legend has gone but he will always be welcomed back and he will never be forgotten for his ten years of service with Liverpool and the way he conducted himself on and off the pitch as a representative of the club he was so proud to play for.
Sami Hyypia was Finland's captain when he played his one hundreth game for the Finnish national side on 12th August 2009 vs Sweden. |
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