Sami Hyypia - Liverpool FC Sami Hyypia Sami Hyypia is one of the finest centre-backs ever to wear a red shirt. The towering Finn's consistent performances through the Houllier and Benitez eras earned him a place among Europe's top defenders. Hyypia's decade-long contribution to the British game was recognised in his homeland, where he was crowned Footballer of the Year seven times (1999, 2001, 2002, 2003, 2005, 2006 and 2008). It's hard to believe he cost Liverpool just £2.5million from Dutch outfit Willem II in May 1999. By that stage Hyypia already had seven years as a professional behind him. His glittering career began with MyPa, where he spent three years and won two Finnish Cups. An international debut arrived aged 19 against Tunisia in November 1992. In 1995 Hyypia enjoyed a trial at Newcastle, but it'd be another four years before he would grace the Premiership.

Instead he joined Dutch side Willem II, where he was soon installed as captain. The big man's final act before heading to Merseyside in 1999 was to help Willem secure Champions League qualification. After making his Reds debut against Sheffield Wednesday on August 7, 1999, Hyypia quickly formed a watertight partnership with Stephane Henchoz, providing the foundation for a historic treble in 2000-01. The centre-half wore the captain's armband through much of this momentous campaign in the absence of the injured Jamie Redknapp. He jointly lifted both the UEFA and FA Cups. Following the departure of Redknapp in April 2002, Gerard Houllier handed his trusty defender the captaincy on a permanent basis, though he'd be replaced by the emerging Steven Gerrard in October 2003. With the arrival of new boss Rafa Benitez in 2004 came numerous personnel changes, though it was clear Hyypia was going nowhere. However, he did have a new central-defensive partner in Jamie Carragher, who was at last given a regular slot in his preferred position.

Within 12 months they were regarded as one of the most formidable pairings on the continent following Liverpool's Champions League triumph in the Ataturk. Hyypia scored one of the most memorable goals en route to Istanbul, an unstoppable volley to open the scoring against Juve in the quarter-finals. Incredibly, he played every minute of 57 consecutive European games for the Reds from November 2001 to February 2006. The arrival of young centre-halves Daniel Agger and Martin Skrtel provided competition for places as Hyypia entered his twilight but, despite sometimes missing out, he continued to climb the club's all-time appearance table. In December 2008 he overtook Ron Yeats to enter the top 20. Five months later the big Finn announced the 2008-09 campaign would be his last at Anfield after agreeing a two-year deal with German side Bayer Leverkusen. He came on as a late substitute wearing the captain's armband during the season finale against Spurs for his 464th and last appearance.

Earlier a 'Sami' mosaic was held aloft by the Kop, and at the final whistle the No.4 broke down in tears. History will undoubtedly judge Hyypia to be one of the club's shrewdest pieces of business. His collection of winner's medals is in double figures and in 2006 fans voted him 38th in Liverpoolfc.tv's 100 Players Who Shook The Kop series.

Other clubs: Sami Hyypia Sami Hyypia Finland- A, U21, U19, U18 Current club: 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 Hyypi� (born October 7, 1973 in Porvoo) is a Finnish footballer who plays for Liverpool F.C. in the English Premiership. Hyypi� 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, Hyypi� 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, Hyypi� 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, Hyypi� 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, Hyypi� and Fowler lead the team to a historic cup treble: the Worthington Cup, FA Cup, and UEFA Cup. In 2002, Hyypi� became the full-time Liverpool captain after Redknapp, who had been blighted by long-term injuries, left the club. In 2003, Hyypi� was replaced as Liverpool captain by the English international Steven Gerrard, which drew no anger, at least publicly, from Hyypi�; indeed, after some poor performances as captain, Hyypi�'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. Hyypi� also won the European Super Cup with Liverpool twice (2001 and 2005) and the Charity Shield in 2001. Hyypi� 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 Hyypi� had agreed to a new three-year contract after weeks of talks with the Reds which will keep him at Anfield until 2008. Sami Hyypia | Soccer Player Profile at Sports Pundit PaPe 1989 Sami Toumas Hyypia is one of those football players who have been there and done that. A defender, Hyypia is the captain of the Finland national football team. Hyypia began his playing career in the youth team at Pallo-Peikot, in 1980.

For about 9 years, Hyypia was a part of the team and continued his playing career at Kumu, in 1990. His professional playing career began with MyPa, in 1992. In his four years at the club, Hyypia was influential in helping the team win the 1992 and 1995 Finnish Cup titles. He moved to Willem II Tilburg after his second title, going on to become the team captain in his time there. Hyypia was also nominated as their Player of the Year, helping the team qualify for the UEFA Champions League. After 100 games at Willem, he moved to Liverpool FC, his dream club. By this time, Hyypia had established himself as a fantastic central defender by this time. Surprisingly, that was the only position where Hyypia didn’t play during his career’s start at MyPa. Hyypia’s pedigree was unproven and that seemed to be the only thing working against him at the club.

Building up a fantastic partnership with Stephane Henchoz, Hyypia became one of the “best bits of business” Liverpool could have done in years – according to Ron Yeats, the chief scout for Liverpool at the time. It didn’t take long for Hyypia to make his mark and in 2000-01, he shared the captaincy with Robbie Fowler, when Jamie Redknapp was suffering from injury. Hyypia, along with Fowler, led the team to the Football League Cup, the FA Cup and the UEFA Cup, a treble that was combined with his third consecutive FAF Finnish Footballer of the Year award. However, his bright start soon gave way and, in 2003, Hyypia’s captaincy was taken away to relieve some of the pressure. In 2004, Hyypia had a new partner in central defence, in Jamie Carragher. Along with other changes, Hyypia helped Liverpool win the 2004 UEFA Champions League. Despite a terrible performance on the night, conceding three goals, the Liverpool team managed to hold off 114 minutes of AC Milan’s onslaught, eventually coming out as winners over penalties.

Hyypia’s importance in the team was going down as Carragher was looking good as the main man while Steven Gerrard was stepping in as the next captaincy candidate. Injury problems and a dip in form saw Hyypia’s performances go down a significant notch. However, in 2008, his commitment to Liverpool was renewed with a new contract that would take him to the end of the 2009 season. Hyypia won numerous awards, during his stay at Liverpool but decided to end his affiliation to the club in 2009. Despite being offered an opportunity to stay on in a coaching role, at Liverpool, Hyypia wanted to continue playing and moved to Bayer Leverkusen in a two-year deal. Hyypia’s time at Leverkusen has been all about retiring from the game and passing out slowly through the door. Leverkusen have relied on his experience and used Hyypia as a mentor for the younger members of the squad. Despite numerous attempts by Roy Hodgson to get Hyypia back to Liverpool as his assistant manager, there was little interest out of Leverkusen to release the man.

After retiring from the game, Hyypia has already announced his intention of becoming the assistant manager at Leverkusen – a rebuttal of the advances made by Liverpool over the years. At the international level, Hyypia made his debut for the senior debut at the age of 19. The current captain of the team, and has been named as the Finnish Football of the Year 9 times. After Jari Litmanen retired from football in 2008, Hyypia became the captain and has been since. See More Veteran defender Sami Hyypia is firmly established as a Liverpool legend after nearly a decade of unblemished service. ...The towering Finn's consistent performances through the Houllier and Benitez eras earned him a place among Europe's top centre-backs - and he's undoubtedly one of the finest ever to ply their trade at Anfield. Hyypia's contribution to the British game has not gone unnoticed in his homeland, where he's been crowned footballer of the year six times. It's hard to believe he cost Liverpool just £2.5million from Dutch outfit Willem II back in May 1999.

By that stage, Hyypia already had seven years as a professional behind him. His glittering career began with MyPa, where he spent three years and won two Finnish Cups. An international debut arrived aged 19 against Tunisia in November 1992. Sixteen years on, he's well on the way to 100 caps. In 1995 Hyypia enjoyed a trial at Kevin Keegan's Newcastle, but it'd be another four years before he would grace the Premiership. Instead he joined Dutch side Willem II, where he was soon installed as captain. The big man's final act before heading to Merseyside in 1999 was to help Willem secure Champions League qualification. After making his Reds debut against Sheffield Wednesday on August 7, 1999, Hyypia quickly formed a watertight partnership with Stephane Henchoz, providing the foundation for a historic treble in 2000-01. The centre-half wore the captain's armband through much of this momentous campaign in the absence of the injured Jamie Redknapp. He jointly lifted both the UEFA and FA Cups.

Following the departure of Redknapp in April 2002, Gerard Houllier handed his trusty defender the captaincy on a permanent basis, though he'd be replaced by the emerging Steven Gerrard in October 2003. With the arrival of new boss Rafa Benitez in 2004 came numerous personnel changes, though it was clear Hyypia was going nowhere. However, he did have a new central-defensive partner in Jamie Carragher, who was at last given a regular slot in his preferred position. Within 12 months they were regarded as one of the most formidable pairings on the continent following Liverpool's Champions League triumph in the Ataturk. Hyypia scored one of the most memorable goals en route to Istanbul, an unstoppable volley to open the scoring against Juve in the quarter-finals. Incredibly, he played every minute of 57 consecutive European games for the Reds from November 2001 to February 2006. The arrival of young centre-half Daniel Agger in January 2006 provided competition for places at the back, but despite sometimes missing out, Hyypia continued to climb the club's all-time appearance table.

In January 2007 he overtook Ray Kennedy to enter the top 25. History will undoubtedly judge the big Finn to be one of the club's shrewdest pieces of business. His collection of winner's medals is now in double figures and in 2006 fans voted him 38th in Liverpoolfc.tv's 100 Players Who Shook The Kop series. See more Hodgson's Hyypia frustration Roy Hodgson admits he has conceded defeat in his attempts to lure former Liverpool favourite Sami Hyypia back to Anfield this summer. The boss explored the possibility of snapping-up the legendary Finn in a coaching capacity, but revealed Bayer Leverkusen were not interested in allowing Hyypia to leave. "I'm a bit disappointed that my attempts to br...ing Sami Hyypia back failed," confirmed Hodgson. "It only failed because he's so important to Bayer Leverkusen. We couldn't get him out of his contract." Hyypia, who worked under Hodgson for Finland, spent a glittering 10 years with the Reds before departing upon the expiry of his contract in May 2009.

"He's one I would also put in the Jamie Carragher-Steven Gerrard mould, Liverpool for life," added Hodgson. "Unfortunately he was let go at the end of the season before last and we can't get him back. He's too valuable to them." James Carroll 7th Aug 2010 Hodgson angling for Hyypia return New Liverpool manager Roy Hodgson is hoping to lure former Reds great Sami Hyypia back to Anfield. Hyypia bid a tearful farewell to the club in 2009 - coming on as a substitute in the season's final game against Tottenham Hotspur. In a decade at Liverpool, the Finn played 317 games, scoring 22 goals and making himself a permanent fixture in defence f...or the Reds. He moved to Bundesliga side Bayer Leverkusen in the summer of 2009, but now a report in the Daily Mirror suggests Hodgson might create a player-coach role in a bid to bring the 36-year-old back into the Liverpool fold. Hodgson has already pulled off something off a coup by signing Joe Cole and convincing Steven Gerrard to stay despite no Champions League football in the upcoming season.

Young Scottish defender Danny Wilson has already signed for the club in what has been an encouraging start to Hodgson's reign. There has been a plethora of exits as well, with Yossi Benayoun moving to Stamford Bridge and Alberto Riera exiting for Olympiakos. Hyypia would be a good signing, since the veteran would certainly help the rebuilding process at Anfield with his experience and pedigree. ESPN 23rd Jul 2010 Hodgson wants Hyypia to return Roy Hodgson wants to bring Sami Hyypia back to Liverpool as a player-coach – with doubts over whether his trusted No 2 Mike Kelly will follow him to Anfield. Kop legend Hyypia, 36, was controversially allowed to leave for Bayer Leverkusen last year but Hodgson, who managed him during his time as Finland boss, sees him as a potential ally on the coac...hing staff. Hodgson is desperate for veteran Kelly, who is Fulham's assistant manager and goalkeeping coach, to join him on Merseyside. But Kelly, 67, has expressed doubts about joining his friend, especially as he was married only last year and is settled in the south.

While it has been widely reported Kelly will be Hodgson's Anfield No.2, there has been no official ­approach to Fulham about his services and no deal has been put in place. Facing a daunting task to revive Liverpool's fortunes, Hodgson needs his long-time lieutenant by his side. Hodgson is expected to retain Liverpool first-team coach Sammy Lee but would love to bring back Hyypia, who was his Finland captain, and the pair have a great mutual respect. Hyypia was a hugely popular figure during a decade at Anfield but was given the cold shoulder by former boss Rafa Benitez and moved to Germany last summer. He continued to be a star performer in the Bundesliga, despite his advancing years, and could be a useful addition to Liverpool's playing squad as well as joining the coaching set-up. The People 4th Jul 2010 Sami Hyypia: Just leave Rafa Benitez alone Kop idol Sami Hyypia last night blasted Rafa Benitez's critics, insisting his old boss done a "great job" on a far smaller budget than Manchester United and Chelsea.

Hyypia left Liverpool last summer after more than 460 games and now sits on top of the Bundesliga with his new club Bayer Leverkusen. Former chief scout and Kop defensive star Ron Yeats ...reckons the Finn was one of the club's greatest signings. And Hyypia has used his legendary status to hit back at the snipers who have called for Benitez's head. He said: "Should Benitez quit as Liverpool manager? Absolutely not, he has done a great job there so why should he? "He hasn't had the money of Manchester United and Chelsea, but he has still been successful. "Look how much Chelsea have spent to try and win the Champions League. "Rafa won the Champions League in his first season in charge, then got to another final with nowhere near the budget of Chelsea." Crash Benitez tried to stop Hyypia joining Bayer Leverkusen by offering him a coaching role but the defender wanted to extend his playing career. Hyypia has kept in touch with his Kop pals and is convinced Liverpool will qualify for the Champions League.

After losing 2-0 at Portsmouth, Liverpool have picked up 10 points from their last four Premier League matches, although they did crash out of the FA Cup 2-1 to Reading. But Hyypia insisted: "I am sure that Liverpool will finish in the top four. "Manchester City and Spurs have put together great squads, but when the pressure is on in the last 10 games of the season, experience starts to show. "Most of those Liverpool lads know what it is like to play under pressure, and that for me is why they will finish the season in the top four. "Rafa is an excellent man-manager and during all my time at Liverpool everybody liked him and everybody respected him. "Players don't stick up for their gaffer if you are not a good man-manager. "It would be easy for the players to blame the manager, but they are taking responsibility and sticking up for their boss - and that's a rare thing now." Meanwhile, Hyypia is not ruling out a move back to Anfield in the future. He said: "I had some great years there, made some great friends, and built up a very special relationship with the fans.

"I think the door will always be open for me at Liverpool." Steve Bates 24 January 2010 Hyypiä back at Anfield for the Man United game but in the stands with Gerrard and Hamann I was at Anfield on sunday to see Liverpool play Man Utd. It was a weird feeling. Or course it wasn't the first time I watched a game at Anfield but it was the first time since I left Liverpool last summer after ten years. I'm not a part of the squad but I felt like a Liverpool player yesterday. You can't forget ten years in a few months. I've been... a Liverpool fan since I was a kid. It's been a difficult beginning of the season and big clubs always have a lot of pressure to succeed. Liverpool have lost four games this season and it's as much we lost past two seasons. Sunday's game were considered crucial for Liverpool and when news broke out that Gerrard wasn't fit to play most of people didn't believe in Liverpool's chances to win the game. Maybe that was the reason that gave Liverpool the needed extra energy to win the game. Every player needed to take more responsibility because of Stevie G's injury and Liverpool is well known for its fighting spirit.

That happened yesterday and fans saw a brilliant game of football. Physical, entertaining and at the end Liverpool got the three points. As I said it was a bit weird to watch Liverpool play but it was a great feeling. Fernando Torres has been one of the best or the best striker in the world for a few years now. His goal yesterday was typical to him. He's quick, strong and technical. There are not many defenders in the world who play him out of the ball when playing shoulder to shoulder. For every goal there is a man who created it. Yossi Benayoun was brilliant last season and his assist to Torres was perfect. Beside great performance from Torres and Benayoun I was really proud to see how well our centre backs played. Jamie Carragher have been criticised in the media. Yesterday he proved to media how good he really is. Armband on his hand he fought and tackled from start to the final whistle. Daniel Agger showed he is coming back after serious back injuries. Especially in the air he was superb and he was good on his feet. Keeping a clean sheet when playing against club like Manchester United is a great achievement. Games against Manchester United are always special. You don't forget those games.

Losing to Man Utd is awful but winning is brilliant. I played 21 times against Man United and managed to score a few goals in those games. My first goal for Liverpool was against Man Utd and I will never forget that and I have only been sent off once during my career and it was against Man Utd. I'm sure their trip back to Manchester wasn't a pleasurable. One win can change everything. For Liverpool this game can be the turning point that can bring the club back to the title challenge. I mentioned that Liverpool have lost four times this season but no draws so far and last season too many draws destroyed the title dream. If you win enough games you can lose a few games every now and then. Nothing lifts the team spirit like beating Manchester United and I know that. Sami Hyypiä The stalemate between Hamburg and Bayer Leverkusen at the weekend reflects a wider trend this season. [view from Sami Hyypiä] Ten minutes after another casually cool, imperial performance that had the Kaiser drooling as if he had just laid his eyes on a foxy secretary at the Bayern Munich Christmas party , Sami Hyypia was, for once, wrong-footed.

The 36-year-old had agreed to do a post-match interview with German Sky, presumably on the basis that it would be conducted in ...English, but he was in for a surprise. "Why has ze risk left you?", the reporter inquired, with a fantastically dumb grin on his face. "Excuse me?" "Why has ze risk left you?" Hyypia looked puzzled. Eventually, he figured out that the reporter, obviously every bit as versed in foreign languages as Germany's future foreign secretary Guido Westerwelle, was questioning Leverkusen's risk-averse tactics. "I enjoy these games," the defender answered, pleased with himself and an ultra-pragmatic approach that yielded a goalless draw away to Hamburg. The point was enough to keep Bayer top on goal difference against the side coached by their former manager Bruno Labbadia. It wasn't pretty, nor particularly exciting bar a few chances here and there; HSV keeper Frank Rost had parried the best one, a Stefan Kiessling shot. Yet there was something strangely compelling about a game that saw both teams desperately trying to prove that they have evolved from last season.

The Bayer coach, Jupp Heynckes, has worked hard to transform his side's perennially cute, overtly offensive style into a more robust set-up, whereas Labbadia wanted to show that he, too, has learned last year's lessons and can play a more patient game. If you factor in an acute shortage of attacking players (Guerrero, Petric and Castelen are all out for months), Hamburg were probably happy with the result. Labbadia will have to either scour job centres far and wide to find an unemployed striker or hope that they can somehow muddle through until Christmas. SAMI RECALLS UNITED MEMORIES As Liverpool prepare to go head-to-head with Manchester United on Sunday, Kop icon Sami Hyypia has spoken of the fond memories he has from his numerous tussles with Alex Ferguson's men. The Finnish defender, who bade farewell to Anfield in the summer after ten years with the Reds, played his part in some unforgettable encounters with United over the... course of his decade on Merseyside. Hyypia made a total of 21 appearances against United, scoring two goals - one of which was his first for Liverpool in his debut season in English football.

"We lost 3-2 but I scored my first Liverpool goal against Manchester United," he recalls. "Jaap Stam was marking but they had a goalkeeper called Taibi, who came out. Maybe there was a mix-up in communication. I headed into an empty net. "I also scored at the Kop as well, with my left foot. I haven't scored that many, I can remember them all. "And we won twice at Old Trafford 1-0, Danny Murphy each time. As a player you always want to be part of those games." Hyypia brought his association with Liverpool to a close when he joined German outfit Bayer Leverkusen at the end of last season. The 36-year-old admits it was with a heavy heart that he departed L4, but the opportunity of regular first-team football was too good to turn down. "I didn't feel I needed a new challenge," he said. "I had a great time at Liverpool. Ten years at a club like that. But when you are not playing and a chance comes to do something about it, then you go for it.

"Liverpool are a great club, great fans, I'll always wish them success." Hyypia sought the advice of former Anfield teammates before deciding to sign on the dotted line for Leverkusen, having also played against the German club for the Reds in Europe. "It's no great research, I played here twice in the Champions League," said the Finn. "But I didn't know much about the history of the club so I called all the German people I knew - Markus Babbel, Philipp Degen, who was at Dortmund, Didi Hamann. All of them were positive, nothing negative." The evergreen defender has enjoyed an excellent start to his Leverkusen career, with the BayArena club top of the table after nine matches having only conceded five goals. He acknowledges the weight of expectation at 'Werkself' is lesser than that at Anfield, but despite being in the twilight of his playing career, Hyypia is in no mood to start relaxing. He said: "When I was at Liverpool I sometimes thought how it would be to be in an environment where there is less pressure.

"Now I know - even though expectations are going up because of the start we've had - but otherwise, in the media for example, Leverkusen are small. "In Cologne they have three papers writing about FC Cologne and little about Leverkusen. I was thinking, 'What a great situation, we can go into a season without any pressure.' "Of course, now there is a bit more, but it's nothing like Liverpool. Here you see it when Bayern Munich lose a game or draw, it's all 'crisis', the papers and TV are full of it. I wouldn't say it's a relaxing environment, but it's different. I would never want to relax in football. I want success." HYYPIA: FORMER TEAMMATES MADE MOVE EASIER Bayer Leverkusen defender Sami Hyypia admits his decision to leave Liverpool to join the Bundesliga club this summer was made easier by the recommendations of several former Reds teammates. The Finn did not need to think for too long when Bayer showed their interest but the enthusiastic words from Markus Babbel and Dietmar Hamann made his mind up fo...r him.

"I had several options to continue playing in the Premier League but, after 10 years in Liverpool, it would have been difficult for me to be accepted by the fans at another club," he said. "The offer from Leverkusen therefore came at just the right time. "I chatted with my former teammates Markus Babbel, Philipp Degen and Didi Hamann. They all spoke very positively about Bayer Leverkusen and that made my decision easy." The fact he made only 12 appearances for Liverpool in the Premier League last season also influenced his decision to move on and find one last challenge in his career at the age of 35. "I am not the kind of person who is happy to train every day only to sit on the bench or be sat at home on match day," he told Sport Bild magazine. "That is why I decided to do something different. "I have come here to play football since there is nothing worse for a footballer than to sit on the bench.

"Of course I am going to have to fight for my place but I am giving everything I have and working hard every day to do that." Hyypia signed a two-year contract with Leverkusen but has not ruled out playing on beyond his 37th birthday if he settles in well. He said: "We will see how I feel in two years. I can certainly imagine playing on for longer but I will decide that when the time comes." Hyypia may make his competitive debut for Leverkusen in this weekend's DFB-Pokal first-round clash with fourth-division side Babelsberg. His Bundesliga bow could come a week later in Mainz. Liverpool Echo 30 July 2009 Liverpool FC - Spion Kop Sami Hyypia Sami Hyypia was a towering central defender, dubbed as the second colossus, a name originally used by Bill Shankly in the 1960ï¿½s to describe legendary club captain Ron Yeats.

Hyypia played a total of 464 games for Liverpool, across a 10 year Anfield career between 1999 and 2009, and like Yeats he went on to become one of the great Anfield legends. He began his career at 17 in his native Finland with a second division club called Kumu, taking a brief 11 month break to enlist in the army for compulsory national service. When he returned and resumed his football, his performances caught the attention of the top flight teams. After transferring to the top division he spent 4 seasons at MyPa-47 with whom he won the Finnish Cup twice. The second cup success was his very last game for the club, and he signed off in style by scoring the winning goal with a trademark header. Hyypia was then scouted and signed by Dutch side Willem II, before an unusual lead brought him to Liverpoolï¿½s attention. A TV cameraman who made a living by filming matches across Europe contacted Liverpool and recommended that Liverpool should take a look at the towering Fin. Manager Gerrard Houllier followed up the lead by sending scouts out to Holland.

Ironically the original colossus, Ron Yeats, was Liverpoolï¿½s chief scout at the time, and after flying out to watch Hyypia play, he encouraged Houllier that the player was well worth a look. A few weeks later Hyypia was signed by Liverpool, for the bargain price of ï¿½2.5 million, which in light of his services to the club was probably one of the steals of the century. For a few seasons prior to Hyypiaï¿½s arrival, the Liverpool defence had been leaking goals, but when Hyypia came in for the 1999/00 season, along with Swiss central defender Stephan Henchoz, the club had a new and solid defensive barrier. As the pieces of a new Liverpool team were being knitted together, an historic season was approaching in 2000/01. Sami Hyypia captained the side for a large part of his second season at the club, with both Jamie Redknapp and deputy captain Robbie Fowler having long spells out injured. Hyypiaï¿½s commanding presence and natural leadership qualities made him the ideal man to take custody of the armband.

Liverpoolï¿½s resurgence that year not only gave them their first ever Champions League qualification, but it also saw a unique achievement of three knock-out cups being won in a single campaign. First the League Cup was won with victory in the final against Birmingham City, then the FA Cup was won with a final win over Arsenal, and then the season was crowned with a UEFA Cup final triumph after victory over Alaves. Liverpool then followed that up with a Community Shield win and a European Super Cup victory at the start of 2001/02, as the flood of silver wear continued to roll in to the trophy cabinet at Anfield. Another League Cup was added to the list of honours in 2002/03, when Hyypia and Liverpool beat Manchester United 2-0 in the final. Hyypia was a well disciplined defender throughout his time at Anfield, cultured and superb at reading the game. Very few people ever got past him, as his impeccable timing of tackles more often than not thwarted attackers. His defensive success was made even more impressive by the fact that he never received 1 single booking for Liverpool until his 88th game.

He was such a good defender that he had no real need for foul play or rash tackles. His positional sense, his power in the air, and his abilities to read the game were the only assets he required. When Stephan Henchoz transferred to Celtic in December ï¿½04, Hyypia formed a new defensive partnership alongside another legendary centre back, Jamie Carragher, who had been mostly playing slightly out of position as a makeshift fullback during the Hyypia/Henchoz partnership. As well as his defending, Hyypia was also renowned for his aerial threat going forwards. He scored his first Liverpool goal against Manchester United at Anfield in September 1999. By the end of his career he totalled 35 goals for the reds, which is one of the most impressive tallies of any central defender to play for the club. During the 2000/01 season he scored in an 8-0 League Cup victory at Stoke, which broke a club record as the biggest ever away win in Liverpoolï¿½s history. Probably his most crucial goal in a red shirt came in 2004/05, in a Champions League clash with Juventus at Anfield.

Hyypia scored the opening goal in a 2-1 aggregate victory, which helped Liverpool progress all the way to the final where they beat AC Milan on penalties. Hyypiaï¿½s next winners medal came at the end of 2005/06, when Liverpool overcame West Ham United to lift another FA Cup. He just missed out on another European Cup winners medal in 2006/07, when Liverpool lost 2-1 in the Champions League final, in a repeat encounter with AC Milan. The highlight for Hyypia in 2007/08 was a towering trademark header in another scintillating Champions League clash, a quarter final encounter with Arsenal at Anfield, where Liverpool came from behind to win 5-3 on aggregate. By 2007/08, with Carragher blossoming in his prime, and a promising young Danish defender by the name of Daniel Agger staking a claim for a place in the side, Hyypia decided to make the 2008/09 season his last at Anfield.

He scored his last goal for the club in a 5-1 victory at Newcastle, before bidding a final emotional farewell to the Anfield crowd in the last match of the season against Tottenham. Hyypia had been named amongst the substitutes for his final match, but he came on late in the second half to a rapturous ovation, replacing Steven Gerrard, who honoured Hyypiaï¿½s service by passing him the captainï¿½s armband. After the full team whistle, Hyypia was lifted up by his team mates and carried shoulder high in front of the crowd, who gave him a true heroes send off. Liverpool had tried to persuade Hyypia to stay on at Liverpool in a coaching role, recognising his value both on the pitch and off it. He was well respected by everyone at the club, and his knowledge of the game was invaluable. But Hyypia decided that instead he wanted to spend just a couple more seasons on the pitch, so he set off for a new challenge with Bayer Leverkusen.

Hyypia had received offers from other English clubs, but having spent 10 years of his life playing at Anfield, he stated openly that the only English club he could ever consider playing for is Liverpool. Part of the criteria for being a legend is that the club must be in your blood. This was undoubtedly the case with Hyypia. He had established the same unbreakable bond with the fans as all the great players of the past, and he will always be remembered as a true red. Internationally Sami Hyypia captained his country, winning a total of 105 caps for Finland, 71 of those caps were won whilst playing for Liverpool, and all 5 of his international goals were scored whilst he was registered as a player at Anfield. At the end of the 2010/11 season he finally hung up his boots, but stayed on at Leverkusen in a new role as assistant manager. He also accepted a second job on the coaching staff with his national side.

For his contributions and service to Liverpool, Sami Hyypiaï¿½s name deserves to be mentioned on the list of great central defenders, alongside the likes of Raisebeck, Yeats, Smith, Thompson, Hughes, Hansen, Lawrenson and Carragher. The name Sami Hyypia does in no way feel out of place alongside such legends.

Question: What nationality is Liverpool FC footballer Sami Hyypia?
Answer: Finnish