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Sami Hyypiä (born 7 October, 1973) is a Finnish football player whose position is central defence. Born in Porvoo, Finland, he plays (as of 2005) for the English team Liverpool F.C. and the Finnish national team.
He played for the Finnish teams Pallot-Peikot, KuMu and MyPa Anjalankoski, and in 1992 made his international debut for Finland against Tunisia. 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 from the 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 2000-01 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 helped lead the team to an historic treble: winning 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 for Tottenham Hotspur. 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. Hyypia had also contributed in the victory of the UEFA Champion League Final against AC Milan with his teammates at the Ataturk Olympic Stadium in Istanbul, Turkey, Wednesday May 25, 2005.
Hyypiä has made over 200 appearances for Liverpool, and has also scored over 20 goals in the process. He has had over 50 international caps for the Finnish national team, scoring a number of goals for Finland in the process.
Honours
- 2000/01 League Cup
- 2000/01 FA Cup
- 2000/01 UEFA Cup
- 2001/02 Charity Shield
- 2001/02 European Super Cup
- 2002/03 League Cup
- 2004/05 UEFA Champions Leaguede:Sami Hyypiä