Sami Hyypiä facts for kids
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Hyypiä with Bayer Leverkusen in 2012
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| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Date of birth | 7 October 1973 | ||
| Place of birth | Porvoo, Finland | ||
| Height | 1.93 m | ||
| Playing position | Centre-back | ||
| Youth career | |||
| 1977–1988 | Kumu | ||
| Senior career* | |||
| Years | Team | Apps† | (Gls)† |
| 1989 | PaPe | 3 | (0) |
| 1990–1991 | Kumu | 19 | (0) |
| 1992–1995 | MyPa | 96 | (8) |
| 1995–1999 | Willem II | 100 | (3) |
| 1999–2009 | Liverpool | 318 | (22) |
| 2009–2011 | Bayer Leverkusen | 53 | (3) |
| Total | 589 | (36) | |
| National team | |||
| 1989–1992 | Finland U21 | 27 | (3) |
| 1992–2010 | Finland | 105 | (5) |
| Teams managed | |||
| 2011–2012 | Finland (assistant) | ||
| 2012–2014 | Bayer Leverkusen | ||
| 2014 | Brighton & Hove Albion | ||
| 2015–2016 | Zürich | ||
| 2020 | Haka (assistant) | ||
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Sami Tuomas Hyypiä (born on October 7, 1973) is a famous Finnish football player and manager. He played as a centre-back, which is a defender who helps protect the goal.
Sami started his career in Finland with clubs like Kumu and MyPa. He helped MyPa win the Finnish Cup twice. Later, he moved to the Dutch club Willem II and became their captain.
In 1999, Sami joined Liverpool, the team he loved as a child. He quickly became a key player and helped Liverpool win many trophies, including the UEFA Champions League in 2005. After ten years at Liverpool, he played for Bayer Leverkusen in Germany before retiring as a player in 2011.
Sami also played a lot for the Finland national team. He played 105 games for his country, making him one of Finland's most capped players. After he stopped playing, he became a football manager for several clubs. In 2024, he was added to the Finnish Sports Hall of Fame.
Contents
Sami's Early Life
Sami Hyypiä was born in Porvoo and grew up in Kuusankoski, Finland. His parents, Irma and Jouko Hyypiä, both played football. His father played for a Finnish team, and his mother was an amateur goalkeeper.
Even though ice hockey was popular in Finland, Sami chose football because of his parents. He once said that playing football felt like his only career choice.
Sami's Club Career
Starting His Football Journey
Sami began his career with Pallo-Peikot and KuMu. He played in almost every position before becoming a defender. In 1992, he joined Veikkausliiga club MyPa. He helped MyPa win the Finnish Cup in 1992 and again in 1995.
In 1995, when he was 22, Sami had a trial with Newcastle United in England. He said this experience helped him a lot and showed him what English football was like.
Playing for Willem II
Later in 1995, Sami moved to the Dutch club Willem II. He played there for four years and became a fan favorite. In his last season, he was named their player of the year. Sami also captained the team, helping them qualify for the UEFA Champions League.
His Time at Liverpool
In May 1999, Sami Hyypiä joined Liverpool for £2.6 million. He had always supported Liverpool as a boy, so it was a dream come true. Many people didn't know much about him at first, but he quickly became a strong defender alongside Stéphane Henchoz.
In the 2000–01 season, Sami shared the captaincy. He helped Liverpool win three major trophies: the Football League Cup, FA Cup, and UEFA Cup. This was called a "cup treble." He also won the award for Finnish Footballer of the Year three times in a row from 2001 to 2003.
In 2002, Sami became the main captain for Liverpool. However, in 2003, Steven Gerrard took over as captain. Sami still played very well and helped the team a lot. On April 5, 2003, he received the only red card of his club career against Manchester United.
In 2004, the new Liverpool manager, Rafael Benítez, paired Sami with Jamie Carragher in defense. This strong partnership helped Liverpool win the Champions League in 2005, which was Sami's biggest football achievement. He signed a new contract to stay at Liverpool until 2008.
During the 2005–06 season, Sami continued to play an important role. He scored a goal in the FA Cup against Birmingham City, which Liverpool won 7–0. He also played in the 2006 FA Cup Final that Liverpool won.
In 2008, Sami signed another contract to stay until 2009. This was his tenth season with the club. He was voted as one of the "Top 50 Premier League Foreign Players" by Sky Sports. Many people, including former player Ian Rush, said he was one of Liverpool's best signings ever.
On May 4, 2009, it was announced that Sami would join German club Bayer Leverkusen. Liverpool offered him a coaching job, but he wanted to keep playing. Sami played his last game for Liverpool at Anfield on May 24, 2009. He came on as a substitute, and Steven Gerrard gave him the captain's armband. After the game, his teammates lifted him up, and fans gave him a standing ovation. Sami played 464 games for Liverpool and won ten trophies.
Moving to Bayer Leverkusen
Sami joined Bayer Leverkusen in Germany in the summer of 2009. He played his first game on August 8. On January 24, 2010, he scored his first goal for the club. In his first season, Bayer Leverkusen finished fourth in the league. Sami was even chosen as the best Bundesliga defender in 2009.
In 2010, Sami announced that he planned to become an assistant manager at Leverkusen after he retired from playing. On May 2, 2011, he officially retired from playing professional football. He had played in over 560 top-level matches in Finland, the Netherlands, England, and Germany.
Sami's International Career
Sami Hyypiä played 27 games for the Finland national under-21 team. He made his debut for the senior national team on November 7, 1992, when he was 19. He became a very important player for Finland, playing in many European Championship and World Cup qualifiers.
On August 12, 2009, he played his 100th international game, becoming one of only a few Finnish players to reach this milestone. He became the captain of the Finland national team in 2008. His last game for Finland was on October 12, 2010. With 105 games, Sami is one of Finland's most capped players ever.
Sami's Coaching Career
Coaching at Bayer Leverkusen
After retiring as a player, Sami Hyypiä became part of the coaching staff for both the Finland national team and Bayer Leverkusen. On April 1, 2012, he became a caretaker coach for Leverkusen. On May 15, 2012, he was confirmed as the team manager.
Sami worked with another coach, Sascha Lewandowski, to lead the team. This system worked well, and Leverkusen finished third in the Bundesliga in the 2012–13 season. Sami then became the sole head coach. However, on April 5, 2014, he was sacked by Bayer Leverkusen after a loss.
Managing Brighton & Hove Albion
On June 6, 2014, Sami Hyypiä became the manager of Football League Championship club Brighton & Hove Albion in England. He signed a three-year contract. However, the team's results were not good.
On December 22, 2014, Sami resigned as manager because the team was in the relegation zone. He had only won six games out of 26 matches in charge.
Managing FC Zürich
On August 21, 2015, Sami became the manager of the Swiss club Zürich. But on May 12, 2016, he was sacked after the team lost confidence in him. Zürich was in last place in the league and was later relegated.
Assistant Manager at Haka
After taking a break from football, Sami joined Finnish side Haka in 2020 as an assistant manager. He left after only three months.
Sami's Personal Life
In 2002, Sami Hyypiä wrote an autobiography called From Voikkaa to the Premiership. He has two sons. Sami is generally a private person. He has also set up a fund to help young athletes in Finland. To raise money for this fund, he ran his first marathon in Helsinki in 2011.
Sami Hyypiä was honored by being named to the Finnish Sports Hall of Fame on January 11, 2024.
Images for kids
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Hyypiä with Bayer Leverkusen in 2012
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Hyypiä playing for Liverpool in 2005
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Hyypiä's teammates say farewell
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Hyypiä as Bayer Leverkusen head coach.
Honours
MyPa
- Finnish Cup: 1992, 1995
Liverpool
- FA Cup: 2000–01, 2005–06
- Football League Cup: 2000–01, 2002–03
- FA Charity/Community Shield: 2001, 2006
- UEFA Champions League: 2004–05
- UEFA Cup: 2000–01
- UEFA Super Cup: 2001, 2005
Finland
Individual Awards
- UEFA Team of the Year: 2001
- ESM Team of the Year: 2000–01
- Liverpool Player of the Season: 2001–02
- Finnish Sportsperson of the Year: 2001
- Premier League Player of the Month: November 1999
- PFA Team of the Year: 1999–2000 Premier League, 2001–02 Premier League
- Finnish Sports Hall of Fame
- Finnish Footballer of the Year: 1999, 2000, 2001, 2002, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2008, 2009, 2010
- kicker Bundesliga Team of the Season: 2009–10
See also
In Spanish: Sami Hyypiä para niños
- List of men's footballers with 100 or more international caps
