Position: Defender Squad number: 4 Date of birth: 7/10/73 Birth Place: Porvoo Former clubs: Pallo-Peikot, KuMu, MyPa Anjalankoski, Willem II Transfer Fee: £3m
A superb acquisition by Gerard Houllier. Signed from Dutch club Willem II, with whom he captained to a place in the Champions League, Sami Hyypia became the cornerstone of Liverpool's defence during the 1999-2000 season, forming a rock-solid partnership with Stephane Henchoz.
Finnish international Hyypia began his career with little known club MyPa Anjalankoski and helped them lift the Finnish Cup in 1992. He made his international debut against Tunisia and his performances soon attracted the attentions of Dutch outfit Willem II, who went on to sign him in 1995.
Hyppia sacrificed the opportunity to play in the Champions League to move to Anfield and proved to be an absolute steal at £3 million.
Dominant in the air, commanding at the back and cool under pressure, Hyypia fast became a Kop idol. Gerard Houllier later named Hyypia captain in the absence of the injured Jamie Redknapp and vice-captain Robbie Fowler, as he led the team out in the UEFA Cup and FA Cup finals of the 2000/01 treble winning season.
He later assumed the captaincy on a full time basis in 2002 before being replaced by current skipper Steven Gerrard in the autumn of 2003. The writing may have appeared to be on the wall for Hyypia's future at the club but his professionalism and commitment allowed him to survive the Benitez revolution at the club and he played an important role in the European Cup triumph of 2004/05, scoring a vital goal against Juventus in the quarter finals and playing his part in the defensive line-ups that secured famous victories over Chelsea in the semi-finals and AC Milan in the Istanbul final.
He also played his part in the following season's FA Cup win, scoring the opening goal in the 7-0 rout of Birmingham City quarter-final stage as well as nearly scoring a memorable extra-time goal in Cardiff against West Ham in the final.
