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SAMI HYYPIA (4)
Hyypiä started his career with 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, Hyypiä was bought by Dutch club Willem II. He had a successful time at the club and soon became a fan favourite there. In 1999 he was bought by Liverpool, the team he supported as a boy, for £3 million, and soon proved to be a bargain buy. Hyypiä's height has helped him 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. 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 Hyypiä shared the captaincy of Liverpool with Robbie Fowler while Jamie Redknapp, the then full-time captain, was suffering from a long-term injury. During that season, Hyypiä and Fowler lead the team to a historic cup treble: 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. In 2003, Hyypiä was replaced as Liverpool captain by 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. As of 2005, he has seemingly been relegated to third-choice captain after Jamie Carragher's ascent as Gerrard's deputy on the field. Hyypiä 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. Hyypiä has also won the European Super Cup twice and the Charity Shield once with Liverpool. Hyypiä 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 Hyypiä had agreed to a new three-year contract after weeks of talks with the Reds which will keep him at Anfield until 2008. Hyypiä made his debut for the Finnish national team against Tunisia on November 7, 1992. He is the leader of Finland's defence, and is also the second choice captain of the team. HonoursClub titles * Finnish Cup: 1992, 1995 Personal awards and achievements * Finnish Player of the Year: 1999, 2001, 2002, 2003, 2005 Statistics
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| Pos | Team | Pl | GD | Pts |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Liverpool | 33 | 44 | 79 |
| 2 | Arsenal | 34 | 34 | 67 |
| 3 | Man City | 34 | 23 | 61 |
| 4 | Forest | 33 | 14 | 60 |
| 5 | Newcastle | 33 | 18 | 59 |
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