Forever 4！Sami Hyypia (5)

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LITMANEN LAUDS A DECADE OF SAMI Paul Hassall
	As news of Sami Hyypia’s impending Liverpool departure begins to sink in, we spoke to fellow Finn Jari Litmanen about the defender’s 10 years at Anfield.
During the 1990s few players could match the creative genius of Jari Litmanen. The Finnish striker was one of Europe’s most feared attackers, helping Ajax to Champions League glory before going on to showcase his precocious talents in such stadia as the Nou Camp and, of course, Anfield. During an international career spanning two decades he has been the superstar in the Finnish national side and having known Sami Hyypia since 1992, few are better equipped to offer their views on the defender’s time at Anfield. As we settle down to discuss our favourite number four’s rise to greatness, Jari tells Liverpoolfc.tv what it means for Sami to have spent a decade at English football’s most successful club. First of all Jari, what kind of achievement is it for Sami to sign off having completed 10 years at Liverpool Football Club? It’s fantastic because these days it’s not normal for people to stay at one club for 10 years. That’s special. Sami has been happy living in Liverpool. He has been there for so long and is now comfortable with English football and Liverpool’s playing style. That’s been good for him. He loves it there, but I’d rather have the beach for 10 years! Why do you think Sami has enjoyed such longevity? Why has he been such an important part of the team? I have played with him at MyPa, Liverpool and the Finnish national team. It’s so difficult to say anything which stands out about him because he has always played at a high level. I suppose that’s his greatest strength, the fact that he has never failed or done anything below the standards he has set. As a teammate you know what you’ll get from him and he never disappoints. Of course everybody has great moments and games but he is constantly at a good level. Think about it… Sami Hyypia, at both Liverpool and the national team over the last 10 years, hasn’t missed too many games. He is always just Sami! You first came across Sami back in 1992 when you were both at MyPa. What were your first impressions of him? I played for MyPa during my last year in Finland before I went abroad to Ajax. It was Sami’s first season in the highest league. He was a starting line-up player from his first moment at the club. We had a good mix of different players but he did a good job. He had talent. You could see some of his qualities already developing and the expectation was that some day he could go abroad. Of course you can’t predict the future but he clearly had the ability, even though it was his first year at MyPa. He’s played over 450 games for the Reds and has won almost everything at club level. Would you put him up there as one of the greatest Liverpool defenders of all-time? It’s difficult to compare players from different positions or times. As I said, it’s not normal for a player to go on for such a long time at one club and Liverpool have three players like that, Stevie Carra and Sami. They have grown together at Liverpool, have all been happy and are good players. The great players in the 70s or 80s are from a different time but also stayed at the club. Of course Liverpool were one of the best teams in the whole world at the time so it was easier to stay. I can’t pay any higher compliment than that. Sami’s had many highlights during his time at Anfield, including the Treble of 2001 and the Champions League triumph in 2005. Do you think Istanbul will go down as his greatest moment in a red shirt? To win the Champions League is brilliant but I see Sami’s highlight as the entire 10 years. He has won many trophies and played well. Of course for a club like Liverpool, who have won almost everything and hold the most league titles in history, there has now been such a long time without winning the league. So there’s pressure for the club and the individual. Sami has won almost everything but the Premier League would be the last achievement as he has already won the FA Cup, UEFA Cup and Champions League. Much is made of foreign players making an impact in the Barclays Premier League. Most people pick out strikers when they talk about the best ever, but would you put Sami up there as one the best ever imports? The game has changed quite a lot since the Premier League started but Sami is one of the few foreign central defenders to have played in England for a big club. He has many good qualities which have brought him so far and kept him in the Premier League and at Liverpool Football Club for so long. I would say he is one of the best players in his position. You’ve played with Hyypia at MyPa, Liverpool and with Finland – but have you ever gone head-to-head with him? Yes! When I was in Holland at Ajax he was at Willem II but if you know someone really well you are aware of all their strengths and weaknesses. If you have a good person who is a good quality player too, you want him in your side. For a long time in training – at Mypa, Liverpool and then with the Finland squad – we would always try to be on the same team! What has Sami’s time at Liverpool done for the club’s popularity in Finland? They are the most popular club in Finland. We always have English football on television. Liverpool were already number one but with Sami in the team it’s promoted them even more. I think the Reds are generally the most popular English club in the whole of Scandinavia. And finally, you yourself know what it means to have played for Liverpool Football Club. What will such a long Anfield career mean to Sami? Liverpool are a great club with a great history and I know that we are both really proud and privileged to have been part of that.

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SAMI HYYPIA – THE VIEW FROM FINLAND Olli Hakala

Back in 2002 Finnish author Olli Hakala helped write Sami Hyypia’s biography ’From Voikka to the Premiership’. Here he offers his thoughts on the defender’s Anfield career. From the Finnish point of view, it was somewhat unbelievable that one of our own would ever play for Liverpool Football Club – Sami Hyypia did and he did it for ten years. During the 1970s and 1980s we watched a lot of football on TV. It was English football in particular that caught the attention of our nation. As everybody knows Liverpool dominated European football at that time, so there are a few generations of Finns that learned that Liverpool are synonymous with good football. That is why the Reds are the most hailed European team in Finland and that is why it means so much to us that Sami Hyypia has been a part of this legendary team. Looking at Sami now, it’s hard to believe that before he signed for Liverpool he wasn’t such a big star in Finland. He was good, for sure, but he was not someone who grabbed headlines. He was simply a man who did his job. I think that is what he has done for Liverpool too; a real professional who does his duty. There are other players that may get more attention, but for Sami, it has always been most important to do his job as well he can. That’s what he has done during his whole career. I first came to know Sami when he was playing for Willem II in the Netherlands. Here in Finland, nobody was talking about him even though he was enjoying great success there. Soon I learned the reason for this. He was a modest person who does not like to talk too much about himself. When the chance came to write a biography about Sami it was an easy decision for me – or so I thought! I thought it would be very easy to work with Sami, but I was a little bit wrong! The reason for this is because it was difficult to get Sami to talk about the highlights of his life and career. He is just so modest and down to earth. He simply did not see his achievements as highlights. They were just a part of his job. Luckily enough I knew people that had followed Sami’s career and could tell me some great stories about him. In most of the cases Sami himself confirmed those stories after I asked him, but sometimes he was not so anxious to go public with them. He is the kind of the person who does not to want to be in the spotlight. In public Sami is known to be a well-mannered and calm person. This is partly due to the fact he is a Finn, and that is what we Finns are, believe it or not. But the main reason behind Sami’s public image is simply down to what he really is. I have had the privilege of getting a slight glimpse of Sami’s personal life and I can honestly say that in many ways, you all have seen Sami as he really is. In Finland we have two football heroes that rank above them all, Jari Litmanen and Sami Hyypia. In the 90s it was Litmanen who made us believe that a Finnish guy can make it to the top. Sami has since shown us that a Finn can stay at the top for a decade. His 10 year career on Merseyside has been a milestone for Finnish football fans. We all know he has achieved something unusual and unique. At the same time he has been the rock of our national team’s defence and everybody in Finland is happy that Sami’s career as a player will continue. However, I know I am not alone when I say I would be thrilled to see him return to Liverpool as a coach in the future. Like me, he has been a lifelong fan of Liverpool FC, and to have a Finnish Kop legend like Sami is more than I could ever have imagined. I know it was a dream come true for Sami too.

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FROM ONE COLOSSUS TO ANOTHER… Paul Hassall
	Ron Yeats believes Sami Hyypia is one of the best value for money signings the club has ever made.
The legendary centre back was Liverpool’s chief scout back in 1999 and was tasked with finding the solution to the Reds’ defensive frailties. When Gerard Houllier asked him to cast his eye over a relatively unknown Finn at Willem II, he was instantly convinced he had found the answer to their dilemma in the shape of the Voikkaa-born defender. “I took an instant liking to Sami because he reminded me so much of me when I was at Dundee United,” Yeats told ‘Oh Sami Sami’, the official souvenir special celebrating the Finn’s 10 years at Anfield. “We were of a similar build, moved around the same way and were dominant in the air. “What set Sami apart and made him better than me in certain areas was his passing ability. He was definitely better than me a t passing. “Liverpool had a long history in dominant centre halves, but in the years before Sami, we’d struggled in that area. Everyone at the club agreed it was a problem that needed addressing. “I looked at a lot of players. Some were out-and-out defenders but couldn’t really play. Others were good on the ball but couldn’t tackle a fish. “Sami though, had everything to his game.” Yeats was so convinced the Reds should sign Hyypia, he advised the management to make an immediate bid. Pleased to have such a positive report Yeats was asked to take one last look at the Willem II man before Liverpool finally swooped to clinch a £2.5 million deal. “It has to be one of the best bits of business we’ve done over the years,” he said. “I didn’t have a role in suggesting any fees between the clubs, but when I was told about how little money Liverpool had spent on Sami, I nearly fell off my chair. “It was a steal – a bargain – and the kind of deal Liverpool had set up in the 60s and 70s when they were signing unknown players like me for little money and giving them a chance on a bigger stage. “Sami’s certainly performed on that stage.”