On this day (May 19) 1999, Liverpool signed central defender Sami Hyypia from Eredivisie side Willem II.
The 6’4 powerhouse arrived at Anfield in September sunshine as a fledgeling 25-year-old, fresh off the back of captaining the Dutch club to a record high second top-flight finish in the Netherlands.
Hyypia arrived on Merseyside as a relative unknown to England, but the Finn quickly endeared himself to those around him with his distinctive blonde hair and no-nonsense defending.
With record transfers broken in the same window, Liverpool’s £3.51m (Transfermarkt) expenditure on the 105 times capped Finland international quickly began to look like a bargain.
The central defender went on to make 464 appearances for the Reds, scoring 35 goals and winning 10 trophies along the way – playing an integral part during the famous European triumph in Istanbul in 2005.
Named Finnish Footballer of the Year on 10 occasions, Hyypia truly was a remarkable player who embodied Scandanavian warrior spirit when defending.
In July 2009 Hyypia ended a decade long spell with the Reds when his contract expired and he headed to German Bundesliga club Bayer Leverkusen.
Club legend and man who took the armband from the Finn, Steven Gerrard, has previously exclaimed that the now 47-year-old should be ‘regarded as one of the greats’ in the history of Liverpool Football Club.
