---
title: "OTD: Liverpool sign Sami Hyypia from Willem II"
canonical: "https://readliverpoolfc.com/news/otd-liverpool-sign-sami-hyypia-from-willem-ii/"
type: "post"
language: "en-GB"
author: "Dan Clubbe"
section: "Liverpool News"
published: "2021-05-19T09:00:00Z"
modified: "2021-05-19T09:24:49Z"
---

# OTD: Liverpool sign Sami Hyypia from Willem II

On this day (May 19) 1999, [Liverpool](https://readliverpoolfc.com/2021/05/19/virals-jordan-henderson-stepping-up-injury-return/) signed central defender [Sami Hyypia](https://readliverpoolfc.com/2021/05/08/otd-liverpool-win-seven-goal-thriller-vs-blackburn-rovers/) from Eredivisie side Willem II.

The 6’4 powerhouse arrived at Anfield in September sunshine as a [fledgeling](https://www.premierleague.com/players/1710/Sami-Hyypi%C3%A4/overview) 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](https://talksport.com/football/835039/jamie-carragher-liverpool-premier-league-transfer-hyypia-salah-van-dijk/) 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](https://readliverpoolfc.com/%C2%A33.51m)) expenditure on the [105 times capped](https://www.transfermarkt.co.uk/sami-hyypia/nationalmannschaft/spieler/3470/verein_id/3443) Finland international quickly began to look like a bargain.

The central defender went on to make [464 appearances](https://www.transfermarkt.co.uk/sami-hyypia/leistungsdatenverein/spieler/3470) for the Reds, scoring 35 goals and [winning 10 trophies](https://www.transfermarkt.co.uk/sami-hyypia/erfolge/spieler/3470) 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](https://www.lfchistory.net/Articles/Article/3930) 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](https://www.transfermarkt.co.uk/sami-hyypia/transfers/spieler/3470) Bayer Leverkusen.

Club legend and man who took the armband from the Finn, Steven Gerrard, has previously [exclaimed](https://www.goal.com/en/news/9/english-football/2009/05/24/1282993/steven-gerrard-disappointed-by-sami-hyypias-decision-to) that the now 47-year-old should be ‘regarded as one of the greats’ in the history of Liverpool Football Club.