Sami Tuomas Hyypiä, commonly known as Sami Hyypia, is a former professional football player and current manager, who is known for his time with the Premier League club Liverpool. He is one of the most renowned former players in football, boasting extensive experience of playing at the top level in Europe during his playing career. He has won the Finnish Footballer of the Year for numerous years and the Finnish Sportsperson of the Year once, along with induction into the Finnish Sports Hall of Fame, thus recognizing his contributions to Finnish football.
Sami Hyypia had a successful playing career with both Liverpool and the Finland national team. Notably, he is considered a role model by many aspiring center-backs in the current footballing world due to his impressive success at Liverpool during his 8-year stint at the senior level of the club. Following his retirement as a player, he has transitioned into a big Liverpool fan and has been working as a club manager in recent times.
In this article, we will delve into the key aspects of the Finnish’s life, exploring his early years, family background, net worth, career, and more.
| Name | Sami Tuomas Hyypiä |
| Age | 50 -year-old |
| Nationality | Finnish |
| Birth Place | Porvoo, Finland |
| Date of Birth | 7 October 1973 |
| Height | 1.93 m |
| Star sign | Libra |
| Profession | Football manager |
| Clubs Managed | Finland, Bayer Leverkusen, Brighton, FC Zurich, and FC Haka |
| Net worth | $5 million |
| Family Member | Father – Jouko Hyypiä Mother – Irma Hyypiä Ex-Spouse – Susanna Rissanen Children – Rico Nestor Hyypiä and Kasper Erik Hyypiä |
Sami Hyypia | Early Life and Family
Sami Hyypia was born in a small town called Porvoo, Finland, on October 7, 1973. Coming from a humble background with Finnish roots, sports was the most-loved part of his household, with his family interested in the sport. Both his parents were former football players. Having developed a passion for the sport from a young age and being the only and most loved child in his family, he was given the full freedom and support to pursue soccer as a profession.
Sami Hyypia married his long-time girlfriend Susanna in 2007 and since then, the couple has been living together near Pulheim. The couple has two sons, Rico Nestor and Kasper Erik Hyypiä, and both of them are teenagers, attending school for their proper education. Unfortunately, the couple got divorced in 2022, and since then, Sami Hyypia has been dating Finnish racing driver Emma Kimiläinen.
Sami Hyypia | Club Career
Willem II
Despite playing ice hockey during his youth days, his parents’ influence meant that there was only one sport for his career. Thus, after playing for local clubs like Pallo-Peikot and KuMu, Hyypia joined Veikkausliiga club MyPa for the 1992 season and played for the club for the next three years, helping them win the Finnish Cup twice in three years. Later, in 1995, after unsuccessful trials at Newcastle United, Hyypia joined Dutch club Willem II and spent four years with the Dutch club, helping them qualify for the Champions League and winning the Player of the Year award in his last season with the club.
Liverpool
After signing for Premier League club Liverpool in May 1999 for a transfer fee of £2.6 million, Hyypia went through several ups and downs during his Liverpool career, becoming the team’s first-choice captain and then, 2 years later, being demoted to the third-choice captain as well. Despite the struggles in between, Hyppia managed to win many trophies with Liverpool, including the Champions League, the UEFA Super Cup, the UEFA Cup, the FA Cup, the Premier League, and the Carabao Cup, and helped the team a lot during those seasons, forming formidable centre-back partnerships with other players. He holds the record for the most appearances by a non-British player, making 464 appearances for Liverpool.
Bayer Leverkusen
After playing his last match for Liverpool on May 24th, 2009, in a 3-1 win against Tottenham Hotspur, Hyppia moved to Bundesliga club Bayer Leverkusen and made his debut for the German club on August 8th, 2009, against Mainz 05. After Liverpool’s new manager Roy Hodgson failed to bring back Hyypia to Liverpool, Sami played for the next 2 seasons for Leverkusen and eventually, announced his retirement from professional football on May 2, 2011.
Sami Hyypia | International Career
On the international level, after playing in numerous matches for the Finland U21 national team, Hyppia made his debut for the senior team on November 7, 1992, against Tunisia at the age of just 19. After reaching the milestone of featuring in 100 matches for the national side, becoming the third-most capped international Finnish player and participating in a total of nine international tournaments for Finland’s senior national team, he played his last match for Finland as a captain on October 12, 2010, in a 2-1 home defeat against Hungary in the UEFA Euro 2012 qualifiers.
Sami Hyypia | Managerial Career
After he retired from his professional player career, Sami quickly took up the managerial job, becoming assistant manager of both Bayer Leverkusen and Finland simultaneously and helping the teams perform up to the standards. Under Hyppia, Bayer managed to do well in all three seasons, finishing in the top four of the Bundesliga, qualifying for the Champions League consistently, and also beating Bayern Munich on a couple of occasions, like during the 2012/13 season. Despite his team’s impressive performances, Hyppia was sacked by the club administration on April April 2014, after his team’s loss to Hamburger SV last night.
English club Brighton appointed Sami Hyppia as their head manager on June 6, 2014, and although the club had a decent start under his tenure, Hyppia himself resigned from the job on December 22, 2014, just 6 months into the season, after managing to win only one in his last 18 matches, which has led the club near the relegation zone of the English Championship.
Sami Hyppia was appointed as the head coach for Swiss side FC Zurich on August 21, 2015 but just one year into his tenure, he was sacked by the club after he had lost the vote of confidence within the club. Eventually, the club got relegated to the Swiss second division that season. After taking a few years break from the managerial job, he took up the assistant manager role for the Finnish side FC Haka in 2020 but left himself after three months. Since then, Hyppia has not taken up any other managerial job yet.
Sami Hyypia | Records and Statistics
Sami Hyypia’s statistics as a player, encompassing all his appearances and goal contributions for the teams he played for during his long career, are presented in the table below:
| Teams | Appearances | Goals | Assists |
| Liverpool | 464 | 35 | 15 |
| Willem II Tilburg | 105 | 3 | 6 |
| Myllykosken Pallo-47 | 105 | 8 | 0 |
| Bayer 04 Leverkusen | 60 | 3 | 3 |
| Finland | 105 | 5 | 3 |
Sami Hyypia | Net Worth
Reportedly, Sami Hyypia’s estimated net worth is around $5 million, with a significant portion of his income coming from the high-end salary he earns as a football manager. The Englishman has also earned quite a lot from his handsome wages with numerous clubs, especially Liverpool, during his player and managerial career.
FAQs
| Q. How old is Sami Hyypia? |
| Ans. Sami Hyypia is currently 50 years old. |
| Q. When did he start his senior playing career? |
| Ans. Sami Hyypia began his playing career in 1989. |
| Q. What is the birthplace of Sami Hyypia? |
| Ans. Sami Hyypia was born in Porvoo, Finland. |
| Q. How many trophies has Sami Hyypia won? |
| Ans. Sami Hyypia has won 24 major trophies. |
| Q. When did Sami Hyypia stop playing? |
| Ans. Sami Hyypia announced his retirement from professional football on 2nd May 2011. |
