'You always knew Hyypia would be eight or nine out of 10'
Sami Hyypia's path to becoming Liverpool captain was much different to that of Steven Gerrard.
The latter was born and bred in the city, brought up on watching the Reds reach the heights during the 1980s, and was perhaps always destined to wear the armband at Anfield.
Hyypia, on the other hand, hailed from Finland, built his reputation in the Netherlands and arrived on Merseyside as an unheralded central defender snapped up for a small fee.
But it didn’t take long for the blonde-haired colossus to assert himself as one of the greatest value signings in Liverpool history, returning on the club’s investment with 464 appearances, 35 goals and key contributions to the treble campaign of 2000-01 and the Champions League glory of 2005.
Sami captained the Reds 205 times, too, and ensured a seamless handover to the emerging Gerrard when Gerard Houllier appointed the Scouser – whose respect for his predecessor pours out in the latest episode of ‘Premier League Heroes’.
“He was a big influence on me,” says Gerrard.
“The reason he got the captaincy in the first place was because of the consistency levels he brought to the club from day one – not just on the pitch but on the training ground as well.
“He was a quiet captain but wasn’t afraid to approach you one-on-one and talk about your game, his game or our game.
“You always knew that Sami was going to be eight or nine out of 10. That’s all you can ask from your captain. He deserved to wear the armband at Liverpool, which is an incredible thing to do.”
Tune in to ‘Premier League Heroes: Sami Hyypia’ at 7pm and 10pm BST tonight on LFCTV, with the show to be repeated in the coming days.
It will also be available on LFCTV GO, where you can catch up on previous episodes – featuring Gerrard, Jamie Carragher, Robbie Fowler, Michael Owen and Steve McManaman.
Two more editions, focusing on the Anfield exploits of forwards Fernando Torres and Luis Suarez, will also be broadcast later this month.