Hyypia finishes year on a high

Liverpool and Finland defender Sami Hyypia has been voted Finnish Player of the Year following his consistent performances for both club and country.

The 27-year-old centre-back was the first footballer on the Finnish Sportsman of the Year list, finishing eighth in the overall rankings.

Hyypia is only the third footballer to break into the top ten since the introduction of the award in 1939 – joining 1950s legend Aulis Rytkonen and the 1995 Sportsman of the Year Jari Litmanen on the prestigious list.

The Liverpool player, who has been standing in as captain for the injured Jamie Redknapp and Robbie Fowler, was delighted after hearing the results of the vote.

"Obviously, part of the glory goes to other players but this really is a big achievement. Everyone knows how brilliant a player Jari Litmanen is, and to get this honour after him is something I value highly," he told Finnish news agency STT.

The Finnish international fulfilled a childhood dream when he signed for the Reds, giving up the chance of Champions' League action with Willem II in the process. His previous experience came at Finnish clubs Pallo-Peikot, KuMu, and MyPa.