Hyypiä won his highest football honour in 2005 as part of Liverpool's victorious 2004–05 Champions League campaign, where his defensive partnership with Jamie Carragher helped them win in the final.

Hyypiä was a prominent figure in the Finland national team and was selected as the Finnish Sports' Journalists and Football Association Player of the Year numerous times.

After two successful seasons in the Bundesliga, he returned to English football in 2014 for a brief spell as manager of now Premier League club Brighton & Hove Albion.

[6] Hyypiä captained the side to qualification for the UEFA Champions League, thus earning a place in the hearts of supporters although he would not be taking part in the campaign.

In May 1999, Hyypiä was signed by Liverpool, the team he supported as a boy, for £2.6 million, having been recommended to former chief executive Peter Robinson by a TV cameraman.

[9][10] Initially, Hyypiä was regarded as an unknown who would not live up to expectations, but this preconception was dismissed when he immediately formed a successful central defensive partnership with fellow arrival Stéphane Henchoz.

[13] In the 2000–01 season, Hyypiä shared the captaincy of Liverpool with Robbie Fowler while Jamie Redknapp, the full-time captain, was suffering from a long-term injury.

"[9] In 2004, new Liverpool manager Rafael Benítez moved Jamie Carragher from fullback to partner Hyypiä in central defence.

In the FA Cup sixth round against Birmingham City, he scored the opening goal in the first minute as the Reds thrashed the home team 7–0.

He started in the victorious 2006 FA Cup Final against West Ham United, though he missed his spot kick in the penalty shoot-out.

During the season, he climbed into the top 25 in the club's all-time appearances table after featuring in the League Cup against Arsenal in January 2007.

He quickly returned on the pitch to play against Toulouse in the Champions League qualifying match on 28 August 2007, in which he scored the second goal for Liverpool while wearing the captain's armband in the absence of Steven Gerrard and Jamie Carragher.

In April 2008, Hyypiä signed a new deal until summer 2009, with Benítez stating he is a good role model for young defenders such as Martin Škrtel and Daniel Agger.

[22] Underlining the important role Hyypiä had fulfilled at Liverpool, Ian Rush noted: "He's got to be up there with the best signings the club has ever made.

[26] Hyypiä played his last match for Liverpool at Anfield against Tottenham Hotspur on 24 May 2009, coming on as a substitute to replace captain Steven Gerrard after 84 minutes in their 3–1 win.

During what remained of the match, Hyypiä managed to get a header from a corner kick in the dying minutes of the game, but the attempt was blocked by Heurelho Gomes.

After the match ended, an emotional Hyypiä received a standing ovation from Liverpool fans and his teammates held him aloft.

Hyypiä's first season with Bayer Leverkusen saw his club finishing fourth overall, missing by two points the qualification round for the 2010–11 Champions League campaign.

He went on to be a key member of the Finnish squad, participating in five UEFA European Championship and four FIFA World Cup qualifiers.

He was given a straight red card in his penultimate match for a 36th-minute foul on Viorel Frunza as Finland lost 2–0 away to Moldova in a qualifier.

This system proved successful: in the middle of the 2012–13 season, Leverkusen was second in the Bundesliga, were the only side to beat Bayern Munich at home and qualified for the next round in the Champions League, and the DFB-Pokal.

On 5 April 2014, Hyypiä was sacked by Bayer Leverkusen with immediate effect[44] after the club lost to Hamburger SV the night before.

[45] On 6 June 2014, Hyypiä was officially named manager of Football League Championship club Brighton & Hove Albion, signing a three-year contract.

[47] Hyypiä's decision to step down came after his side only managed one win in their previous 18 games,[47] with the club securing six victories in his 26 in charge, three of which came in cup ties.