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Antti Niemi (footballer)

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Full name
  
Antti Mikko Niemi

1989
  
OLS

Weight
  
83 kg

Years
  
Team

Height
  
1.85 m


Playing position
  
Goalkeeper

Role
  
Goalkeeper

Place of birth
  
Oulu, Finland

Name
  
Antti Niemi

Position
  
Goalkeeper

Antti Niemi (footballer) e0365dmcom0805800x600AnttiNiemi858045jpg

Date of birth
  
(1972-05-31) 31 May 1972 (age 43)

Antti niemi


Antti Mikko Niemi (born 31 May 1972) is a retired Finnish football goalkeeper, who worked as a goalkeeping coach for Brighton and Hove Albion during the 2014-15 season. He spent much of his playing career in the Scottish Premier League (with Rangers and Heart of Midlothian) and the Premier League (with Southampton and Fulham), and in 2008 announced his retirement due to injury. However, in 2009 he returned to sign for Premier League club Portsmouth although he did not make any appearances before leaving in 2010.

Contents

Antti Niemi (footballer) Portsmouth snap up former Fulham keeper Antti Niemi

Antti niemi finland


Early career

Antti Niemi (footballer) Antti Niemi coaxed out of retirement by Portsmouth Telegraph

Niemi was born in Oulu, Finland and began his professional career with HJK Helsinki, where he made over 100 appearances in four years, before transferring to FC Copenhagen in 1995. Impressive performances over the next two years saw a transfer to Scotland with Glasgow club Rangers, where he became the first and only player to wear the number 13 shirt for the club in their Scottish Premier League history.

Hearts

Antti Niemi (footballer) Fulham goalkeeper Antti Niemi retires from football

Niemi moved to Edinburgh to join Heart of Midlothian in December 1999. He became a hero for Hearts fans in the three years he played at Tynecastle. He put in some fantastic performances which helped Hearts maintain their status as one of Scotland's best teams outside the Old Firm. Niemi also became famous in Scotland for his fantastic ability to save penalties, demonstrating this skill when saving from Dundee United's Charlie Miller and Dunfermline Athletic's Scott Thomson. Niemi also played in European competition for Hearts against opponents such as Stuttgart.

Antti Niemi (footballer) Memory Lane Fulham Football Club

Upon his retirement, Niemi recalled his time at Hearts, quoting: "it was all good. Looking back, everything went so well – it was a lovely club, the team was doing well, I was playing well and we had a good manager in Jim Jeffries.

Southampton

Antti Niemi (footballer) Brighton Antti Niemi leaves goalkeeper coaching role BBC Sport

After three seasons in Edinburgh, Niemi moved to Southampton in 2002. He played for Southampton in the 2003 FA Cup final against Arsenal which was lost 1–0; Niemi became the first Goalkeeper to be substituted in an FA Cup Final when he was replaced by Paul Jones during the game due to a calf injury. In a game against Fulham in the 2002–03 season, he came up for a corner in injury time with Southampton trailing 2–1. The ball fell at his feet and he crashed a shot against the crossbar, and Michael Svensson was able to turn in the rebound, salvaging a draw. In March 2004 he saved a Michael Owen penalty to help his team to a 2-0 win over Liverpool. There was much speculation regarding Niemi's future at Southampton with a host of leading Premier League clubs rumoured to be interested in his services, such as Manchester United and Arsenal. After Southampton were relegated in 2005 and failed to challenge for promotion in following season, Niemi decided to return to the Premiership with Fulham, for whom he signed in January 2006. Niemi would describe being relegated as a "first bad experience in British football".

Fulham

Antti Niemi (footballer) Antti Niemi Player Profile Sky Sports Football

Niemi was badly hurt in a freak accident during a match against Watford on 1 January 2007 when rushing out to head the ball; he toppled over his own defender, Carlos Bocanegra, and landed on his head. He was taken from the field of play on a stretcher after ten minutes of treatment, but was later cleared of any spinal injury. He was released from hospital later that night with only ligament and muscle damage to the neck.

Antti Niemi (footballer) Brighton Antti Niemi leaves goalkeeper coaching role BBC Sport

He remained Fulham's first choice keeper until 1 March 2008, when, following injury, he was replaced by Kasey Keller. On 3 September 2008 it was announced at that he had retired from professional football due to a wrist injury.

Portsmouth

Antti Niemi (footballer) Antti Niemi Hearts Career from 19 Dec 1999 to 18 Aug 2002

Despite announcing his retirement from the game the previous year it was confirmed on 28 July 2009 that Antti Niemi was in talks with Portsmouth. On 7 August, Niemi confirmed he had signed for Portsmouth on a one-year deal as backup to David James and to work with the goalkeeping coaches. On 24 March 2010, he was released from his contract, without making a single appearance in the Portsmouth's first team. It was reported that Niemi earned almost £450,000 during those eight months with Portsmouth.

International career

Niemi was first choice for the Finnish national team for almost a decade, before announcing his decision to retire from international football in 2005, but returned to the roster in 2007 playing a friendly game against Spain (0–0). He was capped 67 times by his country before this. On 2 March 2010 Niemi joined Finland's national team as a goalkeeping coach.

Coaching career

Niemi began his coaching career as the goalkeeping coach for the Finland national team in March 2010. On 3 January 2013 his first club and reigning Veikkausliiga champions HJK announced that they had appointed Niemi as the club's goalkeeping coach and that he would continue his duties with the national team.

On 27 June 2014, Niemi was appointed goalkeeper coach at English Championship side Brighton and Hove Albion by former Finland teammate Sami Hyypiä.

Talk Sport Viral Call

In 2000, while playing for Hearts, Niemi was the subject of a TalkSport radio call-in that would subsequently go viral. A caller to a phone-in hosted by Arthur Albiston queried as to why Scotland Manager, Craig Brown would not select Niemi. When Albiston responded that "He is Finnish", the caller replied "He’s no’ finished, he’s only twenty-eight!". The clip went viral and continues to be played regularly on The Hawksbee and Jacobs's Show on TalkSport.

References

Antti Niemi (footballer) Wikipedia