Antti Niemi
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| Antti Niemi | ||
 |
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| Personal information | ||
|---|---|---|
| Full name | Antti Mikko Niemi | |
| Date of birth | May 31, 1972 | |
| Place of birth | Oulu, Finland | |
| Height | 1.85 m (6 ft 1 in) | |
| Playing position | Goalkeeper | |
| Club information | ||
| Current club | Fulham | |
| Number | 29 | |
| Senior clubs1 | ||
| Years | Club | App (Gls)* |
| 1991–1995 1995–1997 1997–1999 1999 1999–2002 2002–2006 2006– |
HJK København Rangers → Charlton Athletic (loan) Heart of Midlothian Southampton Fulham |
101 (0) 47 (0) 13 (0) 0 (0) 89 (0) 106 (0) 62 (0) |
| National team2 | ||
| 1992–2004 | Finland | 67 (0) |
|
1 Senior club appearances and goals |
||
Antti Mikko Niemi (born May 31, 1972, in Oulu) is a Finnish football goalkeeper who plays for Fulham F.C. in the English Premiership.
Contents |
[edit] Club career
[edit] Early career
Niemi began his Veikkausliiga career in Finland with HJK in 1991. After five seasons at HJK, he moved to Denmark's FC København and from there to Scottish giants Rangers in 1997.
He never became first choice at Rangers, however, and the low point of his career there came on November 21, 1998 when he conceded five goals to Celtic in an Old Firm derby at Celtic Park. After that, he was generally a reserve for Rangers, and also had a loan spell at Charlton.
In 1999, Niemi moved to Hearts, where he became known as one of the most respected goalkeepers in the SPL.
[edit] Southampton
After three excellent seasons in Edinburgh, Niemi moved to Southampton in 2002, and soon established himself as one of the better goalkeepers in England.
On March 15, 2003 Niemi went up for a late corner against Fulham, at Loftus Road. The ball came to him at the edge of the box and he proceeded to crash a shot against the bar, allowing Michael Svensson to head the ball into an open goal for a Southampton equaliser. The match finished 2-2.
He played for Southampton in the 2003 FA Cup final against Arsenal which was lost 1-0. He pulled up in agony after 64 minutes clutching his calf after taking a goal-kick and was stretchered off, to be replaced by Paul Jones. After Southampton were relegated in 2005 and failed to be promoted the following season, Niemi decided to return to the Premiership with Fulham, for whom he signed in January 2006.
[edit] Fulham
Niemi is known as an excellent shot-stopper with great reflexes. His main shortcoming is a relative lack of stature and occasional unwillingness to leave the goalmouth, resulting in lack of control of the penalty area. This has been shown a number of times at Craven Cottage, when he and other players have gone for the same ball, one time resulting in a freak accident during a match against Watford on January 1, 2007. Niemi was badly hurt 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.[1]
He remained Fulham's first choice keeper until 1 March 2008, when he was replaced by Kasey Keller.
[edit] International career
Widely considered Finland's best ever goalkeeper, Niemi was first choice for the Finnish national team for almost a decade, before announcing his decision to retire from international football in 2005. He was capped 66 times by his country.
[edit] Personal life
Niemi is married and has two children.
[edit] Honours
- FA Cup finalist 2003
[edit] References
- Jeremy Wilson (2006). Southampton’s Cult Heroes. Know The Score Books. ISBN 1-905449-01-1.
[edit] External links
- Antti Niemi career stats at Soccerbase
- Profile at www.fulhamfc.com
- Profile at ESPNsoccernet.com
- FootballDatabase provides Antti Niemi's profile and stats
- Antti Niemi Official Website at icons.com
| Awards | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by Christian Lønstrup |
F.C. Copenhagen Player of the Year 1997 |
Succeeded by Bjarne Goldbæk |
Preceded by Sami Hyypiä |
Finnish Footballer of the Year 2003 |
Succeeded by Sami Hyypiä |
Preceded by James Beattie |
Southampton F.C. Player of the Season 2003 – 2004 |
Succeeded by Peter Crouch |
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