Carragher: Hyypia up with Liverpool heroes Hansen, Lawrenson

Jamie Carragher rates departing Liverpool teammate Sami Hyypia as a club legend.

"I don't think you could use any other word for Sami other than legend," he told liverpoolfc.tv.

"If you look at the standard of his performances ever since he first came to the club, his level of consistency and his performances then you'd have to say he is up there with the very best centre backs we've ever had.

"The names that spring to mind straight away are the likes of Ron Yeats, Alan Hansen, Emlyn Hughes and Mark Lawrenson and for me Sami is up there with them.

"And when you take into account his transfer fee you'd have to say that pound for pound he is one of the club's greatest ever signings."

"I've always said the fact that Sami plays in defence has meant that he hasn't always been given the credit he deserves," continued Carragher.

"The likes of Zola, Henry and Bergkamp spring to mind straight away and quite rightly so because everyone knows how good they were when they played in this country.

"But for me Sami has to be mentioned alongside them because he has performed so well at the top level for such a long time.

"He is definitely one of the best foreign players the Premier League has seen and he is arguably Liverpool's best ever foreign signing, although I'm sure Fernando Torres will make a claim for that title in the years to come."