Antti Niemi (footballer)
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| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | Antti Mikko Niemi | ||
| Date of birth | 31 May 1972 | ||
| Place of birth | Oulu, Finland | ||
| Height | 1.85 m (6 ft 1 in) | ||
| Playing position | Goalkeeper | ||
| Senior career* | |||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) |
| 1989 | OLS | 15 | (0) |
| 1990 | Rauman Pallo | 15 | (0) |
| 1991–1995 | HJK | 101 | (0) |
| 1995–1997 | FC Copenhagen | 47 | (0) |
| 1997–1999 | Rangers | 13 | (0) |
| 1999 | → Charlton Athletic (loan) | 0 | (0) |
| 1999–2002 | Heart of Midlothian | 89 | (0) |
| 2002–2006 | Southampton | 106 | (0) |
| 2006–2008 | Fulham | 62 | (0) |
| 2009–2010 | Portsmouth | 0 | (0) |
| Total | 418 | (0) | |
| National team | |||
| 1992–2007 | Finland | 67 | (0) |
| * Senior club appearances and goals counted for the domestic league only and correct as of 15 May 2008. |
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Antti Mikko Niemi (born 31 May 1972) is a retired Finnish football goalkeeper, who is currently working as a goalkeeping coach for Brighton and Hove Albion. 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.
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.
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.
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