Antti Niemi (footballer)

Antti Mikko Niemi (born 31 May 1972) is a Finnish former professional footballer who played as a goalkeeper. He is currently an assistant coach of Volos of the Super League Greece.

Niemi spent time as a player in the Scottish Premier League (with Rangers, 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.

Since 2010, Niemi has also worked as the goalkeeping coach of Finland national team. He also worked as a goalkeeping coach at Brighton & Hove Albion during the 2014–15 season.

Early career
Niemi was born in Oulu, Finland and started football in local club Oulun Luistinseura (OLS) and Rauman Pallo before joining HJK Helsinki in 1991. At the start of the 1991 season, Niemi suffered a leg injury during his international commitment with Finland. He eventually recovered and made his debut for the club, coming on as a 69th-minute substitute for Juha Karjalainen, in a 8–2 win against Lahden Reipas on 20 July 1991. Niemi made another appearance for HJK Helsinki, coming on as a 22nd minute substitute for Karjalainen, in a 1–0 loss against Ilves on 31 August 1991. At the end of the 1991 season, he went on to make two appearances for the club.

Ahead of the 1992 season, Niemi went on a trial with Belgian side Club Brugge but he did not earn a contract and stayed at HJK Helsinki. In the 1992 season, Niemi established himself as the club’s first choice goalkeeper role following the departure of Karjalainen. He helped HJK Helsinki win 1–0 against FC Kuusysi to win the Lahti Cup Football Championship. However during the match against MyPa on 6 June 1992, Niemi collided with Esa Pekonen and was substituted in the 68th minute, as the club won 2–1. After the match, he was out for three weeks with a patellar tendon. After resuming his first choice goalkeeper role following his return from injury, Niemi helped HJK Helsinki go on an eight match unbeaten streak between 11 July 1992 and 8 August 1992. Niemi, once again, helped the club improved their unbeaten streak in their remaining matches of the season. On the last game of the season, HJK Helsinki was confirmed as the Veikkausliiga’s champions after the club beat MyPa 2–0. At the end of the 1992 season, he made twenty–seven appearance in all competitions. For his performance, Niemi was named the league’s team of the season.

In the 1993 season, Niemi continued to retain his first-choice goalkeeper role at HJK Helsinki and the club made a good start at first, but the their form soon declined that saw them out of being a title contenders. He then kept four consecutive clean sheets in the league between 9 June 1993 and 7 July 1993. Niemi helped the club win the Finnish Cup by beating RoPS to win the tournament. However, he suffered a knee injury that saw him out for three matches. He made his return from injury against FC Jazz on 28 August 1993 and conceded three goals, as HJK Helsinki loss 3–0. Niemi helped the club qualify in the next round of the UEFA Champions League after beating Norma Tallinn 1–0 in the second leg. However, he played in both legs of the UEFA Champions League first round against Anderlecht, as HJK Helsinki loss 6–0 on aggregate. The club finished third place in the league, which earns them a place in the Cup Winners' Cup. At the end of the 1993 season, Niemi made twenty–seven appearance in all competitions. Following this, he signed a contract with HJK Helsinki.

In the 1994 season, Niemi continued to retain his first-choice goalkeeper role at HJK Helsinki. He then kept five consecutive clean sheets between 18 June 1994 and 24 July 1993. Niemi played three times in the club’s UEFA Cup Winners' Cup matches, as they were eliminated in the first round by Beşiktaş. Despite HJK Helsinki losing remaining three matches of the 1994 season, the club finished third place in the league that saw them qualify for the UEFA Intertoto Cup. His season ended in a high note when he helped HJK Helsinki win the Finnish League Cup after beating FC Jazz 2–0. At the end of the 1994 season, Niemi made twenty–seven appearance in all competitions.

In the 1995 season, Niemi started the season well when he kept five clean sheets in the first two months of the season, including keeping three consecutive clean sheets between 13 May 1995 and 24 May 1995. However, Niemi suffered aa knee injury during a 3–2 win against Bohemian on 1 July 1995 and missed two matches as a result. He made his return from injury against Helsingin Ponnistus on 25 July 1995 and kept a clean sheet, in a 5–0 win. Niemi then kept three consecutive clean sheets between 26 August 1995 and 13 September 1995. At the 1995 season, he went on to make twenty–six appearance in all competitions. During his time at HJK Helsinki, Niemi made over 100 appearances in four years.

FC Copenhagen
On 1 December 1995, Niemi was transferred Danish side FC Copenhagen, signing a two–year contract. While playing for FC Copenhagen, he previously played in a friendly match, in a 1–0 win against Rangers on 24 July 1996; this subsequently impressed Rangers, who eventually signed him. On 8 May 1997, Niemi helped the club win the Danish Cup by beating Ikast FC 2–0. During his time at FC Copenhagen, he became their first-choice goalkeeper over the two seasons and made fifty–one appearance in all competitions.

Rangers
Impressive performances over the next two years led Niemi being linked to a move to British clubs. Ultimately, he ended moving a transfer to Scotland with Glasgow club Rangers on 21 June 1997.

Niemi made his debut for the club, starting the match, in a 5–0 win against Gøtu Ítróttarfelag in the first leg of the UEFA Champions League’s first round. In the return leg, he appeared and kept another clean sheet, in a 6–0 win to advance to the next round. Niemi initially competed with Andy Goram and Theo Snelders for the goalkeeper position. However, Niemi was plagued with injuries, as he suffered a broken fingers on two occasions. By December, Niemi made his return from injury and played a number of matches for Rangers’ reserve team. On 7 February 1998, he made his league debut for Rangers, in a 1–1 draw against Dunfermline Athletic. Niemi made four more appearances for the club, including keeping three clean sheets. He made seven appearance in all competitions in his first season at Rangers.

In the 1998−99 season, Niemi began the season competing with Lionel Charbonnier to be Rangers' goalkeeper. He played in both legs of the first qualifying round of the UEFA Cup against Shelbourne and helped the club win 7–3. However in a match against Hearts in the opening game of the season, he conceded two goals despite producing saves throughout the game, as Rangers loss 2–1. Niemi appeared in the first leg of the second qualifying round of the UEFA Cup against PAOK and kept a clean sheet clean to help the club win 2–0. Following this, he was dropped from the squad for the next three months. But on 5 November 1998, Niemi made his return to the starting line–up in the second leg of the UEFA Cup second round against Bayer 04 Leverkusen, in a 1–1 draw, which saw Rangers advance to the next round. Following this, he became the club’s first choice goalkeeper for the rest of the year. On 21 November 1998, Niemi was in goal against Celtic when he conceded five goals and lost as a result, which Helsingin Sanomat described Rangers’ performance as “the most humiliating defeats in the Scottish Premier League history”. A week later, Niemi started the Scottish League Cup final and was able to make up his amends when he helped the club beat St Johnstone 2–1 to win the tournament. However, Stefan Klos was signed in December 1998 and immediately became Rangers’ first choice, demoting Niemi to the bench. Rangers won the Scottish Premier League in the 1998–99 season, but he only contributed seven league appearances.

Niemi’s demotion to the substitute bench and eventual third choice status led to his contemplate his future at the club. In fact, Niemi only made one Rangers appearance after Klos was signed, which came in the league against Motherwell on 16 August 1999. Niemi also had a brief loan spell at Charlton Athletic late in 1999.

Hearts
Niemi moved to Edinburgh to join Heart of Midlothian on 18 December 1999. The transfer move variously reported between £350k and £400k.

He made his debut for the club the next day, starting the match, in a 3–0 loss against local rivals, Hibernian. In a follow–up match against his former club Rangers, Niemi started the match, as the Jam Tarts lose 1–0. Since joining the club, he quickly established himself as Hearts’ first choice goalkeeper, successfully dispatching from Gilles Rousset and Roddy McKenzie. Niemi helped the club kept four out of five consecutive clean sheets between 19 February 2000 and 15 March 2000. However during the match against Aberdeen on 22 March 2000, he suffered a groin injury and had to be substituted in the 40th minute, as Hearts won 3–0. After missing two matches, Niemi returned to the starting line–up against Celtic on 9 April 2000 and kept a clean sheet, in a 1–0 win. He helped Hearts gain revenge against their rivals, Hibernian by winning 2–1 and ensure the club’s qualification for the UEFA Cup. Despite being out on two occasions later in the 1999–00 season, Niemi went on to make twenty–one appearance in all competitions in his half season at Hearts.

The start of the 2000–01 season saw Niemi made a good start for Hearts by keeping three clean sheets against rivals, Hibernian and both legs in the UEFA Cup qualification against ÍBV Vestmannaeyjar. During the match against Hibernian, he was hit in a head with a plastic cup by a Hibernian supporter. Niemi played in European competition for the club against opponents such as Stuttgart, as Hearts would be eliminated by away goal following a 3–3 draw on aggregate. Despite losing 1–0 against his former club, Rangers on 17 September 2000, newspaper The Herald said about his performance: "he found himself playing spectator for much of the 90 minutes as the opposition sat back, not through choice, but because they had no alternative amid an incessant attack ". By mid–November, Niemi conceded fourteen goals in the last three matches, including one in a 5–2 loss against Celtic in the quarter-finals of the Scottish League Cup, but he remained the club’s first choice goalkeeper. Niemi’s performance throughout the 2000–01 season was praised by his former teammate, Goram, and manager Craig Levein. In a match against Kilmarnock on 9 December 2000, he set up a goal for Andy Kirk, who scored twice, in a 3–0 win. Having conceded a total of seven goals against Henrik Larsson in the 2000–01 season, Niemi described him as "the among the best he has ever played against". Niemi then kept three consecutive clean sheets between 14 March 2001 and 31 March 2001. For his performance, he was named April’s Player of the month. Niemi finished eighth place for the FourFourTwo magazine’s Scottish Player of the Year award. At the end of the 2000–01 season, he finished his first season full season with Hearts, making forty–seven appearance in all competitions.

Ahead of the 2001–02 season, Niemi was linked with a move back to re-joining newly promoted Premiership side Charlton Athletic, but he ended up staying at Hearts. Niemi continued to maintain his good form throughout the season. The Herald Scotland commented on his performance, saying: "Selling prized assets has become a ritual, one that is almost certain to continue with Antti Niemi. Had it not been for the Finnish goalkeeper in the last two weeks, Hearts could easily have conceded around." However, he suffered a finger injury that saw him out for four weeks. On 23 January 2002, Niemi made his return from injury, in a 2–0 loss against Celtic. Following his return, he resumed his role as the club’s first choice goalkeeper role for the rest of the season. On 12 March 2002, his agent revealed that Hearts began open talks with Niemi over a new contract. At the end of the 2001–02 season, he went on to make thirty–four appearance in all competitions. For his performance, Niemi was awarded the club’s player of the year.

At the start of the 2002–03 season, Niemi appeared three times for Hearts amid his future at the club. He appeared in his Edinburgh derby match on 11 August 2002 and produced good saves to help Hearts beat Hibernian 5–1.

During his time at the club, Niemi became a hero for Hearts fans in the three years he played at Tynecastle. Niemi put in some fantastic performances which helped prevent Hearts from even worse Derby thrashings than the 0-3 and 6-2 hammerings, whom he was on the end of. Niemi also became famous in Scotland for his ability to save penalties, demonstrating this skill when saving from Dundee United's Charlie Miller and Dunfermline Athletic's Scott Thomson. In a more light-hearted incident, Niemi was also famously during his time at Hearts the subject of a call during a phone-in on radio channel talkSPORT, in which a Scottish fan queried why Niemi had not been called up to the Scotland national team. When presenter Arthur Albiston told the caller that Niemi was in fact Finnish, the caller replied "He's no' finish', he's only 28!" Upon his retirement from professional football, he 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 Jefferies".

Southampton
After three seasons in Edinburgh, Niemi agreed a move to Premiership side Southampton on 22 August 2002 for a fee of £2 million. The move was officially announced five days later. Upon joining the club, he was linked up with manager Gordon Strachan, who tried to sign him in 1997 whilst as a manager of Coventry City. However, the move angered Hearts supporters, prompting the club’s chief executive Chris Robinson to defend the sale. But the signings of Niemi and Michael Svensson caused the Saints to lose £3.5 million for the first half of the financial year.

Niemi made his debut for Southampton against his former club, Charlton Athletic on 21 September 2002 and kept a clean sheet, including saving a 30-yard free-kick from Claus Jensen and a 25-yard shot from Chris Bart-Williams, in a 0–0 draw. Since joining the club, Niemi immediately dispatched the first choice goalkeeper role from Paul Jones. He also produced his good form at Southampton, including against Aston Villa, Arsenal and West Ham United. However, Niemi suffered a knee injury that saw him out for two matches. But on 21 December 2002, he made his return from injury, in a 1–1 against Leeds United. Following his return from injury, Niemi regained his first choice goalkeeper role for the club. He said the Southampton’s aim was to qualify for Europe, due to the inspiration from manager Strachan. By the end of February, Niemi conceded twenty–six goals in all competitions for Southampton. He contributed to the club’s FA Cup runs to the quarter-finals, playing five times. In a game against Fulham in the 2002–03 season, Niemi 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. However, Niemi suffered a knee injury that saw him out for three matches. On 3 May 2003, he returned from injury to be included to the starting line–up and kept a clean sheet, in a 0–0 draw against Bolton Wanderers. After missing the remaining two matches due "to precaution with a recurring knee problem", Niemi played for Southampton in the 2003 FA Cup final against Arsenal, which the Saints 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 his first season at the club, Niemi made thirty–three appearance in all competitions.

Ahead of the 2003–04 season, Niemi was linked with a move to Premiership’s champions, Manchester United, but he ended up staying at Southampton, due to his calf injury. Niemi spent first month to the season, recovering from his injury. By late–August, Niemi returned to training and spent the following month on the substitute bench. On 4 October 2003, he made his first appearance of the season against Newcastle United and was faultless from conceding a 43rd minutes goal from Alan Shearer, as the club loss 1–0. His second appearance of the season came in the second leg of the UEFA Cup first round against FC Steaua București and conceded an 83rd minute goal from Claudiu Răducanu, as Southampton loss 1–0 and was eliminated from the tournament. Niemi then kept clean consecutive clean sheets between 19 October 2003 and 28 October 2003. However during a 3–0 win against Bristol City in the third round of the League Cup, he suffered a groin injury and was substituted at half-time. Niemi made his return from injury against Bolton Wanderers on 8 November 2003 and kept a clean sheet, as Southampton drew 0–0. After the match, local newspaper Southern Daily Echo praised his performance, calling him "the club’s best player in the 2003–04 season" so far. Since returning from injury, he, once again, dispatched the first choice goalkeeper role from Paul Jones. During a 2–0 loss against Arsenal on 10 February 2004, he was booked in the last minute of the match "for dissent towards the linesman". After the match, Niemi said he was wrong to receive a booking and that "it was out of character for him to lose his cool". Following Strachan’s departure from the club, Niemi said Southampton need to adjust without him and was replaced by Paul Sturrock. In a match against Blackburn Rovers on 28 February 2004, he produced good performances and "thwarted striker Andy Cole on a number of occasions and his array of saves" before conceding a goal from him, as the club drew 1–1. In a follow–up match against Liverpool, Niemi saved a Michael Owen’s penalty to help his team to a 2–0 win. After the match, he was named man of the match. However, Niemi missed the last two matches of the season, due to a virus. At the end of the 2003–004 season, he went on to make thirty–three appearance in all competitions. Local newspaper, Southern Daily Echo, praised Niemi’s performance, saying: "It's a difficult quality to explain or quantify, but like many great players, the Finn has a real presence. He has it both on and off the field. But, for all his serenity, it is the agility, positioning and breathtaking shot-stopping ability that makes Niemi such a good goalkeeper. Even when he makes an amazing save, not a blade of hair ever seems to move out of place! And anyone who seriously thinks there has been a better keeper in the league this season has simply not seen enough of Southampton in 2003–04 season. The stats which place him as the best shot-stopper in the top-flight back this up and it is certainly no exaggeration to suggest a relegation battle could have threatened without him." Niemi was also awarded the club’s Player of the Season.

Ahead of the 2004–05 season, 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. This led the club to open talks with him over a new contract. He, himself, wanted to stay at Southampton. In the first month to the season, he signed a contract extension with Southampton, keeping him until 2008. After losing 2–0 against Aston Villa in the opening game of the season, he was involved in an altercation with David Prutton halfway through the second half. In a post-match interview, Prutton played down suggestions of dressing room tension, stating that he and Niemi made up after the game. Niemi was blameless for the club’s poor start to the 2004–05 season, conceding ten goals in the first ten league matches and picking up six points. However, he suffered a knee injury that kept him out for a month. Upon returning from injury, Niemi reflected on his performance in the 2004–05 season so far, saying: "We have to pick up points sooner rather than later. The season has been okay personally, but right now, no one can really say 'I've done well'." He made his return from injury against Middlesbrough on 11 December 2004 and conceded two late goals, as Southampton went on to draw 2–2. After the match, manager Harry Redknapp praised Niemi’s performance, saying: "Antti Niemi made a terrific save. He's a top class keeper and he's important for us." However in a follow–up match against Tottenham Hotspur, Niemi conceded five goals, and was blameless for his performance, as the club loss 5–1. With Premier League clubs continuously remain interested in signing him in the January transfer window, he ruled out leaving Southampton. During a 2–1 loss against Newcastle United on 15 January 2005, Niemi suffered a knee injury and was substituted in the 6th minute. But it turns out the knee injury was a bruising and returned to the starting line–up against Liverpool on 22 January 2005 and kept a clean sheet, in a 2–0 win. However, he suffered a knee injury once again that saw him out for a month. It wasn’t until on 18 March 2005 when Niemi made his return from injury and started the whole game, in a 3–1 win against Middlesbrough. After missing one match due to a hip injury, he spoke out about the determination of the club’s survival to retain their Premiership status. On the last game of the season, Niemi was unable to help Southampton avoid relegation despite his best effort after losing 2–1 against Manchester United. At the end of the 2004–05 season, he went on to make thirty–two appearance in all competitions. Reflecting on the season, Niemi described the club’s relegation as his "first bad experience in British football" and "average at best".

Ahead of the 2005–06 season, Niemi’s future at Southampton was uncertain following their relegation to the Championship. He was linked to a move to Celtic, with a chance of reuniting with manager Gordon Strachan, but they opted to sign Artur Boruc instead. In the end, Niemi stayed at the Saints. He started the season by keeping four clean sheets in the first month to the season, including three consecutive clean sheets. Niemi, once again, kept another three consecutive clean sheets between 22 October 2005 and 5 November 2005. Despite the club was unable to establish consistency needed to make the club’s promotion contenders, manager Redknapp praised his performance, saying: "He's one of the best goalkeepers playing in this country, let alone this league. Niemi enjoyed it here and, though there was talk of Celtic wanting him in the summer, they got a good keeper, and it was good for us. He's not had a lot to do this season. We've never been under much pressure." However, Niemi suffered an illness that saw him out for two matches at the end of the year. It wasn’t until on 31 December 2005 when he returned from injury against Cardiff City and captained Southampton, as the club loss 2–1. By the time Niemi left Southampton, the club was in the mid-table, just outside of challenging for promotion, and made twenty–five appearance in all competitions.

Fulham
Niemi decided to return to the Premiership by signing for Fulham for a fee of around £1 million on 10 January 2006. He was previously linked to Charlton Athletic for the third time, and Fulham in the January transfer window.

Niemi made his debut for the club against Newcastle United on 14 January 2006 and kept a clean sheet, in a 1–0 win. He made four more starts for Fulham, including two wins against Tottenham Hotspur and West Bromwich Albion. However, Niemi suffered a hamstring injury in a warm–up sessions against Bolton Wanderers, which the club loss 2–1 on 26 February 2006. On 15 April 2006, he returned to the starting line–up against Charlton Athletic and helped the club win 2–1. At the end of the 2005–06 season, he made nine appearance in all competitions.

In the 2006–07 season, Niemi fully established himself as Fulham’s first choice goalkeeper. During a 1–1 draw against Portsmouth on 11 November 2006, he produced a number of saves before conceding a goal from Andy Cole. After the match, manager Chris Coleman praised Niemi’s performance. However, he suffered a knee injury that saw him out for two matches. It wasn’t until on 18 December 2006 when Niemi made his return from injury against Middlesbrough and helped the club win 2–1. However, 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. However, Niemi’s return was short–lived when he injured himself in the warm-up prior to the match against Newcastle United on 3 February 2007, which Fulham won 2–1. On 3 March 2007, Niemi made his return from injury, in a 1–1 draw against Aston Villa. He regained his first choice goalkeeper role for the club for the rest of the 2006–07 season. At the end of the 2006–07 season, Niemi made thirty–one appearance in all competitions.

Ahead of the 2007–08 season, Niemi signed a two–year contract with Fulham, keeping him until 2009. In the opening game of the season against Arsenal, however, he suffered injured himself in the warm-up prior to the match, in a 2–1 loss. It wasn’t until on 1 September 2007 when Niemi made his return from injury, in a 3–3 draw against Tottenham Hotspur. Since returning from injury, he remained the club’s first choice keeper and found himself in a number of defeats that pushed Fulham into the relegation places. This last until 1 March 2008, when, following injury, Niemi was replaced by Kasey Keller. The club secured the Cottagers' survival, which was confirmed on the final day of the season with a 1–0 win over Portsmouth. At the end of the 2007–08 season, he went on to make twenty–three appearance in all competitions.

Ahead of the 2008–09 season, Niemi stated his intention was to stay at Fulham, following the new signing of Mark Schwarzer. However, he suffered a wrist injury that saw miss the start of the 2008–09 season. On 3 September 2008, it was announced that Niemi had retired from professional football due to a wrist injury.

Portsmouth
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 for Portsmouth's first team. It was reported that Niemi earned almost £450,000 during those eight months with Portsmouth.

Finland U21
Having previously played for the Finland youth team levels, Niemi was called up to the Finland U21 squad for the first time in January 1990. He was featured in the U21 side for the UEFA European Under-21 Championship, as they unsuccessfully earned a place in the Summer Olympics.

On 13 May 1992, Niemi captained Finland U21 for the first time and a kept a clean sheet, in a 0–0 draw against Bulgaria U21. It wasn’t until on 27 April 1993 when he captained the U21 side for the second time, in a 3–1 loss against Bulgaria U21. Niemi went on to make seventeen appearances for Finland U21.

Senior team
In October 1992, Niemi was called up to the Finland for the first time. He made his debut for the national team, in a 1–1 draw against Tunisia on 7 November 1992. In January 1993, Niemi was called up to the Finland squad for the Nehru Cup. He played two times in the tournament, as Finland reached the semi-finals when they loss 3–2 against North Korea on 31 January 1993. For the rest of the year, Niemi did not play for the national side, due to focusing on his commitment with the Finland U21 side.

It wasn’t until on 27 January 1994 when Niemi made his first appearance for Finland’s senior team in almost a year, and kept a clean sheet, in a 0–0 draw against Qatar. This was followed up by keeping another clean sheet, in a 2–0 win against Oman. He then went on to make three more appearances for the national side by the end of the year, including a 7–0 win against Estonia. After featuring once in 1995, Niemi had to wait for eight months to make another appearance for Finland, in a 0–0 draw against Turkey on 4 October 1995. In the FIFA World Cup qualification, he helped the national side go on a three match unbeaten, earning seven points. Niemi helped Finland beat Switzerland 2–1, which the next match would ensure the national side to earn a place in the the second round. However, he did not start against Hungary, as the game resulted in a 1–1 draw, eliminating both teams from securing a place in the FIFA World Cup.

Following Finland’s elimination in the FIFA World Cup, Niemi officially became the first choice goalkeeper for the national side, though at times, his place was under threat, due to not getting playing time while playing for Rangers. He helped Finland go on an impressive starts in 1998, including a goalless draw against Germany and two wins at the start of the UEFA Euro 2000 qualifying. In mid–1999, Niemi lost his place as the national side’s first choice goalkeeper role, with Jani Viander and Peter Enckelman preferred for the rest of the year.

Due to getting more playing time at Hearts, Niemi was called up to the Finland squad for the first time in seven months. He started for the side against Poland and kept a clean sheet, in a 0–0 draw on 26 April 2000. On 11 October 2000, he started against England and kept a clean sheet, in a 0–0 draw. Despite helping Finland five matches unbeaten for the rest of the FIFA World Cup qualification, the national side failed to advance to the playoffs. Niemi then made his 50th appearance for Finland, in a 4–1 win against Portugal on 27 March 2002. He only appeared three times throughout 2003, due to injuries sustained at Southampton.

On 28 April 2004, Niemi made his 60th appearance for Finland, in a 1–0 loss against Bosnia and Herzegovina. At the start of the FIFA World Cup qualification, he helped the national side go on a three match winning streak, including keeping two clean sheets. On 13 October 2004, Niemi started in a match against the Netherlands and conceded three goals, as Finland loss 3–1, in what turned out to be his last appearance for the national side. For his performance throughout 2004, he was named Finnish Footballer of the Year.

Niemi was first choice for the Finland national team for almost a decade. On 20 May 2005, he announced his decision to retire from international football and earned 66 caps at the time – a record number for a Finnish goalkeeper. Despite this, there were attempts from Roy Hodgson to convince Niemi to come out of international retirement. Two years on 15 October 2007, he was called up to the national team squad for the 100th anniversary match of the Finland Football Association against Spain. Two days later on 17 October 2007, Niemi started the match and kept a clean sheet throughout the match, in a 0–0 draw, which was capped 67 times by his country before this.

Coaching career
On 2 March 2010, Niemi joined Finland's national team as a goalkeeping coach to start his coaching career. While working on the role, he mentored Jesse Joronen and Lukas Hradecky.

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. Having spend a year, he had a brief stint in FC Honka coaching staff. On 27 June 2014, Niemi was appointed goalkeeper coach at Championship side Brighton & Hove Albion by former Finland teammate Sami Hyypiä. He remained at the club, even after the sacking of Hyypiä in December 2014. At the end of the 2014–15 season, Niemi left Brighton & Hove Albion, citing personal reasons and returned to Finland.

On 26 January 2021, Niemi was appointed in the coaching staff of HIFK, after a request of then head coach Joaquín Gómez. At the end of the 2021 season, he left the club. On 21 June 2024, Niemi joined Greek side Volos, where he was reunited with Joaquín Gómez.

Personal life
Having played in England for the rest of his football career, Niemi is fluent in English. He is married and is a father of two children. Following his end of his professional football career, Niemi returned to Finland to focus on his family while balancing his role as a goalkeeper coach.

In his spare time, Niemi plays the bass and even said that since as a teenager, he wanted to play in a band. It was announced on 25 January 2011 that MTV3 would release a DVD featuring highlights of Niemi’s professional football career.