AGONA Legends: Alexandros Tziolis, the journeyman who experienced it all

The AGONA Legends series takes a closer look at the eventful career of Alexandros Tziolis, who recently took the decision to end his days as a professional footballer.

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The 35-year-old certainly enjoyed a memorable career. Overall, following his senior debut with Panionios in the 2002/2003 campaign, Tziolis registered 21 goals and 21 assists in 505 matches at club level. On the international scene, the midfielder participated in 75 games with the senior national team, popping up with two goals. However, towards the end of Michael Skibbe’s stint as Ethniki Omada boss, Tziolis attracted a lot of criticism from fans for his slow displays. 

Tziolis was on the books of Panionios, Panathinaikos, Werder Bremen, Siena, Racing Santander, Monaco, APOEL, PAOK, Kayserispor, Hearts and Al-Fayha as a professional, winning the Super League, Greek Cup, Cypriot First Division and the German Cup. He was a member of the Werder Bremen side which lost to Shakhtar Donetsk in the final of the 2008/2009 UEFA Cup.

The experienced Greek had been without a club since leading Al-Fayha last August.

CAREER START 

Born in Katerini, Tziolis initially began his football journey as a child with Apollon Litochorou in 1995, but Panionios made a swoop for the defensive midfielder in 2002 after spotting his potential. Tziolis only spent three years in Nea Smyrni before Panathinaikos paid the Panthers 250,000 euros to secure his services.

On August 9, 2005, Tziolis was handed his debut with Panathinaikos on the biggest stage possible, appearing as a substitute for the concluding 28 minutes of a UEFA Champions League qualifier against Wisla Krakow. Admittedly, Panathinaikos did lose that particular game 1-3, but the Athenians did manage to qualify after winning the second leg 4-1 in Greece.

FIRST MOVE ABROAD, SERIOUS INJURY ON INTERNATIONAL DUTY

Tziolis’ first chance to prove himself in a stronger championship arrived in January 2009. Impressed by his performances in the Super League, Werder Bremen opted to give the midfielder a chance in the Bundesliga, signing him on loan from Panathinaikos for the remainder of the 2008/2009 season.

“It was my dream to receive an opportunity in a major European league, my goal is now to not play in the Greek championship again,” remarked Tziolis when making the move to Germany.

Unfortunately for Tziolis, he would return to Panathinaikos when the campaign ended, but his short time in Germany was spent productively. With Werder Bremen, Tziolis participated in the finals of two competitions, losing the showpiece game of the UEFA Cup to Shakhtar Donetsk before winning the German Cup with a 1-0 victory against Bayer Leverkusen. Tziolis was used as a substitute in both of those finals.

Interestingly, despite his showings with Werder Bremen, Tziolis was unable to earn a spot in the Panathinaikos during the first half of the 2009/2010 campaign. As a consequence, he was left with no other option than to wave goodbye to Panathinaikos, with the Prasini selling him to Siena for 1.2 million in the winter transfer window.

Tziolis participated in 13 Serie A games in the second stage of the season with Siena. The Italians suffered relegation to the second tier, though, and they made the decision to loan him to Racing Santander for the 2010/2011 campaign.

Disaster struck for Tziolis in October. When participating in an international friendly against the Latvians, Tziolis suffered a broken leg, meaning he had to spend the next four to six months recuperating on the sidelines. He made his grand return to the field for the concluding four games of the La Liga season.

MONACO TRANSFER IN JANUARY 2012, GREEK RETURN IN SUMMER OF 2013

Racing Santander signed Tziolis on a permanent deal ahead of the upcoming 2011/2012 season. As the campaign progressed, however, Tziolis found himself keeping the bench warm with more regularity, and the Spanish organisation made the call to sell the Greek midfielder to Monaco for a mere 200,000 in January. Tziolis didn’t experience any success in Ligue 2 with Monaco and switched to APOEL on loan in August 2012.

Thankfully for Tziolis, he got back on track in Cyprus, competing in 30 matches in all tournaments as APOEL earned the domestic crown by finishing five points above second-placed Anorthosis. Tziolis dished out the one assist in the Cypriot First Division in a 1-0 win against Enosis Neon Paralimniou.

Tziolis moved back to Greece with PAOK as a free agent in July 2013 after his contract with Monaco had reached its completion.

THREE SEASONS IN THESSALONIKI

Tziolis became a popular figure in Thessaloniki during his three seasons in Thessaloniki. Over the course of his stint with the Dikefalos tou Vorra, Tziolis played in 111 matches for PAOK, standing out with his calm play in midfield and ability to control games. It must be noted that Tziolis was briefly loaned to Kayserispor of the Turkish Super Lig for the second half of the 2013/2014 season.

He particularly shone for PAOK during the 2015/2016 campaign. In what was a busy season for PAOK, Tziolis scored two goals and made two assist in 46 games, earning plenty of plaudits for his composed performances in midfield. Tziolis wore the captain’s armband on his sleeve on a number of occasions too.

SPELLS IN SCOTLAND AND SAUDI ARABIA

Tziolis was released by PAOK in January 2017. This time, he opted to try his luck in Scotland, penning a deal with Hearts. To his credit, Tziolis immediately settled in the Premiership, playing in 16 league games for Hearts and hitting the jackpot in a 3-0 triumph at Motherwell. He wasn’t to remain in Edinburgh for a prolonged amount of time, though, leaving Hearts after the season ended.

The final stop in his club career was to be Saudi Arabia. Following two seasons with Al Fayha, Tziolis walked through the exit door in July 2019, and he was unemployed up until the moment when he announced that he was hanging up his boots. Tziolis left Al Fayha after netting three goals in 60 matches.

NATIONAL TEAM SUCCESS

Of course, we can’t ignore Tziolis’ efforts with the Ethniki Omada, with the midfielder having played in 75 matches for the senior national team. Tziolis was a part of the team which competed at UEFA Euro 2008, the 2010 FIFA World Cup and the 2014 edition of the same competition. His two goals for Greece were scored in June 2011 against Ecuador and in October 2017 in a 2-1 triumph in Cyprus during World Cup qualifying.

Tziolis had made his senior debut for his country in a friendly against South Korea on January 21, 2006. As we know, his national team days ended on somewhat of a disappointing note, with his final appearance having been made in a 2-0 loss to Finland in the UEFA Nations League. Tziolis became a scapegoat for the majority of Greek fans, with the supporters heavily criticising him for his slow, laborious approach to the game. 

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