The Best Greek Players of the 21st Century
The Best Greek Players of the 21st Century
Although the football in Greece is not considered to be on the same level as the leagues in Europe, this has not prevented the country from producing many outstanding players. Perhaps that should not be surprising, as football is far and away the biggest sport in the country.
That already existing popularity was turbocharged by the Euro 2004 triumph. It put the country on the international football map and inspired a new generation of young Greeks to want to play professional football.
Today we are going to look at the players who make Grecian hearts sing, both from that iconic championship winning team and the current era.
Konstantinos Tsimikas
If any player sums up the rise of Greek football in the 21st century it is defender Konstantinos Tsimikas. He is such an exceptional talent that it has earned him a move to what is probably the top football league in the world – the English Premier League.
Furthermore, he is not playing for any old team in that league, but one of the very best sides, in Liverpool FC. The 26-year-old left back joined the Reds two years ago after starting his career at Olympiacos and he has made a splash with two really key contributions.
During Liverpool’s run to the 2022 Champions League final he assisted for two goals in the quarter final win over Benfica and then he went on to score the winning penalty kick in the FA Cup shootout win over Chelsea a couple of months later. Despite a slow start to the new season, Liverpool are current second favourites for the Premier League title, with attractive odds of 7/1 at football betting sites and Tsimikas could prove to be a big player for them in this season’s championship race.
Theodoros Zagorakis
Every player that was part of the Euro 2004 team could arguably make it onto a list like this, but Zagorakis was the man who captained the Greek national team to its finest hour. By the time that tournament came around he was a real veteran, at 33 years of age, and had spent most of his career at teams in Greece – including Kavala and PAOK.
At the time of Euro 2004 he was playing at a higher level with AEK Athens, where he became a lynchpin of the team in central midfield. He already had that role with Greece and he was never more important than in those European Championship matches.
His tough defensive midfield tackling was at the heart of Greece upsetting all the odds and winning the tournament. He completed more tackles than any other player and also provided a crucial quarter final goal assist to help Greece beat defending champions France.
Zagorakis is a player who truly deserves to be called a legend.
Konstantinos Mavropanos
Mavropanos is another of the current stars showcasing the brilliance of Greek football abroad. He was signed by VfB Stuttgart this summer after two impressive seasons on loan with the German team.
Before that the central defender also enjoyed a successful loan with FC Nurnberg, having struggled to break into the Arsenal first team in England. He has had no such problems in the Bundesliga though, becoming an ever-present in the Stuttgart defence, with 52 appearances for them last season.
In addition to providing important strength and power in their defence to help them stay in the league, he also chipped in with some impressive goals. Stuttgart may not be Bundesliga contenders – their odds are currently around 750/1 – but Mavropanos is a player on the way up.
Kostas Manolas
Manolas started out as a star in Greek football and has stayed that way. After signing for his boyhood team AEK Athens in 2009 he won the man of the match award in five of his first seven games.
He went on to score a key goal in a derby win against Olympiacos, before going on to sign for them a couple of years later. The central defender has also had a successful spell in Italy, playing for Roma and Napoli, and helped the first of those teams to beat Barcelona in the 2018 Champions League quarter finals.
Now 31, he is back in Greece with Olympiacos and they are favourites to win the league again, partly because he is still one of the best defenders in the division.
Angelos Charisteas
No list of the best Greek players this century could be complete without the man who scored the winning goal at Euro 2004. Ironically, this star of Greek football spent most of his club career outside of the country though.
Having started at Aris Thessaloniki, he went on to play most of his club football in Germany and Holland with Werder Bremen, Ajax, Feyenoord and FC Nurnberg. He was a decent, if not prolific striker at club level, finishing his career with 74 goals from 330 matches.
It was the 2004 European Championships in Portugal that secured his legendary status though. As well as the winning goal in the final against the host team, he also came up with the winner in the quarter final game versus France.
Every Greek player nowadays dreams of emulating the achievement of Charisteas.
These are the five players who have boosted the reputation of Greek football during this century. Hopefully there will be more of them to come in the future.