Giannis Kalitzakis

Greek footballer From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Giannis Kalitzakis (Greek: Γιάννης Καλιτζάκης; born 10 February 1966) is a Greek former professional footballer who played as a centre-back. His nickname was "The Ninja" due to his hard acrobatic tackles and very strong defensive style.

Full name Ioannis Kalitzakis
Date of birth (1966-02-10) 10 February 1966 (age 60)
Place of birth Eleusis, Greece
Height 1.88 m (6 ft 2 in)
Quick facts Personal information, Full name ...
Giannis Kalitzakis
Personal information
Full name Ioannis Kalitzakis
Date of birth (1966-02-10) 10 February 1966 (age 60)
Place of birth Eleusis, Greece
Height 1.88 m (6 ft 2 in)
Position Centre-back
Senior career*
Years Team Apps (Gls)
1983–1987 Panelefsiniakos 106 (3)
1987 Diagoras 18 (1)
1987–1997 Panathinaikos 260 (15)
1997–2000 AEK Athens 76 (1)
2000–2001 Ethnikos Asteras 23 (0)
Total 483 (20)
International career
1987–1998 Greece 71 (0)
* Club domestic league appearances and goals
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Club career

Kalitzakis started his career in Panelefsiniakos, where he played for three and a half seasons and after playing for another half season at Diagoras he signed for Panathinaikos. In the "greens" he quickly established himself as a key player and irreplaceable, he became especially loved by the world and did a lot important career for a whole decade, being also captain of the team, winning 4 championships, 6 Greek Cups and 3 Super cups, including 3 doubles. He participated in important European matchs of the club, including their course to the semi-finals of the UEFA Champions League in 1996.[1]

In the summer of 1997, Kalitzakis was transferred to the city rivals, AEK Athens[2] for a fee of 23.8 million drachmas.[3] There, he had a pretty good presence for three years with many different partners by his side, without losing his place in the lineup. Nevertheless, he did not reach the level of performance that he displayed during his spell at Panathinaikos. During his three seasons at AEK, Kalitzakis won the Cup in 2000.[4] In the summer of 2000 following the decision of the manager, Giannis Pathiakakis his contract was not renewed and left the club.[5] Afterwards Kalitzakis signed for Ethnikos Asteras, where he played for one season before ending his career.[6]

International career

Kalitzakis played for Greece from 16 December 1987 to 1999. He had 71 caps in total, including three appearances at the 1994 FIFA World Cup.

After football

After the end of his career, Kalitzakis served as the head of Panelefsiniakos' academies and general captain of Paniliakos. In 2009 he returned to Panathinaikos as a member of the scouting department, a position he held for a year. In 2022 he became General manager of Panathinaikos B[7]

Honours

References

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