Athanasios Kostoulas ( gr, Αθανάσιος Κωστούλας; born 24 March 1976) is a Greek former international
football
Football is a family of team sports that involve, to varying degrees, kicking a ball to score a goal. Unqualified, the word ''football'' normally means the form of football that is the most popular where the word is used. Sports commonly c ...
player, who played as a
defender.
Club career
Kostoulas stayed for a year at his first professional club,
Olympiacos Volos, before moving to
Kalamata
Kalamáta ( el, Καλαμάτα ) is the second most populous city of the Peloponnese peninsula, after Patras, in southern Greece and the largest city of the homonymous administrative region. As the capital and chief port of the Messenia reg ...
for the in 1994. The highlight of his five seasons there, which reaped 135 league appearances, was the club's promotion to the
Alpha Ethniki
The Super League Greece 1 ( el, Ελληνική Σούπερ Λιγκ 1), or Super League 1, is the highest professional association football league in Greece. The league was formed on 16 July 2006 and replaced ''Alpha Ethniki'' at the top of ...
in 1995. In July 1999, he joined
Olympiacos
Olympiacós Sýndesmos Filáthlon Peiraiós ( el, Ολυμπιακός Σύνδεσμος Φιλάθλων Πειραιώς, Olympic Club of Fans of Piraeus) is a major multi-sport club based in Piraeus, Greece. Olympiacos is parent to a number ...
and ended each of his first three terms with a Greek championship medal. He started the following season on the bench but when handed an opportunity he took it, playing in seven out of the final eight games and excelling in the derby defeat of
Panathinaikos
Panathinaikos Athlitikos Omilos ( el, Παναθηναϊκός Αθλητικός Όμιλος, literally in English: "Panathenaic Athletic Club" or Panathinaikos A.C.), also known simply as Panathinaikós , is a major Greek multi-sport club ba ...
which paved the way for another championship success. He remained a consistent performer when used as the title was lost in 2004 and then won back in each of the next two seasons along with the
Greek Cup
The Greek Football Cup ( el, Κύπελλο Ελλάδος Ποδοσφαίρου), commonly known as the Greek Cup or Kypello Elladas is a Greek football competition, run by the Hellenic Football Federation.
The Greek Cup is the second most im ...
.
In January 2007, he moved to
Skoda Xanthi
Xanthi Football Club ( el, Α.Ο. Ξάνθη Π.Α.Ε.) is a Greek professional football club based in Xanthi, Western Thrace and plays at Xanthi FC Arena. The club resigned from the Super League 2 due to financial issues.
Founded in 1967, Xan ...
and in summer 2011 to
Asteras Tripolis
Asteras Tripolis Football Club ( el, ΠΑΕ Αστέρας Τρίπολης), commonly referred to as Asteras Tripolis (meaning "Star of Tripoli"), is a Greek professional football club based in the city of Tripoli in Arcadia, Peloponnese, Greec ...
. In the summer of 2013 Kostoulas returned to finish his career in his first professional club, Olympiakos Volos.
International career
Kostoulas was a member of the
Greece
Greece,, or , romanized: ', officially the Hellenic Republic, is a country in Southeast Europe. It is situated on the southern tip of the Balkans, and is located at the crossroads of Europe, Asia, and Africa. Greece shares land borders with ...
side reached the
1998 UEFA European Under-21 Championship
The 1998 UEFA European Under-21 Championship, which spanned two years (1996–98), had 46 entrants. Before the quarter-finals stage, Romania were chosen as the hosts of the final stages, consisting of four matches in total.
The exclusion (for po ...
final, losing 1–0 to
Spain
, image_flag = Bandera de España.svg
, image_coat = Escudo de España (mazonado).svg
, national_motto = ''Plus ultra'' (Latin)(English: "Further Beyond")
, national_anthem = (English: "Royal March")
, i ...
. He was then elevated into the senior fold, making his debut in a 4–2
FIFA World Cup qualifying defeat by
Germany
Germany,, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It is the second most populous country in Europe after Russia, and the most populous member state of the European Union. Germany is situated betwe ...
on 28 March 2001 but has not figured again since a second cap a month later against
Croatia
, image_flag = Flag of Croatia.svg
, image_coat = Coat of arms of Croatia.svg
, anthem = "Lijepa naša domovino"("Our Beautiful Homeland")
, image_map =
, map_caption =
, capit ...
.
Honours
Club
;Olympiacos
*
Super League Greece
The Super League Greece 1 ( el, Ελληνική Σούπερ Λιγκ 1), or Super League 1, is the highest professional association football league in Greece. The league was formed on 16 July 2006 and replaced ''Alpha Ethniki'' at the top of ...
:
1999–2000,
2000–01,
2001–02,
2002–03,
2004–05,
2005–06,
2006–07
*
Greek Cup
The Greek Football Cup ( el, Κύπελλο Ελλάδος Ποδοσφαίρου), commonly known as the Greek Cup or Kypello Elladas is a Greek football competition, run by the Hellenic Football Federation.
The Greek Cup is the second most im ...
:
2004–05,
2005–06
International
;Greece
*
UEFA Euro U21
The UEFA European Under-21 Championship, the UEFA Under-21 Championship or simply the Euro Under-21, is a biennial football competition contested by the European men's under-21 national teams of the UEFA member associations. Since 1992, the comp ...
: Runner-up
1998
1998 was designated as the ''International Year of the Ocean''.
Events January
* January 6 – The '' Lunar Prospector'' spacecraft is launched into orbit around the Moon, and later finds evidence for frozen water, in soil in permanently ...
References
External links
*
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Kostoulas, Athanasios
1976 births
Living people
Association football defenders
Greek footballers
Greece international footballers
Greece under-21 international footballers
Super League Greece players
Olympiacos F.C. players
Xanthi F.C. players
Kalamata F.C. players
Asteras Tripolis F.C. players
Olympiacos Volos F.C. players
Association football utility players
Footballers from Volos