Giannis Kalitzakis ( el, Γιάννης Καλιτζάκης; born 10 February 1966) is a
Greek
Greek may refer to:
Greece
Anything of, from, or related to Greece, a country in Southern Europe:
*Greeks, an ethnic group.
*Greek language, a branch of the Indo-European language family.
**Proto-Greek language, the assumed last common ancestor ...
former professional
footballer
A football player or footballer is a sportsperson who plays one of the different types of football. The main types of football are association football, American football, Canadian football, Australian rules football, Gaelic football, rugby le ...
who played as a
center back
In the sport of association football, a defender is an outfield position whose primary role is to stop attacks during the game and prevent the opposition from scoring.
Centre-backs are usually positioned in pairs, with one full-back on either s ...
. His nickname was ''"The Ninja"'' due to his hard acrobatic tackles and very strong defensive style. He is currently the General manager at
Panathinaikos B
Panathinaikos Football Club B, known as Panathinaikos B, (Greek: ΠΑΕ Παναθηναϊκός B) is a Greek football club based in Athens, Greece. Founded in 2021, they play as the reserve team of Panathinaikos in the Super League Greece 2.
...
.
Club career
Kalitzakis started his career in
Panelefsiniakos, where he played three and a half season and after playing for another half season at
Diagoras he signed for
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 ...
. 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
In sport, a championship is a competition in which the aim is to decide which individual or team is the champion.
Championship systems
Various forms of competition can be referred to by the term championship.
Title match system
In this system ...
, 6
Greek Cups and 3 Super cups, including 3 doubles. He participated in very important European nights of the club, including the course of the team to the semi-finals of the
UEFA Champions League
The UEFA Champions League (abbreviated as UCL, or sometimes, UEFA CL) is an annual club football competition organised by the Union of European Football Associations (UEFA) and contested by top-division European clubs, deciding the competit ...
in 1996.
In the summer of 1997, he was released by Panathinaikos and the people of
AEK Athens
A.E.K ( el, AEK , formally Αθλητική Ένωσις Κωνσταντινουπόλεως; Athlitikí Énosis Konstantinoupόleos, ''Athletic Union of Constantinople''), known as A.E.K, is a major Greece, Greek multi-sport club based in Nea ...
did not miss the opportunity to sign him. He had a pretty good presence for three years with many different partners by his side, without usually losing his place in the lineup. Despite this, he did not reach the standards of performance that he previously achieved at Panathinaikos. Kalitzakis with AEK won 1 cup in 2000. He left the team in 2000 following the decision of the coach,
Giannis Pathiakakis
Giannis Pathiakakis ( el, Γιάννης Παθιακάκης; 15 June 1953 – 8 February 2002) was a Greek professional Association football, footballer who played as a midfielder and a later Manager (association football), manager. After his ...
. After AEK he played for one season at
Ethnikos Asteras
Ethnikos Asteras F.C. ( el, Γ.Α.Ο. Εθνικός Aστέρας, the ''National Star'') is a professional football club based in Kaisariani, Athens, Greece.
History
The club, originally named ''Ethnikos Astir,'' was founded in 1927 from the m ...
before ending his career.
International career
Kalitzakis played for
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 ...
from 16 December 1987 to 1999. He had 71 caps in total, including three appearances at the
1994 FIFA World Cup
The 1994 FIFA World Cup was the 15th FIFA World Cup, the world championship for men's national soccer teams. It was hosted by the United States and took place from June 17 to July 17, 1994, at nine venues across the country. The United States ...
.
After football
After the end of his career, he served as the head of Panelefsiniakos' academies and general captain of
Paniliakos
Paniliakos Football Club ( el, Πανηλειακός Α.Ο. Πύργου) is a Greek association football club based in Pyrgos, Elis, Greece. The club plays in Gamma Ethniki, the third tier of Greek football. It plays its home matches at the Pyrg ...
. 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
Panathinaikos Football Club B, known as Panathinaikos B, (Greek: ΠΑΕ Παναθηναϊκός B) is a Greek football club based in Athens, Greece. Founded in 2021, they play as the reserve team of Panathinaikos in the Super League Greece 2.
...
Honours
Panathinaikos
*
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 ...
:
1989–90,
1990–91,
1994–95,
1995–96
*
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 ...
:
1987–88,
1988–89,
1990–91,
1992–93,
1993–94,
1994–95
*
Greek Super Cup
The Greek Super Cup ( el, Σούπερ Καπ Ελλάδος), officially known as the Cup of Friendship and Solidarity ( el, Κύπελλο Φιλίας και Αλληλεγγύης) was a Greek Football (soccer), association football one-match ...
: 1988, 1993, 1994
AEK Athens
*Greek Cup:
1999–2000
References
External links
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Kalitzakis, Giannis
1966 births
Living people
Footballers from Elefsina
Super League Greece players
Panathinaikos F.C. players
AEK Athens F.C. players
Diagoras F.C. players
Ethnikos Asteras F.C. players
1994 FIFA World Cup players
Greek footballers
Greece international footballers
Association football central defenders
Panelefsiniakos F.C. players
Panathinaikos F.C. non-playing staff