Kostas Aidiniou ( el, Κώστας Αϊδινίου; born 2 February 1948) is a Greek 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 ...

who played as an

attacking midfielder A midfielder is an Glossary of association football terms#O, outfield position in association football. Midfielders may play an exclusively defensive role, breaking up attacks, and are in that case known as defensive midfielders. As #Cent ...

Playing career

Club career

Aidiniou was born on 2 February 1948 in

Psarades Psarades ( el, Ψαράδες), is a village and a Communities and Municipalities of Greece, community of the Prespes, Prespes municipality. Before the 2011 local government reform it was part of the municipality of Prespes, of which it was a muni ...

. Although he was a

track and field Track and field is a sport that includes athletic contests based on running, jumping, and throwing skills. The name is derived from where the sport takes place, a running track and a grass field for the throwing and some of the jumping events ...

athlete, he was talked into signing for Iraklis by two teachers of him, themselves fans of the club. After joining the youth ranks of Iraklis in 1963, Aidiniou, made his first team debut in 1965, scoring against

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 ...

in a 2–1 away defeat of Iraklis. Aidiniou was the star player of Iraklis until 1974, when he signed for Olympiacos for 11,000,000

drachmas The drachma ( el, δραχμή , ; pl. ''drachmae'' or ''drachmas'') was the currency used in Greece during several periods in its history: # An ancient Greek currency unit issued by many Greek city states during a period of ten centuries, fro ...

. Aidiniou could not compete for the 1974–75 season as his transfer was considered overdue. For the whole season he only contested in friendly matches and training courses and that humped his adaptation to his new club. In Olympiacos Aidiniou failed to demonstrate the same level of football as he did in Iraklis and he was released from Olympiacos after the 1977–78 season. Aidiniou appeared in a total of 40 league matches for Olympiacos, scoring 7 goals. Aidiniou returned to Iraklis for the 1978–79 season appearing in 13 matches and failing to score any goals. He retired after that season, aged 31. In his two spells with Iraklis Aidiniou totalled 232 appearances and 57 goals.

International career

Aidiniou scored in his debut 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 ...

in a 4–1 win against

Egypt Egypt ( ar, مصر , ), officially the Arab Republic of Egypt, is a transcontinental country spanning the northeast corner of Africa and southwest corner of Asia via a land bridge formed by the Sinai Peninsula. It is bordered by the Mediter ...

Athens Athens ( ; el, Αθήνα, Athína ; grc, Ἀθῆναι, Athênai (pl.) ) is both the capital and largest city of Greece. With a population close to four million, it is also the seventh largest city in the European Union. Athens dominates ...

. His last match for Greece came on 15 May 1974, under

Alketas Panagoulias Alketas 'Alkis' Panagoulias ( el, Αλκέτας 'Άλκης' Παναγούλιας; 30 May 1934 – 18 June 2012) was a Greek association football player and manager. He managed the national teams of both Greece and the United States. He also ...

, in a friendly match against

Poland Poland, officially the Republic of Poland, is a country in Central Europe. It is divided into 16 administrative provinces called voivodeships, covering an area of . Poland has a population of over 38 million and is the fifth-most populous ...

. Aidiniou appeared in seven matches of Greece, managing to score three goals.

Managerial career

Aidiniou had a stint as Iraklis' manager together with

Giorgos Koudas Giorgos Koudas ( el, Γιώργος Κούδας; born 23 November 1946) is a Greek former professional footballer who played as an attacking midfielder. He spent his entire career in PAOK. Due to his fierce competitiveness and his Macedonian ...

in 1987. He has also held several positions in the club's technical staff.

Outside football

Aidiniou wanted to become a

doctor Doctor or The Doctor may refer to: Personal titles * Doctor (title), the holder of an accredited academic degree * A medical practitioner, including: ** Physician ** Surgeon ** Dentist ** Veterinary physician ** Optometrist *Other roles ** ...

, before deciding to stick at football. After retiring from football he was involved in ''"Iraklis Former Footballer's Club"'' becoming its president.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Aidiniou, Kostas 1948 births Living people Greece men's international footballers Greek men's footballers Iraklis F.C. (Thessaloniki) players Iraklis F.C. (Thessaloniki) managers Olympiacos F.C. players Men's association football midfielders Greek football managers People from Florina (regional unit) Footballers from Western Macedonia