Nikodimos "Nikki" Papavasiliou ( el, Νικόδημος Παπαβασιλείου; born 31 August 1970) is a Cypriot
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 ...
manager
Management (or managing) is the administration of an organization, whether it is a business, a nonprofit organization, or a government body. It is the art and science of managing resources of the business.
Management includes the activities o ...
and former
international
International is an adjective (also used as a noun) meaning "between nations".
International may also refer to:
Music Albums
* ''International'' (Kevin Michael album), 2011
* ''International'' (New Order album), 2002
* ''International'' (The T ...
midfielder
A midfielder is an 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 central midfielders often go across boundarie ...
. He is currently the manager of
National Bank of Egypt in the
Egyptian Premier League
The Egyptian Premier League ( ar, الدوري المصري الممتاز), also known as WE Egyptian Premier League (WE EPL) after the addition of title sponsor WE, is a professional association football league in Egypt and the top level of th ...
. Aside from playing and managing, Papavasiliou's background includes scouting and Academy management. He was the first Cypriot to play in the
FA Premier League
The Premier League (legal name: The Football Association Premier League Limited) is the highest level of the men's English football league system. Contested by 20 clubs, it operates on a system of promotion and relegation with the English Foo ...
.
Playing career
Club career
Papavasiliou began his pro football career in 1988 with Greek
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 ...
club
OFI, having arrived from England nd the youth teams of
Oldham Athletic
Oldham Athletic Association Football Club is a professional football club in Oldham, Greater Manchester, England, which competes in the National League, the fifth tier of the English football league system.
The history of Oldham Athletic ...
and
Arsenal
An arsenal is a place where arms and ammunition are made, maintained and repaired, stored, or issued, in any combination, whether privately or publicly owned. Arsenal and armoury (British English) or armory (American English) are mostly ...
. He spent five years with the
Cretan
Crete ( el, Κρήτη, translit=, Modern: , Ancient: ) is the largest and most populous of the Greek islands, the 88th largest island in the world and the fifth largest island in the Mediterranean Sea, after Sicily, Sardinia, Cyprus, an ...
top-tier side during its "golden years", establishing himself 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 ...
under coach
Eugène Gerards
Eugène 'Gène' Gerards (7 May 1940 − 2 January 2018) was a Dutch football player, manager and scout. As a player, Gerards played for Limburgian clubs SV Limburgia and Fortuna '54. As a manager, he spent the majority of his career in Greece, ...
. In August 1993, Papavasiliou was transferred to
Newcastle United
Newcastle United Football Club is an English professional football club, based in Newcastle upon Tyne, that plays in the Premier League – the top flight of English football. The club was founded in 1892 by the merger of Newcastle East End ...
for £120,000 signing a two-year contract and thus becoming the first Cypriot to play in the
FA Premier League
The Premier League (legal name: The Football Association Premier League Limited) is the highest level of the men's English football league system. Contested by 20 clubs, it operates on a system of promotion and relegation with the English Foo ...
. He made his Newcastle debut against
Tottenham
Tottenham () is a town in North London, England, within the London Borough of Haringey. It is located in the ceremonial county of Greater London. Tottenham is centred north-northeast of Charing Cross, bordering Edmonton to the north, Waltham ...
on 14 August 1993. He went on to play for two seasons at the club before returning to OFI in 1994.
He returned to Cyprus in 1996 signing for
First Division club
Apollon Limassol
Apollon Limassol FC ( el, Απόλλων Λεμεσού, ''Apollon Lemesou'') is a Cypriot sports club, based in Limassol. It has football, basketball and volleyball teams. Founded in 1954, Apollon FC currently plays in the Cypriot First Divisi ...
, where he stayed four years. In 2000, Papavasiliou was acquired by
Anorthosis Famagusta
Anorthosis Famagusta ( el, Ανόρθωση Αμμοχώστου, translit=Anorthosi Ammochostou), commonly known as Anorthosis in English or Anorthosi in Greek, is a Cypriot football club, part of the Anorthosis Famagusta multi-sport club fou ...
, but after playing with them through the
2000–01 season, he was subsequently loaned out to
Enosis Neon Paralimni
Enosis Neon Paralimni Football Club ( el, Ένωση Νέων Παραλιμνίου, ''Enosi Neon Paralimniou'', "Youth Union of Paralimni"), commonly referred to as ENP, is a Cypriot football team from Paralimni. Currently playing in the fi ...
and
Olympiakos Nicosia
Olympiakos Nicosia ( el, Ολυμπιακός Λευκωσίας, ''Olympiakos Lefkosias'') is a football club based in Nicosia, Cyprus and competes in the Cypriot First Division. The club was founded in 1931, and is a founding member of the C ...
.
He then moved to
APOEL
APOEL FC ( el, ΑΠΟΕΛ; short for Αθλητικός Ποδοσφαιρικός Όμιλος Ελλήνων Λευκωσίας, ''Athletikos Podosferikos Omilos Ellinon Lefkosias'', literally "Athletic Football Club of Greeks of Nicosia") ...
, where he played his final season, opting to retire his playing career in 2003.
International career
Papavasiliou has represented
Cyprus
Cyprus ; tr, Kıbrıs (), officially the Republic of Cyprus,, , lit: Republic of Cyprus is an island country located south of the Anatolian Peninsula in the eastern Mediterranean Sea. Its continental position is disputed; while it is geo ...
for 9 years during 1990–1999, making a total of 38 national caps and scoring five goals.
Managerial career
Papavasiliou holds the English
UEFA A Licence
UEFA, the governing body for football in Europe, mandates several coaching licences for professional managers, each valid for coaching at a certain level. These include the UEFA Pro Licence, the UEFA A Licence, and the UEFA B Licence. They are is ...
and also the
UEFA Pro Licence
UEFA, the governing body for football in Europe, mandates several coaching licences for professional managers, each valid for coaching at a certain level. These include the UEFA Pro Licence, the UEFA A Licence, and the UEFA B Licence. They are iss ...
.
[Ο Νίκκι Παπαβασιλείου βάζει τους Άγγλους... στο πνεύμα του Γκι Ρου!](_blank)
neakriti.gr (11 April 2018) He began his managerial career in Cyprus, first at
APE Pitsilia in the
2006–07 Cypriot Second Division and then moving to
Olympiakos Nicosia
Olympiakos Nicosia ( el, Ολυμπιακός Λευκωσίας, ''Olympiakos Lefkosias'') is a football club based in Nicosia, Cyprus and competes in the Cypriot First Division. The club was founded in 1931, and is a founding member of the C ...
, who had recently been relegated to the Second Division after many decades in the top flight. Papavasiliou led the ''Green−Blacks'' throughout their
2007–08 campaign, but missed out on promotion in the final match of the competition, in which his side was defeated 2–1 by fellow promotion contenders
Nea Salamis, who thus finished in the promotion zone and left Olympiakos in fourth place.
In the summer of 2009, Papavasiliou returned to Greece and the team where he made his name as a player, OFI, where he was paired up with former OFI teammate
Myron Sifakis
Myron Sifakis ( el, Μύρων Σηφάκης; born 28 September 1960) is a Greek retired goalkeeper and current football manager.
Career Playing career
Sifakis began his football career at his local side Atsalenios. He was then transferred to ...
to lead the club during its
2009–10 Beta Ethniki
2009–10 was a season of Beta Ethniki ( el, Β' Εθνική), the Greek professional football second division (''see Greek football league system'').
Overview
* Atromitos, PAS Giannina and Kavala have earned the promotion to Super League G ...
campaign. The duo were however sacked after poor performances at the start of the competition. He returned to Cyprus and Olympiakos Nicosia, this time completing the club's comeback to the First Division after securing third place in the
2009–10 campaign. He left the club in the summer of 2010 and spent the next six months managing
Doxa Katokopia
Doxa Katokopias FC ( el, Δόξα Κατωκοπιάς) is a Cypriot football team from Katokopia in the Nicosia District. Since the Turkish invasion of Cyprus in 1974, Katokopia is under Turkish occupation, and the club moved to Peristerona, ...
until January 2011, and then one year at
Enosis Neon Paralimni
Enosis Neon Paralimni Football Club ( el, Ένωση Νέων Παραλιμνίου, ''Enosi Neon Paralimniou'', "Youth Union of Paralimni"), commonly referred to as ENP, is a Cypriot football team from Paralimni. Currently playing in the fi ...
, whom he led to an all-time best sixth-place finish in the First Division in 2011. In February 2012, Papavasiliou was hired as manager of Olympiakos Nicosia for the third time in his managerial career.
In September 2012, Papavasiliou reached an agreement with
Apollon Limassol
Apollon Limassol FC ( el, Απόλλων Λεμεσού, ''Apollon Lemesou'') is a Cypriot sports club, based in Limassol. It has football, basketball and volleyball teams. Founded in 1954, Apollon FC currently plays in the Cypriot First Divisi ...
, for whom he had played from 1996 to 2000, and mutually terminated his contract with Olympiakos to complete the move. He did not manage to finish the season with the club, as he was sacked in March 2013, after a 9–6–6 record. In September 2014, he was appointed manager of
Ermis Aradippou
Ermis Aradippou () is a Cypriot professional football club based in Aradippou, a settlement on the outskirts of the city of Larnaca. The club was formed in 1958, and currently plays in the Cypriot Second Division. Ermis' greatest success came ...
, but once again he was fired after several bad results in February 2015.
On 21 August 2015 Papavasiliou was hired as manager of
Slovak First Football League
The Slovak Super Liga is the top level football league in Slovakia, currently known as the Fortuna Liga due to a sponsorship arrangement. It was formed in 1993 following the dissolution of Czechoslovakia. The record for most titles is eleven, ...
side
Slovan Bratislava, whom he led to the
2016 Slovak Cup Final. He finished the
season
A season is a division of the year based on changes in weather, ecology, and the number of daylight hours in a given region. On Earth, seasons are the result of the axial parallelism of Earth's tilted orbit around the Sun. In temperate and pol ...
in second place behind double-winners
AS Trenčín
AS Trenčín () is a Slovak sports club in the town of Trenčín, most known for its football department. The first team currently plays in the Fortuna Liga after winning the 2010–11 Slovak First League. The club plays its home games at th ...
, boasting an impressive .64 win ratio. His second season with the club came to an abrupt end however, as he was fired after the third game of the
2016–17 season
In May 2018, Papavasiliou was appointed manager of
Greek Football League
The Football League ( el, Φούτμπολ Λιγκ) was the second highest professional football league in Greece since its inception in 1962 as ''Beta Ethniki'' and until 2019. It then served as a third tier after the creation of the Super Lea ...
side
Ergotelis
The Gymnastics Club «Ergotelis» Heraklion Crete ( el, Γυμναστικός Σύλλογος «O Εργοτέλης» Ηρακλείου Κρήτης, Γ.Σ. Εργοτέλης), commonly known simply as Ergotelis ( el, Εργοτέλης), ...
. He managed to lead the club to its first
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 ...
Quarter-finals since 1986 during his first season as club manager. His work did not go unnoticed and in September 2019 he was offered the head coach position of struggling
Super League
The Super League (officially known as the Betfred Super League due to sponsorship from Betfred and legally known as Super League Europe), is the top-level of the British rugby league system. At present the league consists of twelve teams, of wh ...
side
Panionios
Panionios G.S.S. Football Club (Greek: ΠΑΕ Πανιώνιος Γ.Σ.Σ.), the ''Pan- Ionian Gymnastics Club of Smyrna'' (Πανιώνιος Γυμναστικός Σύλλογος Σμύρνης, ''Panionios Gymnastikos Syllogos Smyrnis'') ...
. Papavasiliou thus terminated his contract with
Ergotelis
The Gymnastics Club «Ergotelis» Heraklion Crete ( el, Γυμναστικός Σύλλογος «O Εργοτέλης» Ηρακλείου Κρήτης, Γ.Σ. Εργοτέλης), commonly known simply as Ergotelis ( el, Εργοτέλης), ...
, accepting the bid and thus making his
Super League
The Super League (officially known as the Betfred Super League due to sponsorship from Betfred and legally known as Super League Europe), is the top-level of the British rugby league system. At present the league consists of twelve teams, of wh ...
managerial debut.
Managerial statistics
Other
Papavasiliou has accumulated substantial experience and expertise in scouting, and Academy management, having worked as a scout for
FA Premier League
The Premier League (legal name: The Football Association Premier League Limited) is the highest level of the men's English football league system. Contested by 20 clubs, it operates on a system of promotion and relegation with the English Foo ...
clubs
Bolton Wanderers
Bolton Wanderers Football Club () is a professional football club based in Horwich, Bolton, Greater Manchester, England, which competes in . The club played at Burnden Park for 102 years from 1895 after moving from their original home at Pike's ...
and
Newcastle United
Newcastle United Football Club is an English professional football club, based in Newcastle upon Tyne, that plays in the Premier League – the top flight of English football. The club was founded in 1892 by the merger of Newcastle East End ...
. He is also the owner of Nikki Football Academy in Cyprus.
References
External links
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Papavasiliou, Nikodemos
1970 births
Living people
Sportspeople from Limassol
Greek Cypriot people
Cypriot footballers
Cyprus international footballers
Association football midfielders
Newcastle United F.C. players
Anorthosis Famagusta F.C. players
Apollon Limassol FC players
Enosis Neon Paralimni FC players
Olympiakos Nicosia players
APOEL FC players
OFI Crete F.C. players
Super League Greece players
Cypriot First Division players
Premier League players
Expatriate footballers in England
Expatriate footballers in Greece
Olympiakos Nicosia managers
OFI Crete F.C. managers
Ermis Aradippou FC managers
ŠK Slovan Bratislava managers
Ergotelis F.C. managers
Cypriot expatriate footballers
Bolton Wanderers F.C. non-playing staff
Cypriot football managers
Wadi Degla SC managers
Nea Salamis Famagusta FC managers
Ghazl El Mahalla SC managers
Cypriot expatriate football managers
Cypriot expatriate sportspeople in Slovakia
Expatriate football managers in Slovakia
Cypriot expatriate sportspeople in Greece
Cypriot expatriate sportspeople in England
Expatriate football managers in Egypt
Egyptian Premier League managers