Taxiarchis Fountas ( el, Ταξιάρχης Φούντας; born 4 September 1995) is a Greek 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 plays as a
forward
Forward is a relative direction, the opposite of backward.
Forward may also refer to:
People
* Forward (surname)
Sports
* Forward (association football)
* Forward (basketball), including:
** Point forward
** Power forward (basketball)
** Sm ...
for
Süper Lig
The Süper Lig (, ''Super League''), officially known as Spor Toto Süper Lig for sponsorship reasons, is a Turkish professional league for association football clubs. It is the top-flight of the Turkish football league system and is run by the ...
club
Trabzonspor
Trabzonspor Kulübü is a Turkish sports club located in the city of Trabzon. Formed in 1967 through a merger of several local clubs, the men's football team has won seven Süper Lig championships. Trabzonspor also have a women's football team, ...
and the
Greece national team.
After beginning his career at
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 Greek multi-sport club based in Nea Filadel ...
, he went on to play in the
Austrian Bundesliga
The Austrian Football Bundesliga (german: Österreichische Fußball-Bundesliga, italic=no , "Austrian Football Federal League"), also known as Admiral Bundesliga for sponsorship reasons, is the top level of the Austrian football league system. Th ...
with
Grödig
Grödig is a market town of Salzburg-Umgebung District in the state of Salzburg in Austria.
Geography
Grödig is located south of the Salzburg city limits in the historic ''Flachgau'' region, near the border with Bavaria, Germany. The market tow ...
,
St. Pölten
ST, St, or St. may refer to:
Arts and entertainment
* Stanza, in poetry
* Suicidal Tendencies, an American heavy metal/hardcore punk band
* Star Trek, a science-fiction media franchise
* Summa Theologica, a compendium of Catholic philosophy ...
and
Austria Wien, while also being on the books of
Red Bull Salzburg. He also played in
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 ...
for
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'') ...
and
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, G ...
.
Fountas made his senior international debut for Greece in 2015.
Club career
AEK Athens
Taxiarchis Fountas was scouted by
Toni Savevski
Toni Savevski ( mk, Тони Савевски; born 14 June 1963) is a Macedonian football player who played as a midfielder. Savevski is widely regarded as one of the best foreign players to have played in the Greek football league. After retir ...
, the head of AEK Athens' youth academy at the time. On 17 March 2012. Fountas made his senior debut for
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 Greek multi-sport club based in Nea Filadel ...
against
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, G ...
being the youngest player to play for AEK Athens in a Superleague game aged 16 years 6 months and 13 days old. He played 31 minutes in this game. He made his first start for the club on 22 April on the final day of the 2011–12 regular season against
Doxa Drama
Doxa Drama Football Club ( el, Δόξα Δράμας) is a Greek professional Association football, football club based in the city of Drama, Greece, Drama, Eastern Macedonia and Thrace, Macedonia, Greece. The club currently competes in the Super ...
, completing the whole 90 minutes.
Fountas scored his first goal for the club in a 1–0 win against
Platanias
Platanias (Greek: Πλατανιάς) is a village and municipality on the Greek island of Crete. It is located about west from the city of Chania and east of Kissamos, on Chania Bay. The seat of the municipality is the village Gerani. Platania ...
on 28 October 2012, thus becoming the youngest player to score for AEK at the age of 17 years and 54 days. He scored another goal against
Veria
Veria ( el, Βέροια or Βέρροια), officially transliterated Veroia, historically also spelled Berea or Berœa, is a city in Central Macedonia, in the geographic region of Macedonia, northern Greece, capital of the regional unit of I ...
on 18 October 2012 and another one against
PAS Giannina
PAS Giannina Football Club ( el, ΠΑΕ ΠΑΣ Γιάννινα 1966), or with its full name Panepirotikos Athlitikos Syllogos Giannina ( el, Πανηπειρωτικός Αθλητικός Σύλλογος Γιάννινα, ''Panepirotic Athleti ...
on 3 November 2012. He was also awarded the MVP award after this match. He scored his 4th goal again against
Veria
Veria ( el, Βέροια or Βέρροια), officially transliterated Veroia, historically also spelled Berea or Berœa, is a city in Central Macedonia, in the geographic region of Macedonia, northern Greece, capital of the regional unit of I ...
on 16 March 2013 with a fine left foot shoot. When the club was relegated, the player was released. He also scored a snipe against
Everton in a friendly match in the summer of 2012.
Red Bull Salzburg
In June Fountas was linked with a move to
Red Bull Salzburg. A potential transfer was complicated by the financial problems of Fountas' club
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 Greek multi-sport club based in Nea Filadel ...
which was on the verge of financial collapse. In September 2013, he joined the club on a four-year contract. After the signing of his contract, Fountas joined
FC Liefering
FC Liefering GmbH is an Austrian association football club, originally from Liefering, a section of Salzburg. It currently plays in the Second League, the second tier of Austrian football. Since 2012, Liefering has been a reserve team for ...
of the
Austrian Football First League
The Austrian Football Second League (german: 2. Liga) is the second-highest professional division in Austrian football. It was formerly called the First League (''Erste Liga''), from 2002 to 2018.
The division currently contains 16 teams, and t ...
on a six-month loan.
In January 2014, Fountas moved on loan to
SV Grödig until end of season. He made his first appearance in the
Austrian Bundesliga
The Austrian Football Bundesliga (german: Österreichische Fußball-Bundesliga, italic=no , "Austrian Football Federal League"), also known as Admiral Bundesliga for sponsorship reasons, is the top level of the Austrian football league system. Th ...
a week later.
At the beginning of the 2014–15 season, Fountas moved on loan to
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'') ...
, returning to the
Greek Superleague
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 ...
.
After Fountas' exceptional season with Panionios, he was loaned 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, G ...
. On 2 January 2016, he scored his first goal with the club to a 4–0 home win against
Panthrakikos
Panthrakikos Football Club ( el, Α.Π.Σ. Πανθρακικός) is a Greek football club based in Komotini, Thrace in North Eastern Greece founded in 1963. The club competed in Super League Greece during the 2008–09 season for the first tim ...
. On 5 January 2015, few days after his first goal with his club in the Greek Superleague, he scored a goal in a 3–0 away win against
AEL for
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 ...
.
Panionios
On 21 July 2016, Fountas, who had been released from
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, G ...
, signed a one (plus one) year contract and officially returned to
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'') ...
. On 1 July 2017, under mutual agreement Panionios solved the player's contract.
Sonnenhof Großaspach
On 20 September 2017, as a free agent, Fountas signed a with German club
3. Liga club
SG Sonnenhof Großaspach
SG Sonnenhof Großaspach (german: Sportgemeinschaft Sonnenhof Großaspach e.V.), commonly known as Sonnenhof Großaspach, is a German professional football club based in Aspach, Baden-Württemberg. The club play in the Regionalliga Südwest, whi ...
. He was signed by their Greek
sporting director
A sporting director, or director of sport, is an executive management position in a sports club. The role is well known as a manager role for European football clubs, which are sometime also "sports clubs", offering many types of sports. The sport ...
, Yiannis Koukoutrigas.
St. Pölten
On 14 July 2018, after a year in Germany, Fountas signed a long season contract, with Austrian club
St. Pölten
ST, St, or St. may refer to:
Arts and entertainment
* Stanza, in poetry
* Suicidal Tendencies, an American heavy metal/hardcore punk band
* Star Trek, a science-fiction media franchise
* Summa Theologica, a compendium of Catholic philosophy ...
. He scored four goals in 21 games in his only season.
Rapid Wien
On 9 May 2019, Fountas signed a deal with Austrian club
Rapid Wien
Sportklub Rapid Wien (), commonly known as Rapid Vienna, is an Austrian football club playing in the country's capital city of Vienna. Rapid has won the most Austrian championship titles (32), including the first title in the season 1911–12, ...
through the summer of 2022, with his St Polten contract due to expire. On 4 August, he scored his first goal for the club in a 2–2 away draw against his previous club and a week later he scored a brace against
SC Rheindorf Altach
Sportclub Rheindorf Altach, also known as Rheindorf Altach, SCR Altach or simply SCRA, is an Austrian association football club based in Altach, Vorarlberg. It plays in the Austrian Football Bundesliga. The club is currently also known as CAS ...
, contributing to his team's first win of the season. On 29 September, in a 3–3 home draw against
TSV Hartberg
TSV Hartberg, known as TSV Egger Glass Hartberg for sponsorship purposes, is an Austrian association football club based in Hartberg, founded in 1946, which is currently playing in the Austrian Bundesliga.
History
The club was founded on 29 Ap ...
, he scored another brace. On 15 December, he scored his third brace of the season, sealing a 3–0 away win against
Admira Wacker, which included him in the ''Team of the Week'' in the Austrian Bundesliga for matchday 18. Fountas led the club's scoring with 11 goals from 15 matches.
On 3 February 2020, Rapid Wien's fans named Fountas as the best player of 2019. On 1 July, he scored in his fifth game in a row, a 3–1 home win against LASK. He finished the
2019–20 Austrian Football Bundesliga campaign with 19 goals, to help his club earn a berth in 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 ...
qualifiers. He was the third-highest scorer in the league, trailing only
Patson Daka
Patson Daka (born 9 October 1998) is a Zambian professional footballer who plays as a forward for club Leicester City and the Zambia national team.
Coming through the youth system, Daka played for local club Kafue Celtic, who sent him on loa ...
(24 goals, RB Salzburg) and
Shon Weissman (30 goals, Wolfsberger).
On 30 August 2020, in his first official game for the 2020–21 season, he scored a hat trick in a 5–0
Austrian Cup
The Austrian Cup (german: ÖFB-Cup), known as UNIQA ÖFB Cup for sponsorship purposes, is an annual football competition held by the Austrian Football Association, the ÖFB. During the 2008–09 season, Austria Wien won the tournament for 27th t ...
win against
TSV St. Johann. On 11 September 2020, Fountas helped his club to win
Admira by scoring a brace at the
2020–21 Austrian Football Bundesliga opener. He scored again during a 2–1 defeat to
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 ...
in the Europa League Group stage on 22 October, capitalising on an error by goalkeeper
Bernd Leno
Bernd Leno (born 4 March 1992) is a German professional footballer who plays as a goalkeeper for club Fulham and the Germany national team.
Club career VfB Stuttgart
Having progressed through the youth set up at VfB Stuttgart, in May 2011, L ...
to put the ball in the net.
On 18 January 2021, Fountas spat at
Lukas Malicsek in the friendly match between his club and
Admira, with the Austrian Bundesliga punishing him for four games. On 4 April, he scored a hat-trick in his team's 8–1 away win against
Wolfsberger AC
Wolfsberger AC, commonly referred to as Wolfsberg or simply WAC, is an Austrian association football club from Wolfsberg, Carinthia, who currently play in the Austrian Bundesliga. Between the 2007–08 and 2011–12 seasons, Wolfsberger AC enter ...
.
On 8 August 2021, Fountas scored in the first half and with two quickfire second half goals in a 3–0 home win against
Wolfsberger AC
Wolfsberger AC, commonly referred to as Wolfsberg or simply WAC, is an Austrian association football club from Wolfsberg, Carinthia, who currently play in the Austrian Bundesliga. Between the 2007–08 and 2011–12 seasons, Wolfsberger AC enter ...
; later in the month he netted in both legs of a
2021–22 UEFA Europa League playoffs tie against
FC Zorya Luhansk
FC Zorya Luhansk ( uk, ФК «Зоря» Луганськ ) is a Ukrainian football team. Zorya Luhansk is based in the city of Luhansk, Ukraine. However, because of the Russo-Ukrainian War, the team play their games at Slavutych-Arena in Zapori ...
in a 6–2 aggregate win over the Ukrainian side.
D.C. United
On 25 January 2022, according to a report in ''
The Washington Post
''The Washington Post'' (also known as the ''Post'' and, informally, ''WaPo'') is an American daily newspaper published in Washington, D.C. It is the most widely circulated newspaper within the Washington metropolitan area and has a large nati ...
'', Fountas agreed a three-year contract with
MLS
Major League Soccer (MLS) is a men's professional soccer league sanctioned by the United States Soccer Federation, which represents the sport's highest level in the United States. The league comprises 29 teams—26 in the U.S. and 3 in Canada ...
club
D.C. United
D.C. United is a professional soccer club based in Washington, D.C. that competes in the Eastern Conference of Major League Soccer, the top tier of American soccer. Domestically, the club has won four MLS Cups (league championships), four Supp ...
and will become its highest paid player with a reported contract worth a total of $7 million. He was initially not expected to arrive from Rapid Vienna until summer 2022, when his contract expired. On 21 March, it was announced that he would join D.C. United ahead of the summer.
Fountas made his debut for D.C. United on 16 April, in a 2–3 loss against
Austin FC
Austin FC is an American professional soccer club based in Austin, Texas. The club competes in Major League Soccer (MLS) as a member of the Western Conference. Founded in 2018, the club began play in the 2021 season. Their home stadium is Q2 ...
. In his second game and first start for the club, he scored two and assisted a further goal in a 3–2 win over the
New England Revolution
The New England Revolution is an American professional soccer club based in the Greater Boston area that competes in Major League Soccer (MLS), in the Eastern Conference of the league. It is one of the ten charter clubs of MLS, having compet ...
. On 4 July, he scored a hat-trick in a 5–3 win at
Orlando City SC
Orlando City SC is an American professional soccer club in Orlando, Florida, that competes as a member of the Eastern Conference in Major League Soccer (MLS). Orlando City SC began play in 2015 as the 21st franchise in MLS, succeeding the USL ...
.
During a match between DC United and Inter Miami on 18 September 2022, Fountas was accused of racially abusing defender
Damion Lowe
Damion Lowe (born 5 May 1993) is a Jamaican professional footballer who plays as a defender for Inter Miami and the Jamaica national team.
Early life
Born in Kingston, Jamaica, Damion Lowe is the son of former Jamaican international Onandi L ...
by calling him the
n-word
In the English language, the word ''nigger'' is an ethnic slur used against black people, especially African Americans. Starting in the late 1990s, references to ''nigger'' have been progressively replaced by the euphemism , notably in cases ...
. He was later substituted, while MLS opened an official investigation into the incident. Inter Miami coach
Phil Neville
Philip John Neville (born 21 January 1977) is an English football manager and former player, who is the head coach of MLS team Inter Miami CF. He is also the co-owner of Salford City, along with several of his former Manchester United teamma ...
commented on the incident: "It was a racist comment. It was unacceptable. A word was used. I think it's unacceptable in society. A word was used, I think, the worst word in the world. And that's it, really." Fountas denied the allegation. MLS ultimately decided that the accusation by a Miami player who claimed to have heard Fountas saying something to Lowe (who apparently did not hear the comment himself) was "credible" but that it could not be verified.
On 21 July 2023, DC United announced the suspension of Fountas along with teammate
Nigel Robertha
Nigel Robertha (born 13 February 1998) is a Dutch professional footballer who plays as a forward for MLS side D.C. United. He has represented the Netherlands at the under-17 and under-18 levels.
Robertha began his career with Feyenoord, havin ...
for "possible violations of league policy." Although the reason for the suspension was not mentioned in the club's statement, ''
The Athletic
''The Athletic'' is a subscription-based sports website that provides national and local coverage in 47 North American cities as well as the United Kingdom. ''The Athletic'' also covers national stories from top professional and college sports ...
'' reported that Fountas flung a racial slur at Robertha during a training session and the latter responded by physically attacking Fountas. Subsequent reporting indicated that Robertha attacked Fountas with a foam roller in the locker room following their July 15 away game against the New England Revolution, with Robertha claiming that Fountas used the n-word while arguing on the field before being separated by
Christian Benteke
Christian Benteke Liolo (born 3 December 1990) is a Belgian professional footballer who plays as a striker for Major League Soccer club D.C. United and the Belgium national team.
Benteke began his career at Standard Liège, playing a part in ...
. With an investigation ongoing, the team and Fountas mutually agreed to terminate his contract.
Trabzonspor
Fountas joined Trabzonspor Kulübü in 2023.
International career
Fountas made his international debut for Greece on 13 June 2015, in a
UEFA Euro 2016
The 2016 UEFA European Football Championship, commonly referred to as UEFA Euro 2016 (stylised as UEFA EURO 2016) or simply Euro 2016, was the 15th UEFA European Championship, the quadrennial international men's football championship of Europe o ...
qualifier
In linguistics, a modifier is an optional element in phrase structure or clause structure which ''modifies'' the meaning of another element in the structure. For instance, the adjective "red" acts as a modifier in the noun phrase "red ball", provi ...
away to the
Faroe Islands
The Faroe Islands ( ), or simply the Faroes ( fo, Føroyar ; da, Færøerne ), are a North Atlantic island group and an autonomous territory of the Kingdom of Denmark.
They are located north-northwest of Scotland, and about halfway bet ...
. In the
2– loss, he came on in the 81st minute for
Panagiotis Kone
Panagiotis Kone ( el, Παναγιώτης Κονέ, born 26 July 1987) is a Greek former professional footballer who played as an attacking midfielder. He is the current executive director of AEK Athens.
Kone started playing football in the y ...
.
Fountas went uncapped for almost exactly five years from September 2015 to 2020. He scored his first international goal on 17 November 2022, coming on for
Dimitrios Pelkas and equalising in added time at the end of a 2–2 draw away to
Malta
Malta ( , , ), officially the Republic of Malta ( mt, Repubblika ta' Malta ), is an island country in the Mediterranean Sea. It consists of an archipelago, between Italy and Libya, and is often considered a part of Southern Europe. It lies ...
.
Career statistics
Club
International
Honours
Red Bull Salzburg
*
Austrian Bundesliga
The Austrian Football Bundesliga (german: Österreichische Fußball-Bundesliga, italic=no , "Austrian Football Federal League"), also known as Admiral Bundesliga for sponsorship reasons, is the top level of the Austrian football league system. Th ...
:
2013–14
*
Austrian Cup
The Austrian Cup (german: ÖFB-Cup), known as UNIQA ÖFB Cup for sponsorship purposes, is an annual football competition held by the Austrian Football Association, the ÖFB. During the 2008–09 season, Austria Wien won the tournament for 27th t ...
:
2013–14
Individual
*
Best Greek Player playing Abroad: 2019–20
*
Austrian Bundesliga
The Austrian Football Bundesliga (german: Österreichische Fußball-Bundesliga, italic=no , "Austrian Football Federal League"), also known as Admiral Bundesliga for sponsorship reasons, is the top level of the Austrian football league system. Th ...
Team of the Year:
2019–20
*Rapid Wien Best Player Award: 2019
*
MLS All-Star
The Major League Soccer All-Star Game is an annual Association football, soccer game held by Major League Soccer featuring selected players from the league against an international club or selected players from Liga MX. MLS initially adopted a tr ...
:
2022
File:2022 collage V1.png, Clockwise, from top left: Road junction at Yamato-Saidaiji Station several hours after the assassination of Shinzo Abe; 2022 Sri Lankan protests, Anti-government protest in Sri Lanka in front of the Presidential Secretari ...
References
External links
*
*
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Fountas, Taxiarchis
Living people
1995 births
2. Liga (Austria) players
3. Liga players
AEK Athens F.C. players
Asteras Tripolis F.C. players
Austrian Football Bundesliga players
D.C. United players
Designated Players (MLS)
Expatriate men's footballers in Austria
Expatriate men's footballers in Germany
FC Liefering players
FC Red Bull Salzburg players
Footballers from Western Greece
Greece men's international footballers
Greece men's under-21 international footballers
Greece men's youth international footballers
Greek expatriate men's footballers
Greek expatriate sportspeople in Austria
Greek expatriate sportspeople in Germany
Greek men's footballers
Major League Soccer players
Men's association football midfielders
Panionios F.C. players
People from Missolonghi
SG Sonnenhof Großaspach players
SKN St. Pölten players
Super League Greece players
SV Grödig players