Theodoros Zagorakis
| Theodoros Zagorakis | ||
| Personal information | ||
|---|---|---|
| Full name | Theodoros Zagorakis (Θεόδωρος Ζαγοράκης) |
|
| Date of birth | October 27 1971 | |
| Place of birth |  Kavala, Greece |
|
| Height | 1.78 m (5'10") | |
| Playing position | Defensive midfielder (current chairman) | |
| Club information | ||
| Current club | PAOK FC | |
| Senior clubs1 | ||
| Years | Club | App (Gls)* |
| 1988-1992 1993-1997 1998-2000 2000-2004 2004-2005 2005-2007 |
Kavala PAOK FC Leicester City AEK Athens FC Bologna PAOK FC |
114 (6) 155 (10) 50 (3) 101 (4) 32 (0) 45 (0) |
| National team2 | ||
| 1994-2007 | Greece |
120 (3) |
|
1 Senior club appearances and goals |
||
Theodoros Zagorakis (Greek: Θεόδωρος Ζαγοράκης) (born October 27, 1971 in Kavala) is the President of PAOK FC, in Thessaloniki, Greece. He is a retired Greek footballer and was the captain of PAOK FC and the Greece national football team that won the 2004 UEFA European Football Championship.
Career
A gritty but stylish defensive midfielder, Zagorakis started his career with FC Kavala attracting very soon the attention of the big teams in Greek league for his combative and dominant play in the midfield. Eventually he was going to fulfill his dream of playing to PAOK Thessaloniki (as he was a fan of the team from early age) in the winter transfer window of 1992-1993 season. He stayed with PAOK until December of 1997 becoming his captain and the team's most valuable asset with his excellent play and thus attracting a lot of attention from foreign clubs something not easy for a Greek player in those times. Already a fans' icon his departure was strongly felt among clubs loyal with his last match in PAOK uniform (away against Skoda Xanthi).
In a twist of irony as he came in one, Zagorakis left in another winter transfer window to Leicester City. While in England, he took part in two consecutive League Cup finals at Wembley Stadium, losing the first against Tottenham Hotspur in 1999 and defeating Tranmere Rovers in 2000. Nevertheless he was disappointed with Martin O'Neill's reluctance to use him regularly and as he didn't enjoy life in England also - finding it difficult to settle in the cold and cloudy weather of the country; after only two seasons he decided to return to Greece.
Zagorakis first tried to cut a deal with PAOK FC but the team's coach back then - Dusan Bajevic - declined having him on team's roster. AEK Athens proved to be his next football destination and being sided with a handful of good players - even though in a heavily in debt and malfunctioning team) he helped them win the Greek Cup in 2002 and the very same season push Olympiakos CFP to the very last match of the championship, in the title race, something AEK had since long not done. On July 14, 2004, due to the long going and rapidly growing team's economic problems and in the middle of the frenzy that his performances caused in the stunning national team's win in Euro 2004 he left AEK Athens for Bologna signing a two year contract worth of 1,500,000 Euros per year.
In Serie A Zagorakis was a regular feature in the team's squad but the team - having been in decline long before his arrival - that very same season found itself relegated to Serie B after a breathtaking play out series against fellow strugglers Parma FC. In the following summer he was released from the team as they couldn't afford his payroll under the new conditions.
Zagorakis eventually signed a 2-year contract with PAOK FC in a highly emotional move as
Shakhtar Donetsk was hot in his pursuit offering almost 2,000,000 Euros a year.
Surprisingly enough he chose PAOK FC instead, a team that not only was highly in debt and therefore underachieving but also could
offer him a contract of just 450,000 Euros a year. When Zagorakis landed at
National team
Zagorakis was for many years the captain of the national team. His first cap was in 1994, against the Faroe Islands. He played an important role in Greece's victory in the 2004 European Championship, and was named the Player of the Tournament by UEFA. Zagorakis is currently Greece's all-time leader in caps, earning his 100th against Kazakhstan on November 17, 2004. He is at 119 caps as of June 2 (scoring his first ever goal on a free kick against Denmark in World Cup 06 qualifying, in Athens, during his 101st cap). He holds the record of not missing a match (except one in 2006) of the national team (due to either injury or not selection) since his first cap in a period of 12 years.
In October 5th 2006, Zagorakis announced his international retirement, after fourteen full playing years as the Greek team's leader. In May 2007, after the fifth Greek Superleague All-Star Game, he announced his retirement from the professional football altogether. [1]
On August 22, 2007, Zagorakis played for the last time with the Greek national football team in a special friendly match against Spain in Toumba Stadium, Salonica. He played for about 15 minutes and was then substituted by Giannis Goumas.
President of PAOK FC
On 18th June 2007, Zagorakis became the president of PAOK FC. In his unifying first statement he supports that: "the leading factor as far as the PAOK power is concerned is its supporters, its fans(...), I would have not made this decision (to retire as a football player and to take over PAOK as president) if i did not love my team. The situation for PAOK is very difficult and I will not try to hide its problems, in contrast to that I will try to solve all the financial issues with all my strength - If I do not succeed in a month's deadline (18th July 2007) I will quit".
Honours
| Medal record | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Competitor for Greece |
|||
| European Championships | |||
| Gold | 2004 Portugal | Greece | |
- League Cup: 2000
- Cup: 2002
- European Championship: 2004
Individual
- European Championship: 2004 UEFA Player of the tournament
- European Championship: 2004 UEFA Team of the Tournament Member
Personal life
Renowned as a bon viveur and following several high-profile liaisons with fashion models, Zagorakis married former model Joanna Lilli in 2006. In 2007 the couple had a daughter.
Trivia
- Zagorakis goes by nickname Theo, which was given to him by Leicester fans.
- He preferred wearing number 7 in his shirt for both the Greece national football team and the clubs he has played.
- Zagorakis is a lifelong fan of PAOK FC.
- He featured on the cover of the Greek edition of FIFA 2001.
- His body naturally produces high levels of testosterone, which were suspected to have been caused by performance enhancing drugs. It has long been proven that it is indeed a natural but rare phenomenon, although it has caused him inconvenience with regard to doping tests.
- Zagorakis is said to bear a striking resemblance to Australian actor Hugh Jackman.
External links
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