Ioannis Matzourakis

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Ioannis Matzourakis
Personal information
Date of birth June 6, 1949 (1949-06-06) (age 59)
Place of birth    Didymoteicho, Thrace, Greece
Playing position Striker
Senior clubs1
Years Club App (Gls)*
1968
?
CFR Cluj
Rapid Bucharest
   
Teams managed
 ?
?
1988-89
Egaleo FC
Pezoporikos
APOEL

1 Senior club appearances and goals
counted for the domestic league only.
* Appearances (Goals)

Ioannis Matzourakis (born June 6, 1949 in Didymoteicho) is a Greek team manager and former footballer. He is currently employed by Skoda Xanthi FC.

Spending his child life in Romania, Matzourakis began his footballing career for the Romanian side of CFR Cluj, where he became the team's top goalscorer in 1968-1969. He was later transferred to Rapid Bucharest where he played until the age of 22.

In 1971, he returned to Greece and played for PAOK FC and two years later he was transferred to AEL Larissa where he ended his career.

He began his career as a coach in the 1980s, by coaching first Egaleo FC and then he coached Chalkida and Kavala. Then, in 1987-88 he went to Cyprus and coached APOP Paphos and later for Pezoporikos. Returning back to his country the following season he was coach of Naousa. As a coach he won his first title with his team APOEL, which coached them in 1989-90, when he went back to Cyprus. That season APOEL became champions.

For three years, since 1990 he was coach for Pierikos but then he went back to Cyprus and to his previous team APOEL in 1993 until 1995.

Returning back to Greece, he coached Larissa, in 1995-96 and then he employed for Skoda Xanthi. He coached the team for four years until 1999 and he returned back to the team in 2004 for two years. It is considered that his best work was for Xanthi with their chairman Christos Panopoulos. The second time when he worked for them, Xanthi achieved their greatest success in their history. As a coach of the team, Xanthi became 5th in 2005-06, a position which gave them the right to play in UEFA Cup.

The reatest moment in his career was with Olympiacos in 1999-2000 became champions and the following season when he coached the "Legend of Piraeus" in UEFA Champions League.

Back in Cyprus in 2002, he coached Anorthosis Famagusta and AEL Limassol FC, and in 2003, AEL qualified to the Cypriot Cup final after 14 years, and was beaten on penalties by Anorthosis 5-3 after a draw 0-0.

After working in Xanthi for two years, he gave up by coaching the team on September 26, 2006, after the bad results of the team. He returned back to Cyprus in January 2007, this time for AC Omonia, replacing their previous coach Ioan Andone without success. He was fired after his team was beaten in the Cypriot Cup Final by Anorthosis Famagusta.