Sokratis Papastathopoulos
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| Sokratis Papastathopoulos | ||
| Personal information | ||
|---|---|---|
| Full name | Sokratis Papastathopoulos | |
| Date of birth | June 9, 1988 | |
| Place of birth | Kalamata, Greece | |
| Height | 1.83 m (6 ft 0 in) | |
| Playing position | Centre Back | |
| Club information | ||
| Current club | AEK Athens | |
| Number | 15 | |
| Youth clubs | ||
| Apollon Petalidiou Aias Paralias |
||
| Senior clubs1 | ||
| Years | Club | App (Gls)* |
| 2005- 2006 |
AEK Athens → Niki Volou (loan) Total |
57 (2) 11 (0) 53 (1) |
| National team2 | ||
| 2005-2007 2007-2008 2008- |
Greece U-19 Greece U-21 Greece Total |
20 (2) 6 (0) 3 (0) 29 (2) |
|
1 Senior club appearances and goals |
||
Sokratis Papastathopoulos (born on June 9, 1988 in Kalamata) is a Greek international football player currently playing as a centre back for AEK Athens F.C. in the Greek Super League.
He is regarded as one of the biggest talents in years and the next big thing in Greek football. Comparisons are already being made between him and Tony Adams while AEK Athens fans already consider him as the next Stelios Manolas.
Contents |
[edit] Club career
[edit] AEK Athens
Papastathopoulos joined AEK Athens from Aias Paralias for €30K. On October 26, 2005 he made his debut for AEK Athens in a Greek Cup match against PAS Giannina scoring on the 7th minute of the game leading AEK Athens to a 0-3 win.
[edit] Niki Volou
On January 2006 he was loaned to Greek Second Division club Niki Volou for 6 months in order to gain first team football and gather valuable experience. He made a total of 11 apearances for Niki Volou.
[edit] Return to AEK Athens
During the 2006-2007 Greek Super League, Papastathopoulos managed to make 14 appearances whilst competing against the likes of Bruno Cirillo, Traianos Dellas and Vaggelis Moras. In AEK Athens' UEFA Champions League 2006-2007 campaign, Papastathopoulos managed to play in 3 out of the 6 group games. In these 3 games 3 AEK Athens managed 1 win (the famous 1-0 victory of A.C. Milan), 1 draw (the 2-2 away draw with R.S.C. Anderlecht) and one loss (the 3-1 away defeat to Lille OSC). During the 2007-2008 Greek Super League, he has been a mainstay in AEK's defence, keeping out competition from Geraldo Alves.
There are rumors of many big European clubs (including major teams from Spain, Italy and England) watching him closely but none of them has made an offer for him yet. Either way Papastathopoulos stated that he does not want to leave AEK Athens yet.
[edit] International career
[edit] UEFA U-19 Championship 2007
At the 2007 UEFA European Under-19 Football Championship in Austria, Papastathopoulos was captain of the Greece National Under 19 Football Team but controversially missed out on the final against Spain due to a suspension. Sokratis picked up his second yellow card of the tournament against Germany in the semi-final, following up on his first yellow card against Austria in the group stage. The Hellenic Football Federation tried to appeal the yellow card to UEFA but were rejected. The match referee of the Germany game, Kevin Blom, apologized to Papastathopoulos for giving him the yellow, as it was later shown on video that it was not a booking. Papastathopoulos was a key figure of Greece's defensive line and was sorely missed the final.
[edit] Greece
He was called up on February 1, 2008[1] and made his debut on February 5, 2008 in the 1-0 friendly victory against Czech Republic. He has 3 caps since then. The Greece squad for Euro 2008 was announced by Otto Rehhagel on May 27, 2008, and Papastathopoulos was the unfortunate player to be cut from the provisional squad of 24 to the final 23-man selection.[2]
[edit] Statistics
| Season | Club | Competition | Apps | Goals |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2005/06 | AEK Athens |  Greek Super League |
0 | 0 |
| 2005/06 | Niki Volos F.C. | Greek Super League |
11 | 0 |
| 2006/07 | AEK Athens | Greek Super League |
14 | 0 |
| 2007/08 | AEK Athens | Greek Super League |
28 | 1 |
| Total | 53 | 1 | ||
[edit] References
[edit] External Links
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