Panagiotis Glykos

Panagiotis Glykos
Personal information
Full namePanagiotis Georgios Glykos[1]
Date of birth10 October 1986
Place of birthVolos, Greece
Height1.87 m (6 ft 2 in)
Playing positionGoalkeeper
Club information
Current team
PAOK
Number71
Youth career
2001–2004Olympiakos Volou
Senior career*
YearsTeamApps(Gls)
2004–2007Olympiakos Volou20(0)
2007–PAOK67(0)
2009→ Olympiakos Volou (loan)8(0)
2010–2011→ Agrotikos Asteras (loan)9(0)
National team
2012–Greece4(0)
* Senior club appearances and goals counted for the domestic league only and correct as of 8 February 2015.
† Appearances (Goals).

Panagiotis Georgios Glykos (born 10 October 1986) is a Greek professional footballer who plays for PAOK FC and the Greek national team as a goalkeeper.

Club career

PAOK

The Keeper began his career at Olympiakos Volou, playing in their youth and reserve teams before signing for PAOK in 2007 as PAOK's manager Fernando Santos needed an extra goalkeeper for the upcoming season. He made his official debut for the club in a cup fixture in 2008. He was then shipped out on loan, making a handful of appearances, before establishing himself in the first team fold in the 2011/12 season. From then, he has regularly done battle with the other keepers in the squad to secure the No1 spot. In fact, at the start of the 2013/14 season, he began the league campaign on the bench, with Spaniard Jacobo preferred, before being handed the first team reins in November. Glykos grabbed the opportunity with both hands, starting all but two of the remaining fixtures and forcing his way into Fernando Santos’s squad for Brazil.[2]

Glykos named as the best player of PAOK in January and February as a result of the ballot held every month at the official site of the fans. At the announcement is stated: "In football you ought to be always ready to seize the opportunity whenever it is given to you. Panagiotis proved ready! He took his gloves after basic disciplinary misconduct of the basic goalkeeper Jacobo and has been one of the revelations of the season. Consistently good, with sure and effective interventions, is undoubtedly the best Greek goalkeeper and one of the best players of PAOK in the season." [3]

On May 13, 2014 after his best year in his career with 40 games with the club in all competitions, Glikos received a proposal to renew his contract which expires in 2015. The club wants to " bind" the international keeper, who is candidate to be among the three keepers for the World Cup in Brazil, for another two years. The report also states that the proposal reaches €250,000 per year and the release clause reaches €2.5 million . However, the 27 year old keeper is looking for an opportunity abroad.[4]

On 29 July 2014 Glykos seemed to reach an agreement with PAOK for a three-years' contract.[5] [6]

International Career

On 31 August 2012, Glykos was called to the Greek national football team for the first time by Fernando Santos. Panagiotis Glykos has made a late case for inclusion into the Greek squad, surprising many by usurping Michalis Sifakis, or even Alexandros Tzorvas to take the third goalkeeper spot behind Orestis Karnezis and Stefanos Kapino. The PAOK keeper comes into the tournament in solid form, keeping a clean sheet once every three Greek Super League games during the 2013/14 season. Fernando Santos gave Glykos his debut back on 5 March 2014 in a friendly match against South Korea and was impressed enough to include him among his final 23 in Brazil.[7]

After first-choice keeper Orestis Karnezis injured his back, Glikos came on as a substitute in the 24th minute for Greece in their World Cup match against the Ivory Coast in Brazil.[8]

References

  1. "2014 FIFA World Cup Brazil: List of Players" (PDF). FIFA. 11 June 2014. p. 18. Retrieved 11 June 2014.
  2. "Panagiotis Glykos Profile". fifa.com.
  3. Ξανά πολυτιμότερος παίκτης του ΠΑΟΚ ο Γλύκος (in Greek). newsbeast.gr. 11 March 2014. Retrieved 11 March 2014.
  4. Το σκέπτεται για ανανέωση ο Γλύκος (in Greek). insidenews.gr. 17 May 2014.
  5. ΠΑΟΚ: Συμφωνία με Γλύκο! (in Greek). onsports.gr. 29 July 2014.
  6. ΠΑΟΚ και Γλύκος συμφώνησαν για τρία χρόνια (in Greek). pamesports.gr. 29 July 2014.
  7. "Panagiotis Glykos Profile". fifa.com.
  8. "Greece v Ivory Coast: World Cup 2014 – as it happened!". theguardian.com.