Fanis Katergiannakis

Theofanis "Fanis" Katergiannakis (Greek: Θεοφάνης Κατεργιαννάκης) (born 16 February 1974) is a football (soccer) player who plays as a goalkeeper.

Club career

Ethnikos Pylaias

Katergiannakis started his career in the young team for Ethnikos Pylaias a team in his town in Tracia. In the season 1992/1993 Ethnikos Pylaias, with Katergiannakis as goalkeeper achieved a great season, gained the Greek Fourth Division. After that Katergiannakis received an offer from Aris Thessaloniki F.C. the mean club in Thessaloniki quite hard to refuse.

Aris

In the summer 1994, Katergiannakis signed for Aris Thessaloniki F.C. and in the season 1997–1998 Katergiannakis, achieved a great season becoming the first goalkeep and helping the team a soon the promotion to the Greek First Division. The next season made his great contribution to promote Aris Thessaloniki F.C. for the Uefa Cup and saved a penalty to Greek top scorer Demis Nikolaidis. The match of 27 January 2002 between Olympiacos and Aris Thessaloniki F.C., Katergiannakis saved so many opportunity from Stelios Giannakopoulos, Alexandros Alexandris, Predrag Đorđević, Christian Karembeu. The club of Thessaloniki won 1–0 in Athens and this was the only mach lost at home for Olympiacos that in that season won the Greek First Division and after this match few teams try to make a new contract for Katergiannakis.

Olympiacos

In the summer 2002 Olympiacos made a 2 years contract to Katergiannakis as second goalkeeper behind Dimitrios Eleftheropoulos. Katergiannakis won the Greek Super League with Olympiacos in the season 2002/2003, after a big competition with the other goalkeeper Dimitrios Eleftheropoulos that he become injured during the match with the rival Panathinaikos. Katergiannakis became the first goalkeeper helping his new team to win the 7th consecutive Greek League and qualifying the team for Champions League and reached the final of Greek Cup against the Greek rival AEK Athens. The next season the coach Oleh Protasov declared that Katergiannakis and Dimitrios Eleftheropoulos were both titolare goalkeepers of the first team of Olympiacos. The coach Otto Rehhagel, called him Greece national football team as one of the Greek goalkeepers, included in the national team.

Cagliari Calcio

After he won Euro 2004 with Greece, the club of Olympiacos decided to acquire the legendary goalkeeper Antonis Nikopolidis. For the 2 goalkeepers there was less space and Dimitrios Eleftheropoulos signed for the Italian club Messina and Katergiannakis signed for another Italian club Cagliari in Serie A. Famous to be the first team out the main cities to won the league in Serie A. Katergiannakis in Cagliari, found players like David Suazo and the legendary Italian star Gianfranco Zola ready to help Cagliari Calcio to achieve a great season.

Sevilla

Katergiannakis after less than one season in Serie A, decided to conquire again the Greek national team, closed from the legendary goalkeepers Antonis Nikopolidis and Kostas Chalkias, refused the offer of Dynamo Moscow and he signed for Sevilla FC. But here he did not find much space as he was closed by the other 2 goalkeepers Notario ed Esteban.

Iraklis

In the summer 2005, Katergiannakis signed 2 years contract with Iraklis, that signed so many famous payers like the Italian Giuseppe Signori. Katergiannakis here met Georgios Georgiadis, teammate in the Greece national football team in the Euro 2004 triumph. That year Iraklis finished in 4th place in the Greek First Division, qualifying for the UEFA Europa League.

Kavala

In the summer 2008, Katergiannakis signed for Kavala FC in Greek Second Division and he helped the team to gain the 3rd place behind Antromitos and PAS Giannina and promote the team after 10 years in Greek Super League. Katergiannakis become the goalkeeper with a great performance and he received less goals in the season 2008/2009. In the summer 2009, he also found in Kavala FC another player (Vassilios Lakis) with whom he won Euro 2004 with the Greece national football team, acquired by club to renforce the team for the season 2009/2010 in Greek Super League.
The 17 February 2010, Katergiannakis with Kavala FC after 6 years he reached the semifinals of the Greek Cup against Panionios. In this game Kavala FC will face Aris Thessaloniki F.C. the team where Katergiannakis made his debut as a professional player. Katergiannakis with Kavala reached the sixth place in the Greek Super League, becoming the revelation of the season 2009/2010. On 16 January 2011 replaces the 69 minutes Javier López Vallejo against Panathinaikos F.C. at the Olympic Stadium in Athens, becoming the second club where he scored more appearances. For Katergiannakis there is also an interest from Cypriot football club Anorthosis Famagusta, but his currently team Kavala FC refused the offer for the 37 internatial goalkeeper. In the summer of 2011, both Katergiannakis and Kavala FC decided to end the contract.

International career

He made his debut for the Greece national football team on November 1999 against Bulgaria replacing the Greek goalkeeper Antonis Nikopolidis. Katergiannakis was included in the national team that won Euro 2004 in Portugal with the other goalkeepers Antonis Nikopolidis and Konstantinos Chalkias.

Honours

Aris

• Greek Second Division: 1995

Olympiacos

• Greek Championship: 2002–2003

Greece

• European Championship: 2004

Kavala

• Greek Second Division: 2008

Individual

• Greek Best Goalkeeper of the Beta Division: 2009

Other Achievements

Olympiacos

• Greek Championship: Runners up 2003–04

Olympiacos

• Greek Cup: Runners up 2003–04

References

• Fanis Katergiannakis at footballzz.co.uk

Greece squad – UEFA Euro 2004 Winners (1st title) 1 Nikopolidis 2 Seitaridis 3 Venetidis 4 Dabizas 5 Dellas 6 Basinas 7 Zagorakis (c) 8 Giannakopoulos 9 Charisteas 10 Tsiartas 11 Nikolaidis 12 Chalkias 13 Katergiannakis 14 Fyssas 15 Vryzas 16 Kafes 17 Georgiadis 18 Goumas 19 Kapsis 20 Karagounis 21 Katsouranis 22 Papadopoulos 23 Lakis Coach: Rehhagel