Akis Zikos facts for kids
| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | Andreas Vasilios Zikos | ||
| Date of birth | 1 June 1974 | ||
| Place of birth | Athens, Greece | ||
| Height | 1.80 m | ||
| Playing position | Defensive midfielder | ||
| Youth career | |||
| –1993 | A.S. Papagou | ||
| Senior career* | |||
| Years | Team | Apps† | (Gls)† |
| 1993–1998 | Skoda Xanthi | 114 | (4) |
| 1998–2002 | AEK Athens | 105 | (6) |
| 2002–2006 | Monaco | 103 | (2) |
| 2006–2008 | AEK Athens | 50 | (0) |
| Total | 372 | (12) | |
| National team | |||
| 1996–2001 | Greece | 18 | (0) |
| Teams managed | |||
| 2013–2015 | AEK Athens (Academy Manager) | ||
| 2017–2018 | AEK Athens (Academy Manager) | ||
| 2021– | A.O. Glyfada (Academy Manager) | ||
|
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Andreas Vasilios "Akis" Zikos (born 1 June 1974) is a Greek former professional football player. He played as a defensive midfielder, which means he helped protect his team's goal. Akis was known for being a strong player who was good at winning the ball from opponents.
He played for the Greek national team 18 times between 1996 and 2001. After retiring from playing, he started working as an academy manager for A.O. Glyfada. This job involves helping young players develop their skills.
Contents
Club career
Skoda Xanthi
Akis Zikos began his professional football journey in 1993. His first team was Skoda Xanthi. He played for them for four seasons in the Greek Super League, which is the top football league in Greece.
AEK Athens
In the summer of 1998, Zikos moved to AEK Athens. He quickly became the team's main defensive midfielder. He impressed everyone with his strong performances. He was an important player for all the coaches at AEK Athens.
In 2000, another great player, Thodoris Zagorakis, joined the club. Zikos and Zagorakis formed an amazing partnership in the middle of the field for two years. With AEK Athens, Zikos won the Greek Cup twice, in 2000 and 2002. In 2002, he decided to leave AEK Athens and try playing football in another country.
Monaco
In the summer of 2002, Akis Zikos joined Monaco, a team in France. He played there for four seasons in Ligue 1, the top French football league. He also showed his talent in European competitions.
In 2003, he helped Monaco win the Coupe de la Ligue, which is the French League Cup. The next year, in 2004, his team, led by coach Didier Deschamps, reached the UEFA Champions League Final. They played against José Mourinho's Porto in Germany. Monaco lost the final 3–0, but Zikos was still seen as one of the best players on the field that day. His appearance in this final made him the first Greek player to ever play in a UEFA Champions League final.
Return to AEK
After four successful years in France, Zikos decided to return to Greece in 2006. He rejoined his favorite team, AEK Athens. That year, AEK Athens had many players injured. Despite this, Zikos helped the team finish in second place in the league. This result allowed them to qualify for the UEFA Champions League qualification rounds.
Akis Zikos officially retired from playing football on 20 April 2008. This was during the final game of the regular season.
International career
Akis Zikos played 18 games for the Greece national team. However, he wasn't chosen for the national team as often when a new coach, Otto Rehhagel, took over.
Even after helping Monaco reach the 2004 UEFA Champions League Final, he was considered for Greece's team for Euro 2004. This was a big tournament that Greece surprisingly won. But in the end, Akis Zikos was not picked for the winning squad.
Honours
AEK Athens
- Greek Cup: 1999–2000, 2001–02
Monaco
- French League Cup: 2003
- UEFA Champions League: Runner-up 2003–04
See also
In Spanish: Andreas Zikos para niños
