Antonios Nikopolidis facts for kids
Nikopolidis playing in a legends match in 2018
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| Personal information | ||||||||||||||||
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| Full name | Antonios Nikopolidis | |||||||||||||||
| Date of birth | 14 January 1971 | |||||||||||||||
| Place of birth | Arta, Greece | |||||||||||||||
| Height | 1.87 m (6 ft 2 in) | |||||||||||||||
| Position(s) | Goalkeeper | |||||||||||||||
| Youth career | ||||||||||||||||
| 1985–1989 | Anagennisi Arta | |||||||||||||||
| Senior career* | ||||||||||||||||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) | |||||||||||||
| 1987–1989 | Anagennisi Arta | 49 | (0) | |||||||||||||
| 1989–2004 | Panathinaikos | 189 | (0) | |||||||||||||
| 2004–2011 | Olympiacos | 180 | (0) | |||||||||||||
| Total | 418 | (0) | ||||||||||||||
| International career | ||||||||||||||||
| 1999–2008 | Greece | 90 | (0) | |||||||||||||
| Managerial career | ||||||||||||||||
| 2012–2013 | Olympiacos (assistant) | |||||||||||||||
| 2013 | Olympiacos (caretaker) | |||||||||||||||
| 2014–2015 | Olympiacos (assistant) | |||||||||||||||
| 2015–2019 | Greece U21 | |||||||||||||||
| 2019–2020 | Olympiacos U19 | |||||||||||||||
| 2022–2023 | Proodeftiki | |||||||||||||||
| 2024–2025 | Panionios | |||||||||||||||
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Medal record
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| *Club domestic league appearances and goals | ||||||||||||||||
Antonis Nikopolidis (Greek: Αντώνης Νικοπολίδης; born on January 14, 1971) is a Greek professional football manager and former player.
He is considered one of the best Greek goalkeepers of all time. He played the most games as a goalkeeper for the Greece national football team. He was also a very important part of Greece winning the UEFA Euro 2004 tournament.
Contents
Club Career Highlights
Starting at Anagennisi Arta
Nikopolidis began his football journey at his local team, Anagennisi Arta. In the summer of 1989, he moved to Panathinaikos.
Playing for Panathinaikos
He played his first game for Panathinaikos in the 1990–91 season. This match was against Olympiacos, which would later become his team. For several years, he was a backup goalkeeper.
In 1995, he played five games when Panathinaikos won the league championship. The next year, they won it again, and he played three games. By the 1997–98 season, when he was 26, he became the main goalkeeper. In the 2002 Champions League, he helped his team reach the quarter-finals.
In the 2003–04 season, he lost his starting spot. This happened because he and the club could not agree on a new contract. Panathinaikos offered him a pay raise, but he felt it was not enough for his long service. Because he did not accept the offer right away, the team decided to keep him on the bench.
Before UEFA Euro 2004, there were rumors that Nikopolidis might join Olympiacos, Panathinaikos's biggest rival. It was later found out that he had signed a deal with Olympiacos before the tournament. Panathinaikos fans were very disappointed. When the team celebrated winning the league and cup in 2004, many fans booed him.
Moving to Olympiacos
After helping Greece win UEFA Euro 2004, Nikopolidis joined Olympiacos. He quickly made a big impact. In his first game against his old club, Panathinaikos, he did not let in any goals. He then helped Olympiacos win two league and cup "doubles" in a row. This made him the only Greek player to win three doubles in a row with two different clubs.
At Olympiacos, Nikopolidis became known for making important saves in big games. He was especially good at saving penalty kicks. He saved three penalties in UEFA Champions League games against teams like Roma and Real Madrid. In the 2007–08 season, he also tied the Greek league record for most penalties saved in one season.
Nikopolidis planned to retire at the end of the 2009–10 season. However, he changed his mind after the club president asked him to stay. He signed a new contract to play for one more year, hoping to retire as a champion.
In January 2011, he was listed as one of the best goalkeepers of the first decade (2000-2009). On March 20, 2011, Olympiacos won the championship with a 6–0 win against AEK Athens F.C..
He played his last game on April 17, 2011, in a 6–0 home win against Larissa F.C.. Near the end of the game, he was replaced by another goalkeeper, Balázs Megyeri. This allowed him to wave goodbye to the Olympiacos fans. As the team captain, he was the one who lifted the championship trophy after the match.
International Career
Nikopolidis played his first game for the Greece national football team on August 18, 1999, against El Salvador.
He played very well in the qualifying games for the 2002 FIFA World Cup and Euro 2004. His strong performance helped Greece qualify for the Euro 2004 finals. Nikopolidis was a key player in Greece's victory in Portugal. He did not let in any goals in three knockout stage games. He was also chosen as the goalkeeper for the Euro 2004 All-Star team.
On June 15, 2008, Nikopolidis announced he was retiring from international football after Euro 2008. He said he had made this decision before the tournament began. He also stated it was time for new players in the Greek national team.
Managerial Career
After he stopped playing, Nikopolidis became an assistant manager for Olympiacos in 2012.
In January 2013, he became the temporary manager after the previous manager left. When a new manager, Míchel, arrived, Nikopolidis stayed on as his assistant.
After the 2012–13 season, Nikopolidis left Olympiacos to start his career as a head coach. On October 1, 2015, he was named the manager of the Greece national under-21 football team.
Playing Style
Antonis Nikopolidis was not especially tall or quick. However, he was very good at knowing where to be on the field. This made him excellent at stopping shots. He also understood the game well, which helped him quickly come off his goal line to deal with one-on-one situations. He could also act as a "sweeper-keeper," meaning he would sometimes come out of the penalty area to clear the ball.
Honours and Awards
Player Achievements
Panathinaikos
- Alpha Ethniki (Greek League Champion): 1989–90, 1990–91, 1994–95, 1995–96, 2003–04
- Greek Cup: 1990–91, 1992–93, 1993–94, 1994–95, 2003–04
- Greek Super Cup: 1993, 1994
Olympiacos
- Super League Greece: 2004–05, 2005–06, 2006–07, 2007–08, 2008–09, 2010–11
- Greek Cup: 2004–05, 2005–06, 2007–08, 2008–09
- Greek Super Cup: 2007
Greece National Team
Individual Awards
- Greek Best Goalkeeper: 1999–2000, 2001–02, 2002–03, 2003–04, 2004–05, 2005–06, 2007–08, 2008–09 (a record eight times!)
- UEFA European Football Championship Team of the Tournament Member: 2004
See also
In Spanish: Antonis Nikopolidis para niños
