Dimitris Saravakos facts for kids
Dimitris Saravakos in 2009
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| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | Dimitrios Saravakos | ||
| Date of birth | 26 July 1961 | ||
| Place of birth | Athens, Greece | ||
| Height | 1.72 m (5 ft 7+1⁄2 in) | ||
| Playing position | Winger, attacking midfielder | ||
| Club information | |||
| Current club | Panathinaikos (Strategic Advisor) | ||
| Youth career | |||
| 1976–1977 | Panionios | ||
| Senior career* | |||
| Years | Team | Apps† | (Gls)† |
| 1977–1984 | Panionios | 132 | (35) |
| 1984–1994 | Panathinaikos | 252 | (125) |
| 1994–1996 | AEK Athens | 47 | (21) |
| 1997–1998 | Panathinaikos | 2 | (0) |
| Total | 433 | (181) | |
| National team | |||
| 1982–1994 | Greece | 78 | (22) |
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Dimitris Saravakos (Greek: Δημήτρης Σαραβάκος; born 26 July 1961) is a famous former Greek footballer. People often called him "the Kid" (Greek: "ο Μικρός"). He played as a forward, which means he was usually at the front of the team, trying to score goals.
Many people think Dimitris Saravakos is one of the best Greek footballers ever. He is especially known as a true legend of Panathinaikos, one of Greece's biggest football clubs. In 2021, the IFFHS (a group that keeps football records) even picked him for the best Greek football team of all time!
Contents
Playing for Clubs
Starting at Panionios
Dimitris Saravakos began his football journey at Panionios. He was very young, just 16 years old, when he played his first professional game. This happened on 26 December 1977.
In his second year with Panionios, he helped the team win the Greek Cup in 1979. This was a big win, as they beat AEK Athens 3–1 in the final. During the 1981–82 season, he scored 13 goals, which was his best year at the club. His great playing also led to him being chosen for the national team.
In his last year at Panionios, he scored 10 goals in 28 games. He played for Panionios for seven years in total. During this time, he appeared in 132 league games and scored 35 goals.
Becoming a Legend at Panathinaikos
On 22 June 1984, Dimitris Saravakos moved to Panathinaikos. This was a very important move for his career. At Panathinaikos, his amazing attacking skills really shone.
In his first year, he was the second-highest scorer in the league. He scored his first goal for Panathinaikos on 23 September 1984. He also scored in big games, like the "derby of Athens" against AEK and the "derby of the eternal enemies" against Olympiacos.
Saravakos was key in Panathinaikos reaching the semi-finals of the European Cup in 1984–85. He scored important goals that helped his team move forward in the competition.
In the next season, Panathinaikos won both the league and the Cup. Saravakos scored two goals in the Cup final against Olympiacos, helping his team win 4–0. This was the biggest win ever in a final between these two rival teams.
He continued to score many goals in important matches, both in Greece and in European games. In 1987, he scored a goal against Juventus, a very famous Italian team. Panathinaikos won that game 1–0. After this, Juventus was interested in signing him, but it didn't happen.
In June 1988, the president of Olympiacos offered a huge amount of money to get Saravakos to join their team. However, Saravakos chose to stay with Panathinaikos. He helped Panathinaikos win the Super Cup in 1988 and another Greek Cup in 1989.
In 1989, Panathinaikos signed another great striker, Krzysztof Warzycha. Saravakos and Warzycha worked together perfectly, leading the club to win the championship in 1990. Saravakos was the team captain when Panathinaikos beat Olympiacos 4–3 in a thrilling game in 1990.
The 1990–91 season was fantastic for Saravakos. He was the league's top scorer with 23 goals. Panathinaikos won another double, meaning they won both the league and the Cup again. Saravakos scored 10 goals in the Cup that season.
The 1991–92 season was his best for goals in the league, scoring 24 times. He scored in big derby wins against Olympiacos and AEK. Saravakos also helped Panathinaikos reach the group stage of the first-ever UEFA Champions League. He scored three crucial goals in the qualifying matches.
In 1992, Saravakos was chosen to play for a special team called the World XI. This team played in a protest match because of the invasion of Kuwait.
In the 1992–93 season, Saravakos won another Cup with Panathinaikos. He also scored in the Super Cup against AEK in 1993, helping his team win.
His last Cup win with Panathinaikos was in the 1993–94 season, making it his sixth Greek Cup title. He played his last European game for Panathinaikos on 2 November 1993, scoring a goal against Bayer Leverkusen.
Moving to AEK Athens
In the summer of 1994, Saravakos left Panathinaikos and joined AEK Athens. He was 33 years old at the time.
He played his first official game for AEK on 10 August 1994 against Rangers. He scored two goals in that game, helping AEK qualify for the Champions League group stage for the first time ever. He was the second-highest scorer in the league for AEK, with 21 goals.
In the next season, he won another Greek Super Cup with AEK against his old club, Panathinaikos. He also helped AEK win the Greek Cup in 1996. However, due to his age and some injuries, he didn't play as much as before. After this, he left AEK.
Retiring from Football
After a year away from football, Saravakos returned to Panathinaikos in 1997 to finish his career at the club he loved most. He played only two more league games before officially retiring in the summer of 1998.
Dimitris Saravakos holds the record for the most goals (16) in the "Derby of the eternal enemies" between Panathinaikos and Olympiacos. He also held the record for the best Greek scorer in UEFA competitions with 25 goals, until Demis Nikolaidis later scored more.
Playing for Greece
Dimitris Saravakos was a very important player for the Greek national team from 1982 to 1994. He is the fourth-highest scorer in the history of the national team, with 22 goals in 78 games.
He helped Greece try to qualify for the UEFA Euro 1988. He also played a big part in Greece's success in qualifying for the 1994 FIFA World Cup in the United States. This was a huge achievement for Greek football.
He also played for the Mediterranean team in the 1983 Mediterranean Games in Casablanca, Morocco.
How He Played
Saravakos was one of the most popular and talented players in Greek football. He was very skilled with the ball and understood the game very well. He was excellent at finishing chances and helping to create goals. He was also known for being very good at taking free kicks and penalty kicks.
After Football
Since 2013, Dimitris Saravakos has worked as a Strategic Advisor for Panathinaikos. This special role was created just for him.
Personal Life
Dimitris Saravakos's father, Thanasis Saravakos, was also a footballer who played for Panionios and for the national team.
Awards and Trophies
Panionios
- Greek Cup: 1978–79
Panathinaikos
- Greek Championship: 1985–86, 1989–90, 1990–91
- Greek Cup: 1985–86, 1987–88, 1988–89, 1990–91, 1992–93, 1993–94
- Greek Super Cup: 1988, 1993
AEK Athens
- Greek Cup: 1995–96
Statistics
| Club | Season | League | Cup | Super Cup | League Cup | Europe | Total | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Division | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals! | ||
| Panionios | 1977–78 | Alpha Ethniki | 1 | 0 | ? | 0 | — | — | — | — | — | — | 1+ | 0 |
| 1978–79 | Alpha Ethniki | 9 | 0 | 1 | 0 | — | — | — | — | — | — | 10 | 0 | |
| 1979–80 | Alpha Ethniki | 12 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | — | — | — | — | — | 12 | 0 | |
| 1980–81 | Alpha Ethniki | 33 | 4 | 3 | 2 | — | — | — | — | — | — | 36 | 6 | |
| 1981–82 | Alpha Ethniki | 31 | 13 | ? | 0 | — | — | — | — | — | — | 31+ | 13 | |
| 1982–83 | Alpha Ethniki | 28 | 8 | 2 | 0 | — | — | — | — | — | — | 30 | 8 | |
| 1983–84 | Alpha Ethniki | 28 | 10 | 8 | 5 | — | — | — | — | — | — | 36 | 15 | |
| Total | 142 | 35 | 14+ | 7 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 156+ | 42 | ||
| Panathinaikos | 1984–85 | Alpha Ethniki | 23 | 15 | ? | 1 | — | — | — | — | 8 | 3 | 31+ | 19 |
| 1985–86 | Alpha Ethniki | 29 | 15 | ? | 5 | — | — | — | — | 2 | 2 | 31+ | 22 | |
| 1986–87 | Alpha Ethniki | 23 | 13 | ? | 4 | — | — | — | — | 2 | 1 | 25+ | 18 | |
| 1987–88 | Alpha Ethniki | 26 | 5 | ? | 9 | 1 | 0 | — | — | 8 | 6 | 35+ | 20 | |
| 1988–89 | Alpha Ethniki | 25 | 5 | ? | 7 | — | — | — | — | 2 | 0 | 27+ | 12 | |
| 1989–90 | Alpha Ethniki | 24 | 11 | ? | 8 | — | — | 4 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 31+ | 25 | |
| 1990–91 | Alpha Ethniki | 30 | 23 | ? | 10 | — | — | — | — | 2 | 1 | 32+ | 34 | |
| 1991–92 | Alpha Ethniki | 33 | 24 | ? | 3 | — | — | — | — | 10 | 3 | 43+ | 30 | |
| 1992–93 | Alpha Ethniki | 14 | 2 | ? | 2 | 1 | 1 | — | — | 2 | 1 | 17+ | 6 | |
| 1993–94 | Alpha Ethniki | 25 | 15 | ? | 0 | — | — | — | — | 4 | 3 | 29+ | 18 | |
| Total | 252 | 125 | ? | 49 | 2 | 1 | 4 | 3 | 43 | 23 | 299+ | 201 | ||
| AEK Athens | 1994–95 | Alpha Ethniki | 30 | 21 | 10 | 3 | — | — | — | — | 8 | 2 | 48 | 26 |
| 1995–96 | Alpha Ethniki | 17 | 1 | 7 | 4 | — | — | — | — | 3 | 0 | 27 | 5 | |
| Total | 47 | 22 | 17 | 7 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 11 | 2 | 75 | 31 | ||
| Panathinaikos | 1997–98 | Alpha Ethniki | 2 | 0 | ? | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2+ | 0 |
| Career Total | 443 | 185 | 31+ | 63 | 2 | 1 | 4 | 3 | 54 | 25 | 534+ | 277 | ||
Last updated: 2022-07-19
Source:
See also
In Spanish: Dimitris Saravakos para niños
