Giorgos Koudas facts for kids

Quick facts for kids
Giorgos Koudas

Koudas in 2006
Personal information
Full name	Georgios Koudas
Date of birth	(1946-11-23) 23 November 1946 (age 78)
Place of birth	Thessaloniki, Greece
Height	1.77 m (5 ft 10 in)
Position(s)	Attacking midfielder
Youth career
1958–1963	PAOK
Senior career*
Years	Team	Apps	(Gls)
1963–1984	PAOK	504	(133)
International career
1967–1982	Greece	43	(4)
*Club domestic league appearances and goals

Giorgos Koudas (born November 23, 1946) is a famous Greek former football player. He was an attacking midfielder. Many people think he is one of the best Greek players ever. He played his whole career for the team PAOK. He played more games for PAOK than anyone else in the club's history. Koudas was known for his strong play, leadership, and amazing skills. People often called him Alexander the Great of Greek football.

Early Life and Joining PAOK

Giorgos Koudas was born on November 23, 1946, in Agios Pavlos, Thessaloniki, Greece. As a young boy, he spent a lot of time playing football. He played in sandlots and marble squares in Thessaloniki. His talent was noticed by an older neighbor. This neighbor was a big fan of PAOK.

One day, the neighbor took Giorgos to try out for PAOK's youth team. About a hundred kids were there. On the second day, the coach, Wilhelm Sevcik, asked Giorgos to control a ball thrown high in the air. Giorgos did this easily. He then played in a training game. A PAOK team member took his picture and asked him to sign up.

So, Giorgos Koudas joined PAOK's youth team in 1958 when he was 12. He trained in the mornings. To earn money, he went to night school and worked. He worked in different places, like an electrical shop and a bakery. He also worked as a bellhop and receptionist at a hotel.

Club Career with PAOK

Becoming a Star Player

Koudas started playing as a right winger. He wore the number 7 jersey. His amazing skills and technique quickly made him stand out. Many fans came to watch the youth games just to see him play. He could easily dribble past defenders and score goals.

Giorgos soon became an attacking midfielder. He made his first team debut in December 1963 at age 17. His talent shone brightly. In the 1965–66 season, he scored 13 goals in 29 games.

In 1966, Koudas almost left PAOK. Another team, Olympiacos, offered him a lot more money. His father wanted him to go. But PAOK's president, Giorgos Pantelakis, refused to let him leave. For two years, Koudas only played in friendly games for Olympiacos.

Eventually, Koudas returned to PAOK in the summer of 1968. Fans gave him a very warm welcome. This event made the rivalry between Olympiacos and PAOK even stronger. It is now one of the biggest rivalries in Greek football. Koudas did not speak to his father for six years because of his decision to return to PAOK.

Loyalty and Trophies

When Koudas returned to PAOK in 1968, other talented players joined the team. These included Christos Terzanidis, Dimitris Paridis, and Achilleas Aslanidis. Stavros Sarafis had joined a year earlier. Later, Giannis Gounaris and Kostas Iosifidis also joined. This created a strong team that played exciting football.

PAOK started to compete well against the big teams from Athens. They began to win their first national titles. Koudas scored both goals when PAOK beat Panathinaikos 2–1 in the 1972 Cup final. This was the club's first major trophy.

In the following years, PAOK also won the 1974 Cup. They then won the 1976 league title. Koudas believed the team deserved to win even more trophies in the 1970s.

On February 14, 1973, PAOK played a friendly match against Ajax. After the game, Koudas met the famous player Johan Cruyff. Cruyff told Koudas he was good enough to play in top European leagues. He even offered to help Koudas get in touch with a football agent. Koudas learned that a transfer to Espanyol was possible.

However, back then, Greek players rarely moved abroad. Also, the transfer money would go to his club, and his salary terms were unclear. Koudas decided to stay in Greece.

Giorgos Koudas played his entire football career at PAOK. He made 504 appearances in the top Greek league, Alpha Ethniki. He played 607 games in total for PAOK, which are club records. He scored 164 goals, with 133 in the league. He also played in 9 Greek Cup finals. He retired in May 1984 at the age of 38. He had played for PAOK for over 20 years.

International Career

Koudas played 43 games for the Greece national team. He scored four goals between 1967 and 1982. He played in the UEFA Euro 1980 tournament in Italy. He was part of the team that drew 0–0 against West Germany.

On September 20, 1995, eleven years after he retired, a special match was held for him. It was at Toumba Stadium. Koudas played one last time for the national team against Yugoslavia. This made him the oldest footballer (at 48) to play in a competitive international game. This record was later broken by George Weah in 2018.

Koudas also set a European record for the longest time between his first and last international game. This was 27 years and 10 months. After the match, a statue of his head was revealed at Toumba Stadium. Koudas was very emotional.

After Retirement

After retiring in May 1984, Koudas stayed involved in football. PAOK FC president Pantelakis made him the team's general manager for the 1984–85 season. That year, PAOK won their second league title.

For a short time in September 1987, Koudas was a co-manager for Iraklis. He worked alongside Kostas Aidiniou.

In August 2012, Ivan Savvidis became the main owner of PAOK FC. Since late 2015, Koudas has been one of his advisors.

Playing Style and Personality

Giorgos Koudas is seen as one of the greatest Greek players ever. The Hellenic Football Federation ranked him 5th among the best Greek players in 2003. He was a creative playmaker who was great at timing his passes. He was known for his technical skills, dribbling, and vision. He always knew where his teammates were on the field.

Koudas said that winger Dimitris Paridis was like his "other self" on the field. He explained, "My long passes found him perfectly. He knew when to start running. I knew he would meet the ball. Our thoughts were perfectly connected." He also said that he could focus more on offense thanks to his teammate Christos Terzanidis. Terzanidis was a tireless defensive midfielder who always encouraged him to go forward.

About playing with PAOK's record goalscorer Stavros Sarafis, Koudas said, "Stavros was a huge help to the team. His heading ability was so good. You just needed to send a good cross into the box, and he would likely score."

One of Koudas' nicknames was The Deer. This was because of his unique way of running with the ball. He would keep his head up and take long strides. Koudas was a versatile attacking midfielder and a good goalscorer. He had a strong right foot shot. He was also a team leader who inspired his teammates. He was a role model for younger players. He never tried to upset opposing players or fans. He had a kind personality.

A popular song was written about Koudas. It was by Greek songwriter and PAOK fan Nikos Papazoglou and lyricist Manolis Rasoulis.

Career Statistics

Club career

International career

List of international goals scored by Giorgos Koudas

No.	Date	Venue	Opponent	Score	Result	Competition
1	15 October 1969	Kaftanzoglio Stadium, Thessaloniki	Switzerland	1–0	4–1	1970 FIFA World Cup qualification
2	17 January 1973	Leoforos Alexandras Stadium, Athens	Spain	1–1	2–3	1974 FIFA World Cup qualification
3	6 May 1976	Leoforos Alexandras Stadium, Athens	Poland	1–0	1–0	Friendly
4	13 December 1978	Leoforos Alexandras Stadium, Athens	Romania	1–0	2–1	Balkan Cup

Honours

PAOK

• Alpha Ethniki: 1975–76
• Greek Cup: 1971–72, 1973–74

See also

In Spanish: Giorgos Koudas para niños

• List of one-club men in association football