Giourkas Seitaridis facts for kids
Seitaridis playing for Greece in 2008
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| Personal information | ||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | Georgios Seitaridis | |||||||||||||||
| Date of birth | 4 June 1981 | |||||||||||||||
| Place of birth | Piraeus, Greece | |||||||||||||||
| Height | 1.85 m (6 ft 1 in) | |||||||||||||||
| Position(s) | Right-back, centre-back | |||||||||||||||
| Senior career* | ||||||||||||||||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) | |||||||||||||
| 1998–2001 | PAS Giannina | 40 | (5) | |||||||||||||
| 2001–2004 | Panathinaikos | 77 | (1) | |||||||||||||
| 2004–2005 | Porto | 23 | (0) | |||||||||||||
| 2005–2006 | Dynamo Moscow | 8 | (0) | |||||||||||||
| 2006–2009 | Atlético Madrid | 59 | (0) | |||||||||||||
| 2009–2013 | Panathinaikos | 41 | (0) | |||||||||||||
| Total | 248 | (6) | ||||||||||||||
| International career | ||||||||||||||||
| 2002–2010 | Greece | 72 | (1) | |||||||||||||
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Medal record
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| *Club domestic league appearances and goals | ||||||||||||||||
Georgios "Giourkas" Seitaridis, born on June 4, 1981, is a Greek former professional footballer. He played mainly as a right-back and sometimes as a centre-back. Giourkas last played for Panathinaikos in 2013.
Before that, he played for clubs like PAS Giannina, Porto, Dynamo Moscow, and Atlético Madrid. He was also a key player for the Greece national team. He played 72 games for his country and scored one goal. Giourkas was part of the Greek team that famously won UEFA Euro 2004. Because of his great performance, he was chosen for the Team of the Tournament.
Giourkas comes from a family of footballers. Both his grandfather and father, Dimitris Seitaridis, played football and later became managers.
Club Career Highlights
Starting at PAS Giannina
Giourkas Seitaridis began his professional football journey with PAS Giannina in 1997. This club was sometimes called "Ajax of Epirus." He quickly became an important player for them as a right full-back.
He helped the team get promoted to the Super League 2 in the 1999–2000 season. During his time at PAS Giannina, he played 40 league games and scored 5 goals.
Joining Panathinaikos
On January 12, 2001, Giourkas signed a five-year contract with Panathinaikos, a big club in Athens. He quickly became a regular player for the team. At just 22 years old, he won his first major trophies.
He helped Panathinaikos win both the league title (2003–04 Alpha Ethniki) and the Greek Cup in the 2003–04 season. This achievement is known as winning the "double." He also scored his first European goal against Manchester United in a Champions League game in March 2001. In September 2001, he was named the Greek Young Footballer of the Year.
Moving to Porto
On June 11, 2004, Giourkas signed with Porto, a top club in Portugal. At that time, Porto was the champion of the Champions League. The official announcement of his transfer was made on July 26, 2004.
He helped Porto win the Portuguese SuperCup and the Intercontinental Cup in the same year. These were important trophies for the club.
Time at Dynamo Moscow
In May 2005, Giourkas moved to the Russian club Dynamo Moscow. Several of his former Porto teammates also joined the Russian club. However, Giourkas found it hard to settle in Moscow.
He felt uncomfortable with the different weather and found it difficult to adapt to the cold. He only played 8 league games during his one year there before deciding to leave.
Playing for Atlético Madrid
On June 16, 2006, Giourkas transferred to Atlético Madrid in Spain. He was the second Greek player to join Atlético. His former teammate, Costinha, also moved to Atlético that year.
Giourkas had a tough start, getting sent off in his very first game. He also faced an injury in November 2007, which affected his playing time. He needed surgery for his achilles tendon. Due to injuries, he only played 14 league games in the 2007–08 season.
In the 2008–09 season, he lost his regular spot in the team. On April 29, 2009, he and a teammate were suspended for not showing up to a home match. Two weeks later, on May 13, 2009, Atlético announced that Giourkas was released from his contract early.
Returning to Panathinaikos
On September 10, 2009, Giourkas Seitaridis signed a four-year deal to return to Panathinaikos. He was back with the team after five years away. However, he struggled with frequent injuries and was not always fit to play.
Despite his challenges, he made a surprising return to the lineup for a big game against rivals Olympiacos in March 2010. Panathinaikos ended that season by winning the double again. Giourkas did not play in the 2009–10 Greek Cup final due to injury, but he played in two games leading up to it.
The 2010–11 season started well for him, but another muscle injury kept him out. He was even placed on the transfer list in January 2011. The 2011–12 season was also difficult, as he played very few minutes.
The 2012–13 season began better for Giourkas. He started in the first three league matches. He also provided an assist in a Europa League game against Tottenham Hotspur. In the summer of 2013, his contract ended, and he left the club.
International Career
Youth Team Experience
Giourkas Seitaridis played for the Greece under-21 team. His first game was on October 6, 2000, in a qualifier for the 2002 UEFA Under-21 Championship. He also played in the finals of that tournament in Switzerland.
UEFA Euro 2004 Victory
Giourkas made his debut for the senior Greece national team on February 13, 2002, in a friendly match against Sweden. He played a big part in helping Greece qualify for UEFA Euro 2004 in Portugal. This was only the second time in history Greece had qualified for the tournament.
Greece's win at Euro 2004 was a huge surprise to the football world. Giourkas was a key player throughout the tournament. In the final, he helped create the important corner kick that led to Greece's winning goal. His contributions were recognized when he was named to the 23-man UEFA 2004 All-Star squad.
Later Tournaments
Because Greece won Euro 2004, they qualified for the 2005 FIFA Confederations Cup in Germany. Giourkas Seitaridis was part of the team for this tournament.
He scored his first international goal on June 2, 2007, against Hungary in a Euro 2008 qualifying match. This goal helped Greece qualify for UEFA Euro 2008. He also played in the 2010 FIFA World Cup. He played 90 minutes in the first group stage game against South Korea.
Career Statistics
Club
| Club | Season | League | Cup | Europe | Other | Total | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Division | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | ||
| PAS Giannina | 1998–99 | Beta Ethniki | 6 | 0 | – | – | – | – | – | – | 6 | 0 |
| 1999–00 | 24 | 3 | – | – | – | – | – | – | 24 | 3 | ||
| 2000–01 | Alpha Ethniki | 10 | 2 | – | – | – | – | – | – | 10 | 2 | |
| Panathinaikos | 2000–01 | Alpha Ethniki | 12 | 0 | – | – | 2 | 1 | – | – | 14 | 1 |
| 2001–02 | 19 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 7 | 0 | – | – | 27 | 0 | ||
| 2002–03 | 25 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 0 | – | – | 29 | 0 | ||
| 2003–04 | 21 | 0 | 6 | 0 | 8 | 0 | – | – | 35 | 0 | ||
| Porto | 2004–05 | Primeira Liga | 23 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 11 | 0 | – | – | 36 | 0 |
| Dynamo Moscow | 2005 | Russian Premier League | 8 | 0 | – | – | – | – | – | – | 8 | 0 |
| 2006 | 0 | 0 | – | – | – | – | – | – | 0 | 0 | ||
| Atlético Madrid | 2006–07 | La Liga | 31 | 0 | 2 | 0 | – | – | – | – | 33 | 0 |
| 2007–08 | 14 | 0 | – | – | 4 | 1 | – | – | 18 | 1 | ||
| 2008–09 | 14 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 4 | 0 | – | – | 20 | 0 | ||
| Panathinaikos | 2009–10 | Superleague Greece | 8 | 0 | 2 | 0 | – | – | – | – | 10 | 0 |
| 2010–11 | 7 | 0 | 2 | 0 | – | – | – | – | 9 | 0 | ||
| 2011–12 | 2 | 0 | – | – | – | – | 1 | 0 | 3 | 0 | ||
| 2012–13 | 24 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 5 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 33 | 0 | ||
| Career total | 248 | 5 | 22 | 0 | 43 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 315 | 7 | ||
International goal
- Score and result list Greece's goal tally first, score column indicates score after Seitaridis goal.
| No. | Date | Venue | Opponent | Score | Result | Competition |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 2 June 2007 | Pankritio Stadium, Heraklion, Greece |  Hungary |
2–0 | 2–0 | Euro 2008 qualifying |
Honours
PAS Giannina
- Beta Ethniki: 1999–2000
Panathinaikos
- Super League Greece: 2003–04, 2009–10
Greek Cup: 2003–04, 2009–10
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Porto
- Supertaça Cândido de Oliveira: 2004
- Intercontinental Cup: 2004
Greece
Individual
- Greek Young Footballer of the Year: 2001
- UEFA European Championship Team of the Tournament: 2004
See also
In Spanish: Georgios Seitaridis para niños
