Grigoris Georgatos facts for kids
| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Date of birth | 31 October 1972 | ||
| Place of birth | Piraeus, Greece | ||
| Height | 1.74 m (5 ft 9 in) | ||
| Position(s) | Left-back, Left midfielder, left winger | ||
| Youth career | |||
| 1984– | Aetos Patras | ||
| –1990 | Ethnikos Patras | ||
| 1990–1991 | Panachaiki | ||
| Senior career* | |||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) |
| 1991–1995 | Panachaiki | 120 | (22) |
| 1995–1999 | Olympiacos | 106 | (22) |
| 1999–2002 | Internazionale | 38 | (3) |
| 2000–2001 | → Olympiacos (loan) | 20 | (5) |
| 2002–2003 | AEK Athens | 29 | (7) |
| 2003–2007 | Olympiacos | 68 | (5) |
| Total | 381 | (64) | |
| International career | |||
| 1995–2001 | Greece | 35 | (3) |
| *Club domestic league appearances and goals | |||
Grigoris Georgatos (born October 31, 1972) is a Greek former professional footballer. He mostly played as a left-back, which is a defensive player on the left side of the field. He was known for his strong and attacking style of play. People sometimes called him "the Greek Roberto Carlos" because of this. He also had the nickname "the crazy bald" because of his shaved head and intense playing style.
Contents
Club Career
Starting Out
Grigoris Georgatos began his football journey in 1991. He joined Panachaiki, a club where his skills quickly became clear. He played in the top Greek league, then called Alpha Ethniki. After playing for Panachaiki for about four and a half seasons, he moved to Olympiacos in December 1995.
When he first joined Olympiacos, he played as an attacking midfielder. However, the team's coach, Dušan Bajević, needed him to play as a left-back. This was so he could play alongside another important player, Predrag Đorđević. Georgatos quickly showed how good he was in this new role. He helped Olympiacos win three league championships in a row, from 1996 to 1999. In the 1996-1997 season, he even scored the most goals for his team, which was amazing for a defensive player!
Playing in Italy
During the 1998–1999 season, Georgatos played in a big UEFA Champions League match. He was playing against the famous Italian club Juventus. His impressive performance caught the eye of another Italian team, Inter Milan. In the 1999–2000 season, Inter Milan signed him for about €7 million.
Georgatos quickly got used to playing in Italy's top league, Serie A. He played 28 matches and scored 2 goals for Inter. But even though he was playing well, he missed his family, his home, and the city of Athens. So, the next season, he went back to Olympiacos for a one-year loan.
After his loan ended, he returned to Italy for the 2001–02 season. He chose to rejoin Inter Milan. However, this time, things were tougher. He got an injury that kept him off the field for a while. He only played 10 matches and scored 1 goal that season. Because his second time in Italy wasn't as successful, Georgatos soon decided to return to Greece.
Back in Greece
Grigoris Georgatos wanted to go back to Olympiacos. But the club had just signed another player, Stylianos Venetidis, who played in the same position. So, Olympiacos said no. Instead, Makis Psomiadis, who was involved with AEK Athens, brought him to their team for €3 million. At AEK, Georgatos worked with his former coach, Dušan Bajević, again.
Because another player, Michalis Kasapis, was already playing left-back, Georgatos played as a left midfielder for AEK. In the 2002–03 season, he played 23 games. AEK finished third in the league that year. He also played in four of the club's six UEFA Champions League matches. His great performances made the fans love him, even though he had played for their rival team, Olympiacos, before.
In the next season, he scored six goals in six games. But he wasn't happy at AEK anymore. In January, he made his third move back to Olympiacos. He helped them finish second in the league that season. In 2006, Georgatos decided he wanted to finish his career at Olympiacos. He signed a one-year contract until July 2007 and retired at the end of that season.
Playing for Greece
Grigoris Georgatos first played for the Greek national team in September 1995. This was during a qualifying match for the Euro 1996 against San Marino. He played for Greece 35 times in total and scored 3 goals. He stopped playing for the national team early, in September 2001. This was reportedly because of a disagreement with the coach, Otto Rehhagel.
Life After Football
After he stopped playing football, Georgatos stayed involved with the sport. At first, he worked in the management of Panachaiki, his first professional club. From 2013, he became one of the leaders of the Olympiacos youth academies. These academies help train young football players. From the summer of 2015 to the summer of 2016, he worked as the sports director for Olympiacos. In this role, he was in charge of the first team's competitive side.
How He Played
Georgatos was known as a very attacking fullback. This means he played in defense but also moved forward to help score goals. He was especially good at crossing the ball, which is sending the ball from the side of the field into the penalty area for teammates to score. His strong and aggressive style of play earned him the nickname "the Greek Roberto Carlos".
Achievements
Olympiacos
- Super League Greece: 1996–97, 1997–98, 1998–99, 2000–01, 2004–05, 2005–06, 2006–07
- Greek Cup: 1998–99, 2004–05, 2005–06
Individual Awards
- Greek Footballer of the Year: 1998–99
- Olympiacos Golden Eleven
See also
In Spanish: Grigoris Georgatos para niños
