Kostas Eleftherakis facts for kids
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| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | Kostantinos Eleftherakis | ||
| Date of birth | 18 July 1950 | ||
| Place of birth | Kingdom of Greece | ||
| Height | 1.69 m | ||
| Playing position | Midfielder | ||
| Youth career | |||
| 1962–1968 | Fostiras | ||
| Senior career* | |||
| Years | Team | Apps† | (Gls)† |
| 1968–1980 | Panathinaikos | 308 | (85) |
| 1980–1981 | AEK Athens | 23 | (5) |
| 1981–1982 | Fostiras | 25 | (5) |
| Total | 356 | (95) | |
| National team | |||
| 1969–1977 | Greece | 34 | (5) |
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Kostas Eleftherakis, born on July 18, 1950, is a famous Greek former football player. He played as a midfielder, which is a key position in the middle of the field. People often called him "the Deer" because of how he played.
Contents
Playing for Clubs
Kostas started playing football professionally in 1964. He joined a team called Fostiras, which was in the second division. In 1968, he moved to one of Greece's biggest teams, Panathinaikos.
Reaching the European Cup Final
When he was just 21 years old, Kostas played for Panathinaikos in a very important game. This was the 1971 European Cup Final in Wembley Stadium in London. They played against a strong team from the Netherlands, Ajax Amsterdam. To reach this final, Kostas scored two goals during the competition.
Big Teams Wanted Him
After the final, two famous clubs, Real Madrid from Spain and Everton from England, wanted Kostas to join their teams. Real Madrid even offered a huge amount of money for him. It was 35 million drachmas, which was a lot of money back then in Greece.
However, a government official in Greece stopped him from moving. The same thing happened when Everton tried to sign him.
Playing for the World XI
Kostas was also invited to play for the World XI team. This is a special team made up of the best players from around the world. It shows how talented he was.
Later Career and Retirement
In May 1977, Kostas got an injury that kept him away from football for six months. After that, he never quite got back to his best form. Five years later, he decided to retire from playing football. He finished his career playing for his first club, Fostiras, again.
He played a total of 331 games in Greece's top football league. Most of these games, 308, were with Panathinaikos. During his career, he scored 88 goals in the first division.
Playing for Greece
Kostas Eleftherakis also played for the Greece national football team. He played in 34 international games for his country between 1969 and 1977.
Awards and Trophies
Kostas Eleftherakis won several important trophies during his time with Panathinaikos:
- Panathinaikos
- Greek League Champion (Alpha Ethniki):
- 1968–69
- 1969–70
- 1971–72
- 1976–77
- Greek Cup Winner:
- 1968–69
- 1976–77
- Greater Greece Cup Winner:
- 1970
