Kyriakos Papadopoulos facts for kids
Papadopoulos with Leverkusen in 2014.
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| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Date of birth | 23 February 1992 | ||
| Place of birth | Katerini, Greece | ||
| Height | 1.83 m (6 ft 0 in) | ||
| Position(s) | Centre-back | ||
| Youth career | |||
| 2000–2007 | Svoronos Katerinis | ||
| 2007–2010 | Olympiacos | ||
| Senior career* | |||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) |
| 2007–2010 | Olympiacos | 13 | (1) |
| 2010–2015 | Schalke 04 | 61 | (3) |
| 2014–2015 | → Bayer Leverkusen (loan) | 14 | (2) |
| 2015–2017 | Bayer Leverkusen | 16 | (0) |
| 2016–2017 | → RB Leipzig (loan) | 1 | (0) |
| 2017 | → Hamburger SV (loan) | 15 | (2) |
| 2017–2020 | Hamburger SV | 32 | (1) |
| 2020–2021 | Lokomotiva | 24 | (2) |
| 2021 | Al-Fayha | 1 | (0) |
| 2021–2022 | Atromitos | 15 | (0) |
| 2022–2023 | FC U Craiova | 9 | (0) |
| 2023–2024 | Lamia | 31 | (0) |
| 2024 | Levadiakos | 8 | (0) |
| International career‡ | |||
| 2008–2009 | Greece U17 | 6 | (1) |
| 2008–2010 | Greece U19 | 17 | (1) |
| 2008–2011 | Greece U21 | 15 | (2) |
| 2011–2021 | Greece | 35 | (4) |
| *Club domestic league appearances and goals, correct as of 20 October 2024 ‡ National team caps and goals, correct as of 5 September 2021 |
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Kyriakos Papadopoulos (Greek: Κυριάκος Παπαδόπουλος) is a Greek professional footballer. He was born on February 23, 1992. He played as a centre-back, which is a defensive position. His last club was Levadiakos in the Super League Greece.
Kyriakos started playing in the Greek league for Olympiacos when he was only 15 years old. In 2010, he moved to Germany to play for Schalke 04. The next year, at 19, he scored his first goal for the Greek national team. However, his career in the Bundesliga (Germany's top league) was often affected by injuries.
Contents
Club Career Highlights
Starting at Olympiacos
Kyriakos Papadopoulos was born in Katerini, Greece. In July 2007, he was playing for his hometown club, Svoronos Katerinis. He was invited to try out with the youth team of Espanyol in Spain. He did so well that they wanted to sign him for their reserve team right away!
However, Olympiacos in Greece also knew about his talent. Their former manager quickly made a deal with Kyriakos's father. This brought Kyriakos to Piraeus to play for Olympiacos. He played in several friendly games and even some league and cup matches before the season officially began.
The 2007–08 season was very promising for Kyriakos. He made his first official appearance for Olympiacos in the Superleague Greece on December 2, 2007. He came in as a substitute during a 3–1 win against Atromitos. This made him the youngest player ever to play in the Greek league at just 15 years and 283 days old! He was also a substitute in UEFA Champions League games against Real Madrid and Lazio. If he had played in those Champions League games, he would have broken the record for the youngest player in that competition by almost two years.
In September 2008, Kyriakos signed a new contract with Olympiacos. It included a release clause of £4.6 million. On November 2, 2008, he played his first league game of the 2008–09 season at home against Ergotelis, which Olympiacos won 2–0.
Playing for Schalke 04
On June 23, 2010, the German club Schalke 04 announced they had signed Kyriakos Papadopoulos. He signed a four-year contract. On August 21, 2010, he made his Bundesliga debut for Schalke in a 2–1 loss against Hamburger SV.
On August 25, 2011, Kyriakos scored his first goal for Schalke. It was in a UEFA Europa League qualification match, a big 6–1 win over HJK Helsinki. On December 1, he scored the first goal in a 2–1 Europa League group stage win against Steaua București. Later that month, on December 17, Kyriakos scored his first Bundesliga goal in a 5–0 win over Werder Bremen. He scored again on January 21, 2012, in a 3–1 win against VfB Stuttgart.
Since joining Schalke, Kyriakos played in over 70 matches and scored five goals. He earned a lot of respect for his strong and skilled defending, especially for his young age.
Before the 2012–13 season, the Italian club Milan was interested in signing Kyriakos. Schalke was not happy because Milan tried to approach him without telling the club first. Russian club Zenit Saint Petersburg also offered £16 million for him, which Schalke accepted. However, Kyriakos decided to stay in Germany and rejected the move. In September 2012, he signed a new contract with Schalke, keeping him there until 2016.
In the 2012–13 season, Kyriakos scored his first goal of the season in a 3–1 win against FC Augsburg. Unfortunately, he later got a virus and then had knee surgery after an injury in November 2012.
After a very tough year with injuries, Kyriakos returned to play in December 2013. But just a few weeks later, he got a new shoulder injury. This was another setback, as his knee problems had already limited him to only four games in the 2013–14 season. Because of this injury, he also missed the 2014 World Cup with the Greek national team.
Loan to Bayer Leverkusen
On August 3, 2014, Bayer Leverkusen signed Kyriakos Papadopoulos on a loan for one season. He said he was very happy to join Leverkusen, calling it a club with big international goals, just like Schalke. He mentioned he was fit again and very motivated.
On November 3, 2014, Leverkusen announced that Kyriakos would be out for the rest of 2014 due to a shoulder injury. He got this injury during training before a UEFA Champions League match. He had surgery for it.
On March 8, 2015, Kyriakos scored his first Bundesliga goal for Bayer Leverkusen against SC Paderborn. His injury problems continued on April 25, 2015, when he dislocated his right shoulder in a league match. Leverkusen said he would return to training after three months.
Permanent Move to Bayer Leverkusen
On June 7, 2015, Bayer Leverkusen decided to buy Kyriakos Papadopoulos permanently from Schalke 04 for €6.5 million. He signed a five-year contract. On September 29, 2015, Kyriakos scored his first goal of the 2015–16 season. It was in a Champions League game against Barcelona. He headed in a rebound from a corner kick. Kyriakos faced many injuries during the season, including a joint capsule tear and a calf tendon injury, which kept him out until the end of the season.
Loan to RB Leipzig
On August 31, 2016, Kyriakos joined RB Leipzig on a loan for the season. He reunited with Ralf Rangnick, who was his coach when they won the DFB Pokal with Schalke in 2011. On September 21, 2016, he made his debut for Leipzig as a substitute in a 1–1 Bundesliga match. On November 24, 2016, Kyriakos had surgery for a long-term knee problem. He started a recovery program and was expected to return in about three weeks.
Playing for Hamburger SV
On January 13, 2017, Kyriakos moved to Hamburger SV after a difficult time at RB Leipzig. The HSV manager, Markus Gisdol, knew Kyriakos from their time together at Schalke 04. On January 21, 2017, he made his debut for Hamburg in a 1–0 loss. On February 3, 2017, Kyriakos scored a header against Bayer Leverkusen, giving Hamburg a 1–0 victory over his former club. A week later, he scored against his last club, RB Leipzig, in a 3–0 away win.
On February 18, 2017, in his fourth Bundesliga game with Hamburg, he had to leave the game early due to a shoulder injury. On March 1, 2017, Kyriakos returned in a DFB Cup game. On March 18, 2017, he reached 100 appearances in the Bundesliga across four different clubs.
On June 21, 2017, Hamburger SV signed Kyriakos permanently from Bayer Leverkusen for €6.5 million. On August 9, 2017, he was named vice-captain for the 2017–18 season, even though he had only been with the club for six months. On December 12, 2017, he scored his first goal of the season in a 2–1 home loss.
On July 23, 2018, Kyriakos suffered a knee cartilage injury that needed surgery. He was expected to be out for about six months, missing the first half of the 2018–19 2. Bundesliga season. On March 30, 2019, he returned to the squad as a substitute after a long recovery. Three days later, he started his first game back in a 2–0 away win in the DFB Pokal.
Later Career Clubs
On October 27, 2020, Kyriakos signed with the Croatian club Lokomotiva.
On July 18, 2021, he moved to Saudi Professional League side Al-Fayha on a free transfer. He signed a two-year contract. However, on August 28, 2021, Kyriakos ended his contract with Al-Fayha after only one month. He had played only 16 minutes in one game.
On September 9, 2021, Kyriakos returned to Super League Greece, signing a one-year contract with Atromitos.
On July 23, 2022, Kyriakos joined U Craiova, a Romanian club, on a two-year contract. On January 21, 2023, he ended his contract with the club. His last official game was in October 2022.
On February 15, 2023, Kyriakos returned to Super League Greece again, signing a contract with Lamia.
International Career
Kyriakos Papadopoulos was called up to the Greece national under-19 team for the Elite round of the 2007 UEFA European Under-19 Football Championship. He played in all three group games, helping Greece qualify for the finals. In the finals, he was a key defender for Greece. His strong performances caught the attention of scouts from top teams like Manchester United, Arsenal, and Chelsea.
He was the youngest player in the tournament. UEFA even named him one of the ten most talented players in Europe for their Under-19 Team of the Tournament.
On June 4, 2011, the Greece head coach, Fernando Santos, called up Kyriakos for the senior national team for a match against Malta. He played very well and scored the team's second goal. On September 6, 2011, he scored his second international goal against Latvia in a UEFA Euro 2012 qualification game.
Kyriakos was part of the Greece Under-23 squad for the UEFA Euro 2012. He started in two group games and the quarter-final match against Germany.
On April 17, 2015, the new Greece manager, Sergio Markarián, called Kyriakos back to the national team. This was for a European Championship qualifier against Hungary.
For the 2018 FIFA World Cup qualifying campaign, Kyriakos was chosen by coach Michael Skibbe. He played against Cyprus and Estonia. However, he was sent off (given a red card) during the game against Bosnia-Herzegovina. This meant he missed the important next game against Belgium.
Career Statistics
Club Appearances
| Club | Season | League | Cup | Europe | Other | Total | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Division | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | ||
| Olympiacos | 2007–08 | Super League Greece | 3 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | – | 6 | 0 | |
| 2008–09 | Super League Greece | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | – | 4 | 0 | ||
| 2009–10 | Super League Greece | 7 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 12 | 1 | |
| Total | 13 | 1 | 4 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 22 | 1 | ||
| Schalke 04 | 2010–11 | Bundesliga | 18 | 0 | 5 | 0 | 7 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 30 | 0 |
| 2011–12 | Bundesliga | 29 | 2 | 3 | 1 | 13 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 46 | 5 | |
| 2012–13 | Bundesliga | 10 | 1 | 2 | 1 | 4 | 0 | – | 16 | 2 | ||
| 2013–14 | Bundesliga | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | – | 5 | 0 | ||
| Total | 61 | 3 | 10 | 2 | 25 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 97 | 7 | ||
| Bayer Leverkusen (loan) | 2014–15 | Bundesliga | 14 | 2 | 2 | 1 | 4 | 1 | – | 20 | 4 | |
| Bayer Leverkusen | 2015–16 | Bundesliga | 16 | 0 | 4 | 0 | 11 | 1 | – | 31 | 1 | |
| RB Leipzig (loan) | 2016–17 | Bundesliga | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | – | – | 1 | 0 | ||
| Hamburger SV (loan) | 2016–17 | Bundesliga | 15 | 2 | 2 | 0 | – | – | 17 | 2 | ||
| Hamburger SV | 2017–18 | Bundesliga | 29 | 1 | 1 | 0 | – | – | 30 | 1 | ||
| 2018–19 | 2. Bundesliga | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | – | – | 2 | 0 | |||
| 2019–20 | 2. Bundesliga | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | – | – | 2 | 0 | |||
| Total | 32 | 1 | 2 | 0 | – | – | 34 | 1 | ||||
| Lokomotiva Zagreb | 2020–21 | Prva HNL | 24 | 2 | 0 | 0 | – | – | 24 | 2 | ||
| Al-Fayha | 2021–22 | Saudi Pro League | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | – | – | 1 | 0 | ||
| Atromitos | 2021–22 | Super League Greece | 15 | 0 | 1 | 0 | – | – | 16 | 0 | ||
| U Craiova | 2022–23 | Liga I | 9 | 0 | 0 | 0 | – | – | 9 | 0 | ||
| Lamia | 2022–23 | Super League Greece | 10 | 0 | 0 | 0 | – | – | 10 | 0 | ||
| 2023–24 | Super League Greece | 14 | 0 | 0 | 0 | – | – | 14 | 0 | |||
| Total | 24 | 0 | 0 | 0 | – | – | 24 | 0 | ||||
| Career total | 225 | 11 | 25 | 3 | 43 | 4 | 3 | 0 | 296 | 18 | ||
International Appearances
| National team | Year | Apps | Goals |
|---|---|---|---|
| Greece | 2011 | 6 | 2 |
| 2012 | 10 | 2 | |
| 2013 | 0 | 0 | |
| 2014 | 0 | 0 | |
| 2015 | 4 | 0 | |
| 2016 | 4 | 0 | |
| 2017 | 3 | 0 | |
| 2018 | 1 | 0 | |
| 2019 | 0 | 0 | |
| 2020 | 0 | 0 | |
| 2021 | 6 | 0 | |
| Total | 35 | 4 | |
- Scores and results list Greece's goal tally first, score column indicates score after each Papadopoulos goal.
| No. | Date | Venue | Opponent | Score | Result | Competition |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 4 June 2011 | Karaiskakis Stadium, Piraeus, Greece |  Malta |
2–0 | 3–1 | UEFA Euro 2012 qualifying |
| 2 | 6 September 2011 | Skonto Stadium, Riga, Latvia |  Latvia |
1–1 | 1–1 | UEFA Euro 2012 qualifying |
| 3 | 31 May 2012 | Kufstein Arena, Kufstein, Austria |  Armenia |
1–0 | 1–0 | Friendly |
| 4 | 15 August 2012 | Ullevaal Stadion, Oslo Norway |  Norway |
2–0 | 3–2 | Friendly |
Honours and Trophies
Kyriakos Papadopoulos won several important trophies with his clubs:
Olympiacos
- Super League Greece: 2007–08, 2008–09
- Greek Cup: 2007–08, 2008–09
- Greek Super Cup: 2007
Schalke 04
- DFB-Pokal: 2010–11
- DFL-Supercup: 2011
See also
In Spanish: Kyriakos Papadopoulos para niños
