Stefanos Athanasiadis facts for kids
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| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | Nikolaos Stefanos Athanasiadis | ||
| Date of birth | 24 December 1988 | ||
| Place of birth | Lakkoma, Macedonia, Greece | ||
| Height | 1.85 m (6 ft 1 in) | ||
| Position(s) | Striker | ||
| Youth career | |||
| 1996–1997 | PAOK | ||
| 1997–1998 | Hertha BSC | ||
| 1998–2007 | PAOK | ||
| Senior career* | |||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) |
| 2006–2017 | PAOK | 208 | (71) |
| 2009–2010 | → Panserraikos (loan) | 23 | (5) |
| 2017–2018 | Maccabi Haifa | 16 | (1) |
| 2018–2019 | PAS Giannina | 23 | (2) |
| 2020–2021 | Apollon Larissa | 24 | (4) |
| 2021–2024 | Anagennisi Karditsa | 61 | (8) |
| Total | 355 | (91) | |
| International career | |||
| 2006 | Greece U19 | 1 | (0) |
| 2008–2010 | Greece U21 | 6 | (1) |
| 2011–2015 | Greece | 12 | (0) |
| *Club domestic league appearances and goals | |||
Stefanos "Klaus" Athanasiadis (Greek: Στέφανος "Κλάους" Αθανασιάδης) is a Greek former professional football player. He was born on December 24, 1988. He played as a striker, which means he was a forward player who focused on scoring goals.
Contents
Early Life and Youth Career
Stefanos Athanasiadis grew up in Lakkoma, Greece. Football was important in his family; both his dad and uncle played. He started playing for his local team before moving to Thessaloniki.
Joining PAOK Academy
In 1996, Stefanos joined the junior academy of PAOK, a famous Greek football club. He first played as a central midfielder. Two years later, when he was 10, he got a chance to show his skills. After a youth tournament in Italy, a local club wanted him to join their junior team.
Short Stays Abroad
Stefanos's time in Italy was short. He and his family found it hard to adjust to the new life. After only a month, he moved to Berlin, Germany, to live with relatives. He joined the youth team of Hertha. But after another month, he returned to Greece and Thessaloniki.
Club Career Highlights
Starting at PAOK
Stefanos returned to PAOK's junior squad in August 1998. He worked hard and moved up through the academy ranks. He showed great talent for scoring goals. In 2004, he joined the Reserve Team.
His hard work paid off in the 2006–2007 season. He became the top scorer for the Reserve League with 24 goals. PAOK's Reserve team won the league that year. Because of his great performances, he signed a professional contract for three years.
First Team Debut
Stefanos played his first game with PAOK's main team on February 24, 2007. He came in as a substitute in a match against Larissa. His first game as a starter was also against Larissa in the 2007–2008 season. He scored two amazing goals in that game. In 2008, he extended his contract with PAOK for five more years.
He worked hard to earn a spot in the starting lineup. On November 29, 2008, he came off the bench in the last minute against Thrasyvoulos. He scored the winning goal just four minutes later, helping PAOK win 2–1.
Loan to Panserraikos
In 2009, Stefanos was loaned to Panserraikos. This was because new strikers joined PAOK, and he needed more playing time to gain experience. He played 22 games in the Football League and scored 5 goals. He also scored a goal in a Greek Cup victory against Olympiacos.
Return to PAOK
Stefanos returned to PAOK for the 2010–11 season. He played in four European matches, mostly as a substitute. He scored his first goal of the season in the first game played at the new AEL FC Arena, helping PAOK win 2–1 against Larissa.
European Goals
On August 4, 2011, he scored his first European goal for PAOK in a 3–0 Europa League win against Vålerenga. He scored again on August 18 against Karpaty Lviv. On November 30, he scored a key goal against Tottenham Hotspur in a surprising 2–1 victory at White Hart Lane in the Europa League.
Becoming Vice-Captain
In the 2012–13 season, Stefanos scored goals against big rivals like Aris and AEK. He also scored the equalizer in a 1–1 home draw against Olympiacos. On January 24, 2013, he scored his first hat-trick (three goals in one game) against Kallithea in a 6–0 win. After a teammate left, Stefanos became the club's vice-captain. He often wore the captain's armband.
Contract Renewal and European Success
On September 12, 2014, Stefanos renewed his contract with PAOK until the summer of 2018. This was a very big contract for him. He said he was happy and thanked the club's owner and directors.
On September 18, 2014, he scored a hat-trick in just 18 minutes against Dinamo Minsk in the Europa League. This made him the first player ever to score a hat-trick for PAOK in a European match. He scored two more goals against the same team on November 27. He scored his sixth goal of the tournament on December 11 with a penalty.
Later Seasons at PAOK
On July 4, 2015, Stefanos suffered a foot injury during a friendly game. He was out of action for about 4 to 6 weeks. He returned on September 12, 2015, scoring the first goal in a 3–0 win against Veria. This was his fourth season in a row scoring in his first Greek Super League game.
On January 17, 2015, Stefanos scored his 100th official goal for PAOK. On May 26, 2016, he scored two goals against Panionios, reaching over 100 goals for PAOK in all competitions. On August 3, 2016, he scored against Ajax in the UEFA Champions League qualifiers. On September 29, 2016, he scored both goals in a Europa League group stage match against FC Slovan Liberec.
He finished the 2016–17 season without scoring a goal in the Super League. This was unusual for a main striker. He started the 2017–18 season as a substitute in a Europa League play-off game.
Moving to Maccabi Haifa
On August 22, 2017, Stefanos moved to Maccabi Haifa in Israel. He signed a two-year deal. On October 21, 2017, he scored his first goal for the club, coming in as a substitute.
On January 8, 2018, Stefanos scored the winning penalty kick to send Maccabi Haifa to the next round of the Israeli State Cup. After a season that was not as successful as he hoped, he left the club on August 23, 2018.
Playing for PAS Giannina
On September 7, 2018, Stefanos joined PAS Giannina in Greece, signing a two-year deal. On December 1, 2018, he scored his first goal in the Greek top league since May 2016. This goal helped his team get a 1–1 draw against OFI Crete.
On February 9, 2019, he scored a header that helped his team win 1–0 against Panathinaikos. This was an important win for his club to avoid being moved to a lower league. On June 26, 2019, he left the club.
Later Career Years
On October 22, 2020, Stefanos joined Apollon Larissa. He had been without a team for over a year. On August 18, 2021, he signed a contract with Super League Greece 2 club Anagennisi Karditsa F.C.. He retired from professional football in 2024.
International Career
On June 8, 2011, Stefanos Athanasiadis played his first game for the Greece national team. It was a friendly match that ended in a 1–1 draw against Ecuador. He played a total of 12 games for his country during his career.
Club Statistics
As of December 20, 2021.
| Club | Season | League | Cup | Continental | Total | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Division | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | ||
| PAOK | 2006–07 | Super League | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| 2007–08 | 4 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 2 | ||
| 2008–09 | 10 | 2 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 14 | 2 | ||
| Total | 15 | 4 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 19 | 4 | ||
| Panserraikos (loan) | 2009–10 | Football League | 23 | 5 | 3 | 1 | — | — | 26 | 6 |
| PAOK | 2010–11 | Super League | 21 | 6 | 2 | 1 | 5 | 0 | 28 | 7 |
| 2011–12 | 31 | 12 | 3 | 1 | 11 | 4 | 45 | 17 | ||
| 2012–13 | 32 | 14 | 6 | 5 | 4 | 4 | 42 | 23 | ||
| 2013–14 | 29 | 10 | 6 | 5 | 12 | 2 | 47 | 17 | ||
| 2014–15 | 30 | 11 | 3 | 0 | 8 | 7 | 41 | 18 | ||
| 2015–16 | 28 | 14 | 6 | 1 | 4 | 0 | 36 | 15 | ||
| 2016–17 | 22 | 0 | 3 | 2 | 8 | 3 | 33 | 5 | ||
| 2017–18 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | ||
| Total | 193 | 67 | 29 | 15 | 53 | 20 | 275 | 102 | ||
| Maccabi Haifa | 2017–18 | Premier League | 16 | 1 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 20 | 1 |
| PAS Giannina | 2018–19 | Super League | 23 | 2 | 5 | 0 | — | — | 28 | 2 |
| Apollon Larissa | 2020–21 | Super League 2 | 24 | 4 | — | — | — | — | 24 | 4 |
| Anagennisi Karditsa | 2021–22 | Super League 2 | 11 | 2 | 4 | 2 | — | — | 15 | 4 |
| Career Total | 299 | 84 | 45 | 16 | 53 | 20 | 397 | 120 | ||
Honours and Achievements
Team Honours
- PAOK
- Greek Cup: 2016–17
Individual Awards
- Greek Cup top scorer: 2012–13
- Super League Best Goal Day 8: 2014–15
- Super League MVP Day 9: 2014–15
- PAOK Best Goal October: 2014–15
- PAOK MVP November: 2014–15
- PAOK MVP March: 2014–15
- PAOK’s All-time top scorer in European competitions (20 goals)
See also
In Spanish: Stefanos Athanasiadis para niños
