Stelios Giannakopoulos facts for kids
Stelios playing for Greece in 2008
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| Personal information | ||||||||||||||||
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| Full name | Stylianos Giannakopoulos | |||||||||||||||
| Date of birth | 12 July 1974 | |||||||||||||||
| Place of birth | Athens, Greece | |||||||||||||||
| Height | 1.70 m (5 ft 7 in) | |||||||||||||||
| Position(s) | Winger / Attacking midfielder | |||||||||||||||
| Youth career | ||||||||||||||||
| 1987-1991 | Doxa Vyronos | |||||||||||||||
| 1991–1992 | Ethnikos Asteras | |||||||||||||||
| Senior career* | ||||||||||||||||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) | |||||||||||||
| 1992–1993 | Ethnikos Asteras | 32 | (6) | |||||||||||||
| 1993–1996 | Paniliakos | 84 | (26) | |||||||||||||
| 1996–2003 | Olympiacos | 190 | (64) | |||||||||||||
| 2003–2008 | Bolton Wanderers | 137 | (20) | |||||||||||||
| 2008–2009 | Hull City | 2 | (0) | |||||||||||||
| 2009 | AEL | 19 | (3) | |||||||||||||
| Total | 464 | (119) | ||||||||||||||
| International career | ||||||||||||||||
| 1997–2008 | Greece | 77 | (12) | |||||||||||||
| Managerial career | ||||||||||||||||
| 2012–2013 | Paniliakos | |||||||||||||||
| 2016–2018 | A.E. Kifisia | |||||||||||||||
| 2019 | Greece (assistant) | |||||||||||||||
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Medal record
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| *Club domestic league appearances and goals | ||||||||||||||||
Stylianos Giannakopoulos, known to many as Stelios, is a famous Greek football manager and former player. He was born on July 12, 1974. Stelios played as a winger or an attacking midfielder. He is well-known for his time playing for Bolton Wanderers in England. He also helped the Greek national team win the European Championship in 2004, which was a huge surprise victory!
Contents
Stelios' Football Journey
Starting Out in Greece
Stelios was born in Athens, Greece. His father, Alekos, was also a football player in the 1960s. Stelios started playing football at age seven for a local club called Ethnikos Asteras. He later played for Doxa Vyronas for a year.
In 1991, Stelios made his first team debut for Ethnikos Asteras. The team was promoted to the professional Third Division that season. In his first year as a professional, he scored six goals. This caught the eye of bigger clubs. In 1993, he moved to Paniliakos. He played there for three years, scoring 26 goals in 84 games. He also became a member of the Greek national U21 team.
Becoming a Star at Olympiacos
In 1996, when Stelios was 21, he joined one of Greece's top clubs, Olympiacos. One of his most memorable moments came in his second season. He scored Olympiacos' first-ever goal in the UEFA Champions League against Porto. It was an amazing shot from 40 meters away! Fans voted it the best goal of the competition. This goal also gave Olympiacos their first win in the Champions League.
Olympiacos won the Greek championship every year Stelios was with them. They even reached the quarter-finals of the Champions League in the 1998–99 season. In his last season with the club, he scored 15 goals. This included two goals in a big 3–0 win against their rivals Panathinaikos in May 2003. Stelios played for Olympiacos for seven successful years. He played 189 games and scored 63 goals. Fans still see him as a legend because of his strong effort in every match.
Moving to England with Bolton Wanderers
On May 28, 2003, Stelios moved to England to play for Bolton Wanderers in the Premier League. The manager, Sam Allardyce, said Stelios was an "attacking midfielder who knows how to score goals." He was good at running into the penalty area and shooting accurately from far away.
In England, people started calling him 'Stelios' because his full last name was long and hard for English journalists to say. He chose to have his first name printed on his shirt. He played his first game for Bolton against Manchester United. In his first season, he helped Bolton reach the 2004 Football League Cup Final and achieve their highest-ever Premier League finish.
Stelios had a great time at Bolton in his first two seasons. Other big clubs like Manchester City and Liverpool even tried to sign him. But he decided to stay and signed a new contract in August 2005.
The 2005–06 season was his best at Bolton. He was the team's top scorer with 12 goals, which is impressive for a midfielder. A highlight was his winning goal against Arsenal in an FA Cup match in January 2006. He played in a special 50th-anniversary game for Manchester United in March 2006. He played alongside famous players like Steven Gerrard and Andrea Pirlo.
In the 2007–08 season, Stelios was not playing as often due to injuries and changes in managers. However, he still scored some important late goals. He scored in injury time in a League Cup game against Fulham. He also scored a late goal in the UEFA Cup to get a 1–1 draw against Aris Salonica. Another injury-time goal came in a Premier League game against Derby, earning Bolton three crucial points. His very last goal for Bolton was on April 26, 2008, in a 1–1 draw against Tottenham Hotspur. This goal helped Bolton avoid being relegated from the Premier League.
At the end of that season, Bolton did not offer him a new contract. Many thought he would go back to Greece. But Stelios wanted to stay in the Premier League.
Short Stays at Hull City and AEL
On September 22, 2008, Hull City, a newly promoted Premier League club, signed Stelios for one year. He joined Hull City for their first-ever season in the top league. He made his debut for Hull on November 22, 2008, against Portsmouth. He came on as a substitute in the 82nd minute. Stelios played only a few games for Hull City before deciding to move again because he wanted to play more.
On January 22, 2009, Stelios returned to Greece. He signed with AEL for a year and a half. He made an immediate impact, scoring three important goals in his first four games. This helped Larissa move into the top 5 in the Greek Super League. Larissa kept this position and qualified for European competition. Stelios felt this was a great achievement for a smaller team. The next season was harder for Stelios due to injuries. He left Larissa on December 12, 2009, before his contract ended.
Playing for Greece
Stelios played his first game for the Greek national team on March 12, 1997, against Cyprus. His first international goal came almost two years later, in February 1999, against Belgium.
He became a key player for the team from 2002 onwards. He played in every game of the EURO 2004 qualifiers. One of his most important goals was during these qualifiers. Stelios scored the only goal in a 1–0 win against Spain in Zaragoza. This win helped Greece automatically qualify for the tournament.
Stelios was a vital part of the team that won the European Championship in 2004. He played in four out of six games, including the final. After this big win, Stelios remained an important player for the national team. He was Greece's top scorer in their 2006 FIFA World Cup qualifying campaign, though they did not qualify. He was also part of the team that tried to defend their title at Euro 2008. His last game for the national team was during that competition, on June 18, 2008, against Spain. Stelios scored a total of 12 goals for Greece. Interestingly, Greece won almost every game in which Stelios scored.
Life After Playing Football
After retiring from playing, Stelios became involved in football management and leadership. On May 25, 2010, he was voted president of the Greek Professional Footballers Association.
He started his coaching career on August 13, 2012, taking charge of his old team Paniliakos F.C. in the Greek Football League 2. He also had short coaching roles with A.E. Kifisia in 2016. In 2019, he was an assistant coach for the Greek national team.
Stelios has also spoken out about how football is managed in Greece. He wants to see the sport improve and be run fairly. He believes that everyone involved in football should work together to make it better.
Family Life
Stelios has a son named Dimitris. Dimitris is also a footballer and plays for the Bolton Wanderers Academy.
International Goals
Here are the goals Stelios scored for the Greek national team:
| No. | Date | Venue | Opponent | Score | Result | Competition |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 5 February 1999 | GSZ Stadium, Larnaca, Cyprus |  Belgium |
1–0 | Friendly | |
| 2 | 10 March 1999 | Olympic Stadium, Athens, Greece |  Croatia |
3–2 | Friendly | |
| 3 | 10 March 1999 | Olympic Stadium, Athens, Greece | Croatia |
3–2 | Friendly | |
| 4 | 12 May 2002 | Fotis Kosmas Stadium, Alexandroupolis, Greece |  Romania |
3–2 | Unofficial friendly | |
| 5 | 21 August 2002 | Farul Stadium, Constanța, Romania | Romania |
1–0 | Friendly | |
| 6 | 7 June 2003 | La Romareda, Zaragoza, Spain |  Spain |
1–0 | UEFA Euro 2004 qualifying | |
| 7 | 20 August 2003 | Idrottsparken, Norrköping, Sweden |  Sweden |
2–1 | Friendly | |
| 8 | 4 September 2004 | Qemal Stafa Stadium, Tirana, Albania |  Albania |
1–2 | World Cup 2006 qualifying | |
| 9 | 26 March 2005 | Lokomotivi Stadium, Tbilisi, Georgia |  Georgia |
3–1 | World Cup 2006 qualifying | |
| 10 | 7 September 2005 | Tsentralny Stadium, Almaty, Kazakhstan |  Kazakhstan |
2–1 | World Cup 2006 qualifying | |
| 11 | 16 November 2005 | Karaiskaki Stadium, Athens, Greece |  Hungary |
2–1 | Friendly | |
| 12 | 1 March 2006 | GSP Stadium, Nicosia, Cyprus | Kazakhstan |
2–0 | Friendly |
Awards and Achievements
Stelios Giannakopoulos won many awards and championships during his career:
With Paniliakos
- Beta Ethniki: 1994–95 (Second Division)
With Olympiacos
- Alpha Ethniki: 1996–97, 1997–98, 1998–99, 1999–2000, 2000–01, 2001–02, 2002–03 (Greek Championship)
- Greek Cup: 1998–99 (Winner); 2000–01, 2001–02 (Runner-up)
With Bolton Wanderers
- Football League Cup runner-up: 2003–04
With Greece National Team
Individual Awards
- Greek Footballer of the Year: 2003
- Greek Second Division best player: 1995
See also
In Spanish: Stelios Giannakopoulos para niños
