Theodoros Zagorakis facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Theodoros Zagorakis
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Θεόδωρος Ζαγοράκης
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Zagorakis in 2019
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| Member of the European Parliament | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| In office 1 July 2014 – 16 July 2024 |
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| President of Hellenic Football Federation | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| In office 27 March 2021 – 8 September 2021 |
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| Preceded by | Evangelos Grammenos | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Succeeded by | Panagiotis Dimitriou | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| President of PAOK | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| In office 18 June 2007 – 8 October 2009 |
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| Preceded by | Nikolaos Vezyrtzis | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Succeeded by | Zisis Vryzas | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| In office 28 January 2010 – 20 January 2012 |
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| Preceded by | Zisis Vryzas | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Succeeded by | Zisis Vryzas | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Personal details | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Born | 27 October 1971 Lydia, Kavala, Greece |
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| Profession | Politician | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Association football career
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Theodoros Zagorakis (Greek: Θεόδωρος Ζαγοράκης; born 27 October 1971) is a Greek politician and a former professional football player. He was a midfielder, a player who controls the middle of the field. He was the captain of the Greek national team that won the UEFA Euro 2004 tournament. He also captained and later became president of the PAOK football club. In 2004, he was named the Greek Male Athlete of the Year.
He was chosen as a Greek Member of the European Parliament (MEP) in the elections of May 2014 and May 2019. From March to September 2021, he was also the president of the Hellenic Football Federation, which is in charge of football in Greece.
Football Career Highlights
Playing for Clubs
Starting with Kavala
Zagorakis began his football journey with Kavala in 1988. He was a strong central midfielder, meaning he played in the middle of the field. He also helped his team get promoted to a higher league, the Beta Ethniki.
Time with PAOK
In the 1992–93 season, Zagorakis moved to PAOK. He played for PAOK until 1997 and was the team's captain in his last two years there. He was known for rarely missing a big game and scored important goals for the team.
Playing in England with Leicester City
After PAOK, Zagorakis joined the English club Leicester City in 1998. He played in two League Cup finals at Wembley Stadium. They lost the first one in 1999 but won the second in 2000. Fans remember him for his strong play and even for playing as a goalkeeper in one match when both regular goalkeepers got injured!
Returning to Greece with AEK Athens
In 2000, Zagorakis returned to Greece and joined AEK Athens. He played with other famous Greek players and helped his team win the Greek Cup in 2002 against their rivals, Olympiacos. He even scored a great goal against Inter Milan in a European competition.
Short Stay in Italy with Bologna
On July 14, 2004, after his success at Euro 2004, Zagorakis moved to Italy to play for Bologna. He was a regular player, but his team was unfortunately moved down to a lower league. Because of this, he left the team the next summer.
Coming Back to PAOK
In 2005, Zagorakis rejoined PAOK. About 7,000 fans came to the airport to welcome him back! He signed a two-year contract. His return happened during a tough time for the club, which had money problems. On May 28, 2007, Zagorakis announced he was retiring from playing professional football.
International Career for Greece
Zagorakis first played for the Greek national team on September 7, 1994. He scored his first goal against Denmark in 2005. He played 120 games for Greece, which was a record for the most international games played by a Greek footballer for a long time.
He played a very important part in Greece winning the 2004 European Championships. He was even named the "Player of the Tournament" by UEFA, which is a huge honor! He was also chosen for the "Team of the Tournament." FIFA and UEFA also considered him one of the best players in the world that year.
After 12 years as the captain of Greece, Zagorakis announced his retirement from international football on October 5, 2006. However, he played one last special friendly match against Spain on August 22, 2007, where fans cheered for him.
Life After Playing Football
Becoming PAOK President
After retiring as a player, Theodoros Zagorakis became the new president of PAOK on June 18, 2007. The club was having serious money problems. Zagorakis worked hard to fix the finances, find investors, and get more money for the club. He also brought in his former teammate, Zisis Vryzas, to help.
By late 2008, PAOK had paid off most of its old debts. Ticket sales and advertising money also increased, and the team started playing much better.
On October 8, 2009, Zagorakis surprisingly announced he was leaving the presidency due to personal reasons. His close friend, Zisis Vryzas, took over. However, Zagorakis stayed in touch with the club. He changed his mind and returned as president on January 20, 2010, with Vryzas becoming vice-president. He resigned again in January 2012.
Playing Style
UEFA.com described Zagorakis as a "tough, hard-working defensive midfielder" who had a powerful shot with his right foot. This means he was good at winning the ball back and helping start attacks.
Personal Life
Theodoros Zagorakis was featured on the cover of the Greek version of the video game FIFA 2001.
Political Career
Zagorakis decided to start a new career in politics. He became a Member of the European Parliament (MEP). An MEP is someone elected to represent their country in the European Parliament, which makes laws for the European Union. He was a candidate for the New Democracy party in the European Parliament elections of 2014 and 2019, and he was elected both times.
In 2020, he temporarily left the New Democracy party due to disagreements about decisions affecting football clubs. However, he returned to the party's group of MEPs in 2021. In the 2024 European elections, he ran as a candidate for a different party, PASOK, but was not elected.
Leading the Hellenic Football Federation
Theodoros Zagorakis was elected president of the Hellenic Football Federation (EPO) in March 2021. He had a lot of support from Greece's main football clubs. His goal was to improve Greek football, which had faced challenges. However, he resigned in September 2021 because of disagreements about how the federation was being run.
Honours
Leicester City
- Football League Cup: 1999–2000; runner-up: 1998–99
AEK Athens
- Greek Cup: 2001–02
Greece
Individual
- PAOK MVP of the Season: 1996–97
- UEFA Euro 2004 Player of the tournament
- UEFA Euro 2004 Team of the Tournament
- UEFA Euro 2004 final Man of the Match
- Greek Male Athlete of the Year: 2004
