Traianos Dellas facts for kids

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Traianos Dellas

Dellas as a manager of AEK Athens
Personal information
Full name	Traianos Dellas
Date of birth	(1976-01-31) 31 January 1976 (age 49)
Place of birth	Thessaloniki, Greece
Height	1.96 m (6 ft 5 in)
Position(s)	Centre-back
Youth career
1987–1993	Aris
Senior career*
Years	Team	Apps	(Gls)
1993–1997	Aris	22	(4)
1994–1996	→ Panserraikos (loan)	39	(5)
1997–1999	Sheffield United	26	(3)
1999–2001	AEK Athens	40	(4)
2001–2002	Perugia	8	(0)
2002–2005	Roma	44	(2)
2005–2008	AEK Athens	54	(3)
2008–2010	Anorthosis	35	(2)
2010–2012	AEK Athens	39	(3)
Total		307	(26)
International career
1995–1998	Greece U21	20	(3)
2001–2009	Greece	53	(1)
Managerial career
2013–2015	AEK Athens
2015–2016	Atromitos
2018–2019	Panetolikos
2020–2021	Panetolikos
2024	OFI
Medal record Men's football Representing  Greece UEFA European Championship Winner 2004 UEFA European U-21 Championship Runner-up 1998
*Club domestic league appearances and goals

Traianos Dellas (Greek: Τραϊανός Δέλλας; born on January 31, 1976) is a famous Greek football manager and a former player. He was known for being a strong defender. Dellas played a big part in the Greek national team winning the European Championship in 2004. He even scored a special "silver goal" during that tournament, which was the only one ever scored in an international match. He recently managed the Super League club OFI.

Playing for Clubs

Traianos Dellas began his professional football journey in 1993. He started playing for Aris in Thessaloniki, Greece. In his first two years, he helped his team get into the 1994–95 UEFA Cup, which is a big European competition. He played alongside Fanis Katergiannakis, who later also joined him in the Greek national team that won Euro 2004.

Moving to Other Teams

In 1994, Dellas was loaned to Panserraikos for two seasons. He quickly became a regular player there. After his loan, he returned to Aris briefly.

Then, Dellas moved to England to play for Sheffield United. Fans especially remember a game in March 1999. His team was losing 2-0, but Dellas came on as a substitute and scored two goals, helping them win 3-2. He also scored an amazing goal from 30 yards out against Portsmouth.

Returning to Greece

In 1999, Dellas came back to Greece and joined AEK Athens. He helped AEK win the Greek Cup in 2000. He played with other great players like Demis Nikolaidis and Vasilios Tsiartas. After two years, he left AEK in 2001 due to disagreements.

Dellas then signed with the Italian club Perugia. However, he only played eight matches there because of a contract disagreement.

Playing in Italy's Top League

In 2002, Dellas joined Roma, a top team in Italy's Serie A league. He became a key defender for Roma. His strong performances made him a favorite among fans. He was one of the few players who were always cheered by supporters. He left Roma in 2005 after his contract ended. He also had to deal with injuries, which kept him from playing for about eight months.

Back to AEK Athens

In the summer of 2005, Dellas decided to return to AEK Athens. His good friend and former teammate, Demis Nikolaidis, was the president of the club at the time. Dellas became the team captain and played with famous players like Rivaldo and Sokratis Papastathopoulos. AEK almost won the league during this time. In July 2008, Dellas left AEK again.

Playing in Cyprus

On July 24, 2008, Dellas signed a two-year contract with Cypriot club Anorthosis Famagusta. He helped the team qualify for the UEFA Champions League in the 2008–09 season. This was a big achievement for the club.

Final Years at AEK Athens

On June 5, 2010, Dellas signed with AEK Athens for a third time. He wanted to finish his playing career with the team he supported. He played alongside Nikos Liberopoulos, another player who returned to the club. On December 12, 2010, Dellas scored his first goal in the Greek championship after two years. He also scored a goal in the Greek Cup semi-final against PAOK, sending AEK to the final. On April 30, 2011, Dellas won his second Greek Cup with AEK. He played one more season before announcing his retirement from professional football on May 26, 2012.

Playing for Greece

Dellas with the Greece national team.

Traianos Dellas played his first game for the Greek national team in April 2001. It was a 2-2 draw against Croatia.

Euro 2004 Victory

Dellas had an amazing tournament at Euro 2004. He formed a very strong defense with his former AEK teammate, Michalis Kapsis. Their defense was almost impossible to get past. Because of his great performances, he was chosen for the tournament's All-Star Squad.

In the semi-finals, Dellas scored the only "silver goal" ever in international football. He scored it in the last minute of the first half of extra time against the Czech Republic. This goal allowed Greece to move on to the final, which they famously won! This was his only goal for the Greek national team. The coach of Greece called him 'the Colossus of Rhodes' because of his strong performances.

After Euro 2004

After Euro 2004, Dellas continued to be a key player in Greece's defense. However, he missed about eight months in 2005 due to an injury. His absence was a big reason why Greece did not qualify for the 2006 FIFA World Cup.

Two years later, Dellas helped Greece qualify for Euro 2008. But the team did not perform as well as in 2004, and they were eliminated early. He was also part of the team for the 2010 FIFA World Cup qualifying games, but he was not called up for the final squad.

Becoming a Manager

On April 4, 2013, Traianos Dellas became the new coach for AEK Athens. At that time, AEK had been relegated from the top Greek league. Dellas stayed with the team even though they were in the third division. His goal was to help the team clear its debts and return to the top league. He successfully led AEK back to the Super League in 2015. On October 20, 2015, Dellas resigned after a big loss to Olympiacos.

Managing Other Clubs

On November 7, 2015, he signed a contract with Atromitos. He then moved to Panetolikos on January 12, 2018, but resigned in April 2019. Panetolikos announced his return as manager on November 10, 2020. He helped the club avoid relegation, which was a great achievement. His second time as manager there ended on June 5, 2021.

Personal Life

Traianos Dellas married Greek model Gogo Mastrokosta on September 11, 2008. They have one daughter together.

Career Statistics

International Appearances

Scores and results list Greece's goal tally first, score column indicates score after each Dellas goal.

List of international goals scored by Traianos Dellas

No.	Date	Venue	Opponent	Score	Result	Competition
1	1 July 2004	Estádio do Dragão, Porto, Portugal	Czech Republic	1–0	1–0	UEFA Euro 2004

Managerial Record

Team	Nat	From	To	Record
				G	W	D	L	GF	GA	GD	Win %
AEK Athens		9 April 2013	20 October 2015	&&&&&&&&&&&&&080.&&&&&080	&&&&&&&&&&&&&060.&&&&&060	&&&&&&&&&&&&&012.&&&&&012	&&&&&&&&&&&&&&08.&&&&&08	&&&&&&&&&&&&0186.&&&&&0186	&&&&&&&&&&&&&050.&&&&&050	+136	&&&&&&&&&&&&&075.&&&&&075.00
Atromitos		7 November 2015	18 September 2016	&&&&&&&&&&&&&031.&&&&&031	&&&&&&&&&&&&&013.&&&&&013	&&&&&&&&&&&&&&09.&&&&&09	&&&&&&&&&&&&&&09.&&&&&09	&&&&&&&&&&&&&030.&&&&&030	&&&&&&&&&&&&&031.&&&&&031	−1	&&&&&&&&&&&&&041.94000041.94
Panetolikos		12 January 2018	30 June 2019	&&&&&&&&&&&&&047.&&&&&047	&&&&&&&&&&&&&016.&&&&&016	&&&&&&&&&&&&&010.&&&&&010	&&&&&&&&&&&&&021.&&&&&021	&&&&&&&&&&&&&047.&&&&&047	&&&&&&&&&&&&&065.&&&&&065	−18	&&&&&&&&&&&&&034.&4000034.04
Panetolikos		10 November 2020	30 June 2021	&&&&&&&&&&&&&029.&&&&&029	&&&&&&&&&&&&&&07.&&&&&07	&&&&&&&&&&&&&&06.&&&&&06	&&&&&&&&&&&&&016.&&&&&016	&&&&&&&&&&&&&019.&&&&&019	&&&&&&&&&&&&&041.&&&&&041	−22	&&&&&&&&&&&&&024.14000024.14
OFI		14 February 2024	11 October 2024	&&&&&&&&&&&&&019.&&&&&019	&&&&&&&&&&&&&&06.&&&&&06	&&&&&&&&&&&&&&08.&&&&&08	&&&&&&&&&&&&&&05.&&&&&05	&&&&&&&&&&&&&033.&&&&&033	&&&&&&&&&&&&&026.&&&&&026	+7	&&&&&&&&&&&&&031.58000031.58
Total				&&&&&&&&&&&&0206.&&&&&0206	&&&&&&&&&&&&0102.&&&&&0102	&&&&&&&&&&&&&045.&&&&&045	&&&&&&&&&&&&&059.&&&&&059	&&&&&&&&&&&&0315.&&&&&0315	&&&&&&&&&&&&0213.&&&&&0213	+102	&&&&&&&&&&&&&049.51000049.51

Awards and Achievements

As a Player

With AEK Athens

• Greek Cup: 1999–2000, 2010–11

With Greece National Team

• UEFA European Championship: 2004

With Greece U21 Team

• UEFA European Under-21 Championship runner-up: 1998

Individual Awards

• UEFA European Championship Team of the Tournament: 2004
• Nova Awards Best Greek Superleague Team: 2010–11

As a Manager

With AEK Athens

• Football League 2: 2013–14 (Group 6)
• Football League: 2014–15

See also

In Spanish: Traianos Dellas para niños