| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | Nikolaos Machlas | ||
| Date of birth | (1973-06-16)16 June 1973 (age 51) | ||
| Place of birth | Heraklion,Crete, Greece | ||
| Height | 1.83 m (6 ft 0 in) | ||
| Position(s) | Striker | ||
| Youth career | |||
| OFI Crete | |||
| Senior career* | |||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) |
| 1990–1996 | OFI | 154 | (48) |
| 1996–1999 | Vitesse | 92 | (60) |
| 1999–2003 | Ajax | 74 | (38) |
| 2003 | →Sevilla (loan) | 14 | (2) |
| 2003–2004 | Iraklis | 26 | (10) |
| 2004–2006 | OFI | 52 | (21) |
| 2006–2008 | APOEL | 51 | (17) |
| Total | 463 | (196) | |
| International career | |||
| 1993–2002 | Greece | 61 | (18) |
| *Club domestic league appearances and goals | |||
Nikos Machlas (Greek:Νίκος Μαχλάς, born 16 June 1973) is a retired Greek former professionalfootballer who played as astriker.
Machlas began his career withOFI Crete, where he made his debut in February 1991 againstPanionios. He stayed at the club for six seasons.[1] He had the DutchmanEugène Gerards as a coach at OFI Crete.
Machlas signed for Dutch sideVitesse Arnhem in1996 from Greece.[2] He scored a disappointing 8 goals in 29 games in his first season in theEredivisie, but in his second season he scored 34 goals in just 32 games, a feat which earned him theEuropean Golden Boot for the1997–98 season. He scored 60 goals in 92 matches for Vitesse.
Machlas joined Eredivisie giantAjax Amsterdam in June 1999 for a then-club record $8.6 million.Despite netting 38 goals in 74 Eredivisie league games spread over three seasons, Machlas' goalscoring record was not deemed prolific enough for the demanding Ajax fans and coaching staff. The team went through a transition as poor results meant Machlas had to endure three coaches in as many years.His place as striker became threatened by coachRonald Koeman's preference for the younger strikersZlatan Ibrahimović andMido. His 12 goals in the2001–02 season were nevertheless important in the run toward the first league title for Ajax in four years. Ajax also won theKNVB Beker that season, meaning they achievedthe "double". At the start of the2002–03 season, Koeman made it clear to Machlas that there was no future for him anymore in the first team of Ajax and was thus relegated to training and playing matches with the youth team. Eventually, the Greek striker andAjax Amsterdam had split."By mutual consent, Ajax and Nikos Machlas have terminated their contract. The termination takes effect immediately," Ajax said in a statement, adding that"the player could now join another club on a free transfer".[3]
After a brief (and frustrating) period in the Ajax youth team, he joined Spanish sideSevilla on loan for the rest of the season, with the Spanish club had an option to sign him on a three-year contract at the end of the season. The formerVitesse striker, who was the highest-paid player atAjax, suffered further misery in Spain, after he was arrested for traffic offences. He made things worse by 'insulting and injuring' police officers who tried to arrest him after the offence had been committed.[4] He scored just 2 goals in 14 appearances. Upon returning to Ajax, his contract was terminated in July 2003.Before returning to Greece Machlas has emerged as a possible transfer target forTwente. Twente was in desperate need of an experienced striker capable of leading their attacking line next term."We don't just want any striker," Tukkers chairman Herman Wessels told."We need someone that fits in with us and makes us better."[5]
The 30-year-old Greek international forward signed a one-year contract withIraklis with the option of a further two seasons. He played under the man he calls his "footballing father", Dutch coach Eugène Gerards, who gave Machlas his break aged 18 at OFI Crete. He scored 10 goals in 26 appearances.[6]
He returned to his first club, OFI Crete and stayed there for two seasons.Upon the termination of his contract and after conflict with the club's chairman, he moved toAPOEL, in Cyprus and signed a two years contract.
In his first year atAPOEL Machlas helped his team to win theChampionship. On 17 May 2008, he announced his retirement after the end of theCypriot Cup final, where APOEL beat 2–0Anorthosis and clinched the title.[7]
In 2009, he returned to his first club OFI Crete to take up the role of Sporting Director as they bid to return to the Greek Superleague.
Machlas won 61 caps for theGreece national team and scored 18 goals. He also scored a crucial goal againstRussia that led Greece to1994 FIFA World Cup at only 20 years of age. He started each of Greece's group games in the USA though they lost all three, toArgentina,Nigeria andBulgaria and failed to score a goal. He played his last game for Greece againstCyprus in May 2002.
| No. | Date | Venue | Opponent | Score | Result | Competition |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 10 March 1993 | Ernst Happel Stadion,Wien, Austria |  Austria | 1–2 | 1–2 | Friendly |
| 2 | 12 October 1993 | Stade Josy Barthel,Luxembourg City, Luxembourg |  Luxembourg | 1–0 | 3–1 | 1994 FIFA World Cup qualifier |
| 3 | 17 November 1993 | Olympic Stadium,Athens, Greece |  Russia | 1–0 | 1–0 | 1994 FIFA World Cup qualifier |
| 4 | 27 April 1994 | Olympic Stadium, Athens, Greece |  Saudi Arabia | 1–0 | 5–1 | Friendly |
| 5 | 2–0 | |||||
| 6 | 12 October 1994 | Kaftanzoglio Stadium,Thessaloniki, Greece |  Finland | 3–0 | 4–0 | UEFA Euro 1996 qualifier |
| 7 | 4–0 | |||||
| 8 | 16 November 1994 | Olympic Stadium, Athens, Greece |  San Marino | 1–0 | 2–0 | UEFA Euro 1996 qualifier |
| 9 | 15 November 1995 | Theodoros Vardinogiannis Stadium,Heraklion, Greece |  Faroe Islands | 3–0 | 5–0 | UEFA Euro 1996 qualifier |
| 10 | 19 August 1997 | Theodoros Vardinogiannis Stadium, Heraklion, Greece |  Cyprus | 1–1 | 2–1 | Friendly |
| 11 | 6 September 1997 | Bežigrad Stadium,Ljubljana, Slovenia |  Slovenia | 3–0 | 3–0 | 1998 FIFA World Cup qualifier |
| 12 | 6 September 1998 | Olympic Stadium, Athens, Greece | Slovenia | 1–1 | 2–2 | UEFA Euro 2000 qualifier |
| 13 | 14 October 1998 | Olympic Stadium, Athens, Greece |  Georgia | 1–0 | 3–0 | UEFA Euro 2000 qualifier |
| 14 | 5 June 1999 | Boris Paichadze Dinamo Arena,Tbilisi, Georgia | Georgia | 2–1 | 2–1 | UEFA Euro 2000 qualifier |
| 15 | 13 November 1999 | National Stadium,Kilkis, Greece |  Nigeria | 1–0 | 2–0 | Friendly |
| 16 | 2–0 | |||||
| 17 | 2 June 2001 | Theodoros Vardinogiannis Stadium, Heraklion, Greece |  Albania | 1–0 | 1–0 | 2002 FIFA World Cup qualifier |
| 18 | 10 November 2001 | Nikos Goumas Stadium, Athens, Greece |  Estonia | 4–0 | 4–2 | Friendly |
Ajax
APOEL
Individual
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