Theodoros Zagorakis | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Θεόδωρος Ζαγοράκης | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
 Zagorakis in 2019 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Member of the European Parliament | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| In office 1 July 2014 – 16 July 2024 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| President ofHellenic Football Federation | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| In office 27 March 2021 – 8 September 2021 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Preceded by | Evangelos Grammenos | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Succeeded by | Panagiotis Dimitriou | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| President ofPAOK | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| In office 18 June 2007 – 8 October 2009 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Preceded by | Nikolaos Vezyrtzis | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Succeeded by | Zisis Vryzas | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| In office 28 January 2010 – 20 January 2012 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Preceded by | Zisis Vryzas | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Succeeded by | Zisis Vryzas | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Personal details | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Born | (1971-10-27)27 October 1971 (age 53) Lydia,Kavala, Greece | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Political party |
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| Profession | Politician | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Theodoros Zagorakis (Greek:Θεόδωρος Ζαγοράκης[θeˈoðoɾoszaɣoˈɾacis]; born 27 October 1971) is aGreek politician and former professionalfootballer who played as amidfielder. He was thecaptain of theGreece team that wonUEFA Euro 2004, and was also captain and later president ofPAOK. He was named theGreek Male Athlete of the Year in 2004.
He was elected as a Greek MEP at theMay 2014 andMay 2019 European Parliament Elections. He was also the president of theHellenic Football Federation from March to September 2021.[1]
Zagorakis was acentral midfielder who could also play on the right side of midfield. He started his career withKavala in 1988, the club that also producedZisis Vryzas, with whom he became close friends. He was an important part of helping the team get into theBeta Ethniki.
In the1992–93 season, Zagorakis left Kavala as a winter transfer to joinPAOK, part of a string of star transfers made that season. He played for PAOK until December 1997, and also captained the squad in his last two seasons. He rarely missed a league derby and scored important goals, particularly in 1994–95 when he struck four, his best-ever tally.[2]
Zagorakis left for English clubLeicester City the following winter and signed forMartin O'Neill's side in 1998. While in England, he took part in two consecutiveLeague Cup finals atWembley Stadium, losing the first againstTottenham Hotspur in1999 and defeatingTranmere Rovers inthe second, though he was an unused substitute in the latter.[3] Zagorakis will always be fondly known by Leicester fans for his sheer determination in midfield and also his goalkeeping cameo againstCrystal Palace, in a 3–3 draw, where he went in goal afterPegguy Arphexad and thenTim Flowers went off injured.[4]
Zagorakis was disappointed with Leicester managerMartin O'Neill's reluctance to use him regularly and decided to return to Greece in 2000. He moved toAEK Athens, and played alongside fellow countrymen such asMichalis Kapsis,Vasilios Lakis,Demis Nikolaidis andVasilios Tsiartas.[5] He formed an excellent duo in midfield with bothAkis Zikos andKostas Katsouranis, helping with his game in the defensive part and also in the organization of the offense, where he also competed at times as a captain. A goal with AEK was againstInter Milan atGiuseppe Meazza with a great shot[6] for the round of 16 of theUEFA Cup. With AEK, Zagorakis won theGreek Cup in 2002 against rivalsOlympiacos.[7]
Zagorakis, during his last season in AEK, has accepted a reduced pay-off which is reported to be £220,000."He showed he genuinely has the club's best interests at heart and is free to take up any of the great offers from teams abroad," said a club statement.[8]
In the summer of 2004, having the best moment of his career at the Euro in Portugal and with AEK in a difficult administrative situation, he left the team.[9][10]
On 14 July 2004, he left AEK Athens forBologna, signing a two-year contract worth €1.5 million per year.[11] Zagorakis–who was voted player of the tournament in Portugal–was released by AEK Athens and joinedBologna on a Bosman free transfer. "Zagorakis is our GreekBaggio", Bologna owner Giuseppe Gazzoni Frascara told the newspaper.[12]
In2004–05, Zagorakis was a regular feature in the squad, but the team found itself relegated toSerie B after a play-out series againstParma. In the following summer, he was released from the team as they couldn't afford his payroll under the new conditions.
In 2005, Zagorakis arrived in Thessaloniki to sign a deal with PAOK. The midfielder was released by Bologna following the Italian team's relegation fromSerie A, and rejoined one of his old clubs.[13] Zagorakis eventually signed a two-year contract with PAOK for €700,000 a year. When Zagorakis landed atMakedonia Airport inThessaloniki, 7,000 supporters were there to welcome him back. His return however coincided with a turbulent period, with the club many financial and administrative problems. On 28 May 2007, after the fifth Greek Super League All-Star Game, Zagorakis announced his retirement from professional football.
Zagorakis received his firstcap forGreece on 7 September 1994, against theFaroe Islands. He scored his first goal againstDenmark in2006 World Cup qualifying, inAthens, while earning his 101st cap. Numbering 120 caps, Zagorakis was Greece'sall-time leader in international games played until 12 October 2012, whenGiorgos Karagounis made his 121st appearance for the national team. He earned his 100th againstKazakhstan on 17 November 2004, and was the team's longest-serving captain.
Zagorakis played an important role in Greece's win in the2004 European Championships, and was named the Player of the Tournament byUEFA and consequently he was in the Team of the Tournament.FIFA named Zagorakis as a contender for the2004 FIFA World Player of the Year award (he finished in 17th place alongside Spain's and Real Madrid's legend, Raúl), as well as UEFA named him for the2004 Ballon d'Or award (he finished in fifth place), behind the likes ofRonaldinho (third place) andThierry Henry (fourth place). He holds the record of most consecutive matches (57) (except one in 2006 because of injury) of the national team (due to either injury or not selection) since his first cap in a period of 12 years.
After 12 full playing years as the captain for Greece, Zagorakis announced his retirement from international football on 5 October 2006. More specifically, Greece captain was considering retiring after his team's European championship qualifier againstNorway in Athens on 2 October 2006, has also been called up for the match againstBosnia four days later, officials said.[14] On 22 August 2007, however, he played for the last time with the national side, in a special friendly match againstSpain inToumba Stadium,Salonica. He played for about 15 minutes and was then replaced byGiannis Goumas, receiving an applause by fans singing his name.[15]
Following his retirement as a footballer, after many widespread rumours, it was announced that he was to become PAOK's new president, on 18 June 2007.
The club had been in dire financial straits for several years. Zagorakis undertook to sort out finances by attracting investors, increasing revenue and mobilising the club's fan base. In his unifying first statement he said:"The strength of PAOK lies in its supporters, its fans...I would have not made this decision" (to retire from playing and assume administration)"if i did not love my club. The situation for PAOK is very difficult and I will not try to hide its problems; instead I will do all I can to solve the pressing financial issues."
Soon he set about restructuring the club's debt and team, and recruited former teammateZisis Vryzas as technical director. As of late 2008, PAOK has been able to pay off most of its accumulated debt, seen a steady increase in ticket sales and advertising revenue, and team performance on the field has improved considerably, under the coaching of Portuguese managerFernando Santos.
On 15 December 2008, Zagorakis announced a major issue of new stock by the club, valued at €22.3 million. He appealed to small investors and stated that, although it is unlikely that the entire sum could be covered in a worldwide crisis environment, he felt confident that the expected influx of capital would enablePAOK finally to put its past problems behind and focus on future growth.[16]
On 8 October 2009, Zagorakis surprised fans and press alike by announcing his decision to quit the presidency. In a short announcement on the club's official website, he cited that personal problems have led him to this decision. He was rapidly replaced by his close friendZisis Vryzas.[17]
Nevertheless, he kept close contact with his former associates, and also frequently attended the club's home games alongside Vryzas. Zagorakis finally changed his mind and on 20 January he reprised his position as president, with Vryzas stepping down to assume the post of vice-president.[18]
In January 2012 Zagorakis resigned as president after the sale ofVieirinha for financial reasons provoked a supporters' protest.[19]
Zagorakis was described byUEFA.com as a "combative, industriousdefensive midfielder with a powerful right-foot shot".[20]
Zagorakis was featured on the cover of the Greek edition ofFIFA 2001.[21]
Zagorakis is looking to kick-off a new career in politics by becoming aMember of the European Parliament (MEP). He was aNew Democracy candidate for the European Parliament in theelections of 25 May 2014. He was elected as an MEP and became a member of theEuropean People's Party (Christian Democrats). He was unveiled as one of the party's hopefuls by the Greek Prime Minister,Antonis Samaras.[22] He was re-elected in the European Parliament in theelections of 2019. In January 2020, a Committee of Professional Sports (with members placed by Sports Minister Lefteris Avgenakis) proposed the relegation of PAOK FC and Xanthi FC. Zagorakis stated that he could no longer be MEP forNew Democracy after this. The party's leader and PMKyriakos Mitsotakis decided his deletion.[23] Several MP's said that Zagorakis was elected in European Parliament to represent Greece, not PAOK. Nevertheless, in 2021, Zagorakis returned to New Democracy and its group of MEPs.[24] In the2024 European elections, he was announced as a candidate for PASOK, but he was not elected.[25]
Theodoros Zagorakis served as the president of the Hellenic Football Federation (EPO). He was elected to the position in March 2021. He was supported by Greece's major football clubs and was elected with an almost unanimous majority. He aimed to reform Greek football, which had faced serious corruption and governance challenges.[26] However, his tenure as president was relatively short, as he resigned from the position in September 2021 due to disagreements and challenges related to the federation's governance.[27]
| Club | Season | League | National Cup | League Cup | Continental | Total | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Division | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | ||
| Kavala | 1988–89 | Beta Ethniki | 8 | 2 | 1 | 0 | – | – | 9 | 2 | ||
| 1989–90 | Gamma Ethniki | 38 | 2 | 2 | 0 | – | – | 40 | 2 | |||
| 1990–91 | Beta Ethniki | 28 | 0 | 0 | 0 | – | – | 28 | 0 | |||
| 1991–92 | Beta Ethniki | 32 | 2 | 1 | 0 | – | – | 33 | 2 | |||
| 1992–93 | Beta Ethniki | 8 | 0 | 0 | 0 | – | – | 8 | 0 | |||
| Total | 114 | 6 | 4 | 0 | – | – | 118 | 6 | ||||
| PAOK | 1992–93 | Alpha Ethniki | 20 | 2 | 1 | 0 | – | 0 | 0 | 21 | 2 | |
| 1993–94 | Alpha Ethniki | 30 | 0 | 5 | 1 | – | – | 35 | 1 | |||
| 1994–95 | Alpha Ethniki | 31 | 4 | 4 | 0 | – | – | 35 | 4 | |||
| 1995–96 | Alpha Ethniki | 27 | 0 | 7 | 1 | – | – | 34 | 1 | |||
| 1996–97 | Alpha Ethniki | 32 | 2 | 3 | 0 | – | – | 35 | 2 | |||
| 1997–98 | Alpha Ethniki | 15 | 2 | 2 | 0 | – | 6 | 3 | 23 | 5 | ||
| Total | 155 | 10 | 22 | 2 | – | 6 | 3 | 183 | 15 | |||
| Leicester City | 1997–98 | Premier League | 14 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 14 | 1 |
| 1998–99 | Premier League | 19 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 5 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 26 | 1 | |
| 1999–2000 | Premier League | 17 | 1 | 4 | 0 | 7 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 28 | 1 | |
| Total | 50 | 3 | 6 | 0 | 13 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 69 | 3 | ||
| AEK | 2000–01 | Alpha Ethniki | 23 | 1 | 5 | 0 | – | 7 | 0 | 35 | 1 | |
| 2001–02 | Alpha Ethniki | 26 | 3 | 9 | 1 | – | 10 | 4 | 45 | 8 | ||
| 2002–03 | Alpha Ethniki | 25 | 0 | 7 | 1 | – | 11 | 1 | 43 | 2 | ||
| 2003–04 | Alpha Ethniki | 27 | 0 | 5 | 0 | – | 8 | 0 | 40 | 0 | ||
| Total | 101 | 4 | 26 | 2 | – | 36 | 5 | 163 | 11 | |||
| Bologna | 2004–05 | Serie A | 32 | 0 | 2 | 0 | – | – | 34 | 0 | ||
| PAOK | 2005–06 | Alpha Ethniki | 22 | 0 | 0 | 0 | – | 5 | 0 | 27 | 0 | |
| 2006–07 | Super League | 23 | 0 | 4 | 0 | – | – | 27 | 0 | |||
| Total | 45 | 0 | 4 | 0 | – | 5 | 0 | 54 | 0 | |||
| Career total | 497 | 23 | 64 | 4 | 13 | 0 | 47 | 8 | 621 | 35 | ||
| National team | Year | Apps | Goals |
|---|---|---|---|
| Greece | 1994 | 4 | 0 |
| 1995 | 11 | 0 | |
| 1996 | 9 | 0 | |
| 1997 | 9 | 0 | |
| 1998 | 4 | 0 | |
| 1999 | 13 | 0 | |
| 2000 | 5 | 0 | |
| 2001 | 9 | 0 | |
| 2002 | 10 | 0 | |
| 2003 | 10 | 0 | |
| 2004 | 16 | 0 | |
| 2005 | 11 | 1 | |
| 2006 | 8 | 2 | |
| 2007 | 1 | 0 | |
| Total | 120 | 3 | |
| No. | Date | Venue | Opponent | Score | Result | Competition |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 9 February 2005 | Karaiskakis Stadium,Piraeus, Greece |  Denmark | 1–0 | 2–1 | 2006 FIFA World Cup Qualifiers |
| 2 | 21 January 2006 | King Fahd International Stadium,Riyadh, Saudi Arabia |  South Korea | 1–0 | 1–1 | Friendly |
| 3 | 25 January 2006 | King Fahd International Stadium, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia |  Saudi Arabia | 1–0 | 1–1 | Friendly |
Leicester City
AEK Athens
Greece
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