 Gekas training forBayer Leverkusen in 2007 | |||
| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | Theofanis Gekas | ||
| Date of birth | (1980-05-23)23 May 1980 (age 45) | ||
| Place of birth | Larissa, Greece[1] | ||
| Height | 1.80 m (5 ft 11 in)[2] | ||
| Position | Striker | ||
| Youth career | |||
| 1997–1998 | Toxotis Larissa | ||
| 1998 | AEL | ||
| Senior career* | |||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) |
| 1998–2001 | AEL | 61 | (16) |
| 2001–2005 | Kallithea | 100 | (44) |
| 2005–2007 | Panathinaikos | 41 | (23) |
| 2006–2007 | →VfL Bochum (loan) | 32 | (20) |
| 2007–2010 | Bayer Leverkusen | 50 | (13) |
| 2009 | →Portsmouth (loan) | 1 | (0) |
| 2010 | →Hertha BSC (loan) | 17 | (6) |
| 2010–2012 | Eintracht Frankfurt | 48 | (23) |
| 2012 | Samsunspor | 11 | (8) |
| 2012–2013 | Levante | 4 | (0) |
| 2013 | Akhisar Belediyespor | 15 | (12) |
| 2013–2014 | Konyaspor | 24 | (13) |
| 2014–2015 | Akhisar Belediyespor | 24 | (12) |
| 2015 | Eskisehirspor | 10 | (5) |
| 2016–2017 | Sion | 30 | (13) |
| 2017 | Sivasspor | 10 | (2) |
| Total | 480 | (210) | |
| International career | |||
| 2005–2014 | Greece | 78 | (24) |
| Managerial career | |||
| 2021–2022 | Panegialios | ||
| 2022 | Akhisarspor | ||
| 2023 | Darıca Gençlerbirliği | ||
| 2023–2024 | Tilikratis | ||
| 2025 | Rodos | ||
| * Club domestic league appearances and goals | |||
Theofanis Gekas (Greek:Θεοφάνης Γκέκας; born 23 May 1980) is a Greek professionalfootball official, coach and former player who played as astriker.[3]
He has been the top goalscorer ofSuper League Greece and theBundesliga in previous seasons. Most of his career has been spent in those two countries and Turkey, but he has also played top-flight football in England and Spain.
At international level, Gekas representedGreece at twoEuropean Championships and as manyWorld Cups, earning 78 caps between 2005 and 2014. He was the top goalscorer of theEuropean section of2010 FIFA World Cup qualification with 10 goals. With 24 goals for his national football team, he is Greece's third highest all-time goalscorer.
Gekas started his professional career in the summer of 1998 at his hometown-based clubAEL (then of theGreek Second Division).
In the summer of 2001, and after three years at Larissa, he moved toKallithea. In his first season with the club, Kallithea was promoted to theGreek top division. Gekas scored 14 goals in 26 league matches and became top goalscorer of the 2001–02 league. Also, Gekas in 87second division matches with Larissa and Kallithea scored 30 goals.[4]
After scoring 46 goals in 80 matches for Kallithea at second and first Greek divisions and Greek Cup, Gekas and the club agreed to a transfer toPanathinaikos during the 2005 winter break. At his new club, Gekas becametop goal scorer of the Greek league in 2005 with 18 goals. He was called to thenational squad, making his playing debut in the 2–0World Cup qualifying rounds victory againstAlbania in March 2005. As a member of the national team, Gekas also participated in theConfederations Cup 2005. WithPanathinaikos, Gekas scored 23 goals in 41 appearances. In the season 2005–06, Gekas made his debut in theUEFA Champions League and came second in the Greek top goalscorers list for the competition.
The2. Bundesliga clubVfL Bochum showed an interest in Gekas already by the spring of 2006, but Panathinaikos wanted €2 million for its forward.
In the summer of 2006, Panathinaikos signedDimitris Salpingidis fromPAOK FC and, as part of the deal, Gekas was supposed to agree to a transfer to PAOK. Gekas refused and Panathinakos loaned Gekas out to VfL Bochum, which had just achieved promotion to thetop division, for €300,000, with the German club having the option to buy out the rights for Gekas at the end of the season, if they were to remain in the top division, for another €700,000.
During the 2006–07 season, VfL Bochum was fighting against relegation, but within a short period Gekas became one of the stars of the team and popular among fans. His goals were celebrated withsirtakis from the stadium'sloudspeakers. CoachMarcel Koller described him in November 2006 as their "life insurance", since Bochum not only avoided relegation but secured their place in the Bundesliga quite a few matchdays before the last. Gekas went on to finish the season asBundesliga's top scorer, with a tally of 20 goals.
At the end of April 2007, VfL Bochum agreed to transfer Gekas toBayer 04 Leverkusen for the following season. The transfer deal was as follows: Bayer 04 Leverkusen would pay €700,000 at the end of the season toPanathinaikos, and, if Bochum were to be relegated, they would get €1.5 million from Leverkusen. If Bochum were to remain in the Bundesliga's First Division, they would get €4 million from Leverkusen.
Gekas' first game for Bayer Leverkusen was a friendly which Bayer won 15–1 with Gekas scoring seven of those 15. However, despite being the top scorer for Bayer Leverkusen in the 2007–08 season, Gekas was consistently dropped from the squad by coachMichael Skibbe, making mostly substitute appearances. Following an injury to teammateDmitri Bulykin, Gekas was placed back into the starting XI and scored three goals in three games, including two more againstHamburg in a game which earned Leverkusen a quarter-final spot in theUEFA Cup in March 2008.
On 2 February 2009, Gekas was loaned by Leverkusen toPortsmouth for the remainder of the 2008–09 season.[5]
Gekas was brought in by managerTony Adams with a view to a permanent deal. However, soon after the move, Adams was sacked and replaced by caretakerPaul Hart. Gekas was not given any games and went on to state his desire to leave the club, withZenit St. Petersburg reportedly being interested in him.[6]
On 11 April 2009, he came on as a substitute for one minute, replacingJermaine Pennant in a 2–2 draw withWest Bromwich Albion atFratton Park[7] in his only Portsmouth match. His loan period was terminated by Portsmouth on 21 May 2009 two weeks earlier than initially expected and he returned toBayer Leverkusen.
Gekas, while playing for his national team, became the top scorer in the European section of the qualification for 2010 World Cup. But in Leverkusen, he was competing withStefan Kießling,Eren Derdiyok andPatrick Helmes for a place in the starting formation, and he failed to establish himself. He left the club after half a year.
On 17 December 2009,Bayer Leverkusen signed a half-year loan of Gekas withHertha BSC. In his first game for Hertha, Gekas scored in the team's 0–3 away win againstHannover 96 on 16 January 2010. Despite that promising start, Hertha continued to struggle at the bottom of theBundesliga table. Gekas' most notable performance came on 21 March 2010, when he scored ahat-trick in the 1–5 away victory over German championsVfL Wolfsburg. Hertha eventually did not avoid relegation. Gekas ended up scoring 6 goals in 17 appearances for the club.
On 19 May 2010, Gekas signed a two-year contract withEintracht Frankfurt.[8] He scored 16 goals in 34 appearances but this did not prevent Eintracht from being relegated to theGerman second division.
Gekas left Eintracht under a cloud, after having not picked up thelanguage during his almost six years in Germany. "I wonder how it is possible for somebody to be living in Germany for five years but not be willing to learn the language" said Eintracht legendEgon Loy. When Gekas was told about the criticism, he responded: "I am being paid to score goals, not to speak."[9]
On 7 January 2012, Gekas signed a six-month contract withSüper Lig sideSamsunspor.[10] He scored his first goals againstOrduspor,[11] and scored ahat-trick two weeks later, in a game againstFenerbahçe.[12] In August 2012, Gekas moved to the SpanishLa Liga, signing a two-year contract withLevante UD.[13] He left the club on 27 November of the same year.[14] On 25 January 2013, Gekas signed a one-and-a-half-year contract with Turkish Süper Lig sideAkhisar Belediyespor, then struggling to avoid relegation. He scored a goal on his debut on 1 February 2013 againstKayserispor.[15][16] Gekas went on to score 12 goals overall in the 15 games he played during the rest of the 2012–13 season. Akhisar avoided relegation. On 5 September 2013, Gekas signed a one-year contract with Süper Lig clubTorku Konyaspor, wearing the number 22 shirt.[17]
On 26 July 2014, Gekas completed a return to his former club Akhisar Belediyespor, signing a two-year contract.[18] On 3 April 2015, despite the fact that Gekas had no injury problems and was the top scorer of the club, he was left out of the squad in a surprise move by managerRoberto Carlos.[19] On 7 July 2015, Gekas signed a one-year contract with Süper Lig clubEskişehirspor.[20] On 20 November 2015, Gekas leftEskişehirspor after his contract was cancelled by mutual consent.[21]
On 1 February 2016, Gekas agreed to joinSion until the summer 2017 and to continue his career in Switzerland, after three years in Turkey.[22] Six days later, in aSwiss Super League away win game againstFC Zürich he made his debut with the club as a late substitute. On 17 February, he made his debut in theUEFA Europa League as a late substitute in a game againstSporting Braga for the round of 32.[23] On 24 February 2016, Gekas' performance againstSporting Braga wasn't enough for Sion to qualify for the last 16 ofUEFA Europa League. The Greek striker scores two amazing goals against the Portuguese team but his team didn't make it to the next round after 2–2 tie.[24] On 27 February 2016, he scored a brace in a 3–2 home win againstFC Luzern.[25] On 23 April 2016, he scored a hat-trick inSion's victory againstFC Lugano, being the second scorer of the club in just 12 games.[26] On 25 May 2016, he scored a brace in a 2–2 away draw against FC Luzern arrived at 10 goals in his first season in the Swiss Super League.[27] On 27 August 2016, he opened the score in a 3–1 home win againstFC Vaduz. It was his first goal for the 2016–17 season.[28] On 29 October 2016, he netted two goals in his return in the first XI helping his club to reach a triumphic 5–1 home win against FC Lugano.[29]
On 14 December 2016,Sivasspor officially announced the signing of Gekas till the summer of 2018, for an undisclosed fee.[30][31] On 20 February 2017, he scored his first goal in the league at the very late minute of the game, giving his club a crucial 3–2 away win againstDenizlispor in their effort to be promoted. On 19 March 2017, in a game againstŞanlıurfaspor, he faced a dilatation joint in the medial side combined with damaged cruciate ligaments, thus forcing him to remain out of action for approximately 1–2 months.[32][33] On 7 May 2017, he returned to the squad as a substitute in a 3–0 home win againstBandırmaspor.
Gekas helped his country's team to reachUEFA Euro 2008 and also became thetop scorer among the 2010 World Cup Qualifiers from UEFA nations with 10 goals. At the2010 World Cup he helped the team to reach the team's first victory at a World Cup. Gekas is also fifth in the top scorer rankings of the Greece national team. On 9 September 2010, Gekas officially announced his decision to retire from the national team of Greece, due to "special circumstances inside the team", as he mentioned. This was the third player retirement after the departure of coachOtto Rehhagel, followingSotiris Kyrgiakos andIoannis Amanatidis.[34]
One year later, Gekas stated that it was a mistake for him to retire from the national team, thus making himself once again available to be selected by managerFernando Santos.[35]
He was part of the Greek squad atUEFA Euro 2012, where he played in every match and scored one goal in a 2–1 loss against theCzech Republic in the group stage, as his country reached the quarter-finals of the tournament.
At the2014 FIFA World Cup, Gekas started the team's first match againstColombia, which ended in a 3–0 loss. Gekas came on a substitute in the subsequent games againstJapan (a 0–0 draw) andIvory Coast (a 2–1 victory), putting Greece through to theknockout stage of the World Cup for the first time. In Greece'sround of 16 match againstCosta Rica, Gekas came on as a substitute in the 69th minute and assistedSokratis Papastathopoulos' 91st-minute equaliser with a shot that was parried into the defender's path byKeylor Navas. The match was decided by apenalty shootout, with Gekas the only player to miss in a 5–3 Costa Rican victory.[36]
Gekas announced that a return to theGreece national team is not among his options:"The door of the Greece National Team is closed. I would like to thank all the people there whom I worked with the last decade and I hope that the current players can lead the team back to the former glories."[37]
Shortly after the 2008 European Championships, his wife Vasso gave birth to twins Nikolaos and Mikaela-Lamprini.[38]
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| Club | Season | League | Cup | Continental | Total | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Division | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | ||
| AEL | 1998–99 | Beta Ethniki | 8 | 1 | 1 | 0 | — | 9 | 1 | |
| 1999–2000 | Beta Ethniki | 24 | 5 | 2 | 1 | — | 26 | 6 | ||
| 2000–01 | Beta Ethniki | 29 | 10 | 1 | 0 | — | 30 | 10 | ||
| Total | 61 | 16 | 4 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 65 | 17 | ||
| Kallithea | 2001–02 | Beta Ethniki | 26 | 14 | 1 | 0 | — | 27 | 14 | |
| 2002–03 | Alpha Ethniki | 29 | 8 | 2 | 1 | — | 31 | 9 | ||
| 2003–04 | Alpha Ethniki | 29 | 13 | 1 | 0 | — | 30 | 13 | ||
| 2004–05 | Alpha Ethniki | 16 | 9 | 2 | 1 | — | 18 | 10 | ||
| Total | 100 | 44 | 6 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 106 | 46 | ||
| Panathinaikos | 2004–05 | Alpha Ethniki | 13 | 8 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 16 | 8 |
| 2005–06 | Alpha Ethniki | 28 | 15 | 1 | 0 | 4 | 0 | 33 | 15 | |
| Total | 41 | 23 | 2 | 0 | 6 | 0 | 49 | 23 | ||
| VfL Bochum (loan) | 2006–07 | Bundesliga | 32 | 20 | 3 | 2 | — | 35 | 22 | |
| Bayer Leverkusen | 2007–08 | Bundesliga | 29 | 11 | 1 | 0 | 10[a] | 2 | 40 | 13 |
| 2008–09 | Bundesliga | 15 | 2 | 3 | 1 | — | 18 | 3 | ||
| 2009–10 | Bundesliga | 6 | 0 | 2 | 1 | — | 8 | 1 | ||
| Total | 50 | 13 | 6 | 2 | 10 | 2 | 66 | 17 | ||
| Portsmouth (loan) | 2008–09 | Premier League | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| Hertha BSC (loan) | 2009–10 | Bundesliga | 17 | 6 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 20 | 7 |
| Eintracht Frankfurt | 2010–11 | Bundesliga | 34 | 16 | 3 | 2 | — | 37 | 18 | |
| 2011–12 | 2. Bundesliga | 14 | 7 | 1 | 2 | — | 15 | 9 | ||
| Total | 48 | 23 | 4 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 52 | 27 | ||
| Samsunspor | 2011–12 | Süper Lig | 11 | 8 | 1 | 0 | — | 12 | 8 | |
| Levante | 2012–13 | La Liga | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 5 | 1 | 9 | 1 |
| Akhisar Belediyespor | 2012–13 | Süper Lig | 15 | 12 | 0 | 0 | — | 15 | 12 | |
| Konyaspor | 2013–14 | Süper Lig | 24 | 13 | 1 | 0 | — | 25 | 13 | |
| Akhisar Belediyespor | 2014–15 | Süper Lig | 24 | 12 | 3 | 1 | — | 27 | 13 | |
| Eskisehirspor | 2015–16 | Süper Lig | 10 | 5 | 0 | 0 | — | 10 | 5 | |
| Sion | 2015–16 | Swiss Super League | 18 | 10 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 2 | 21 | 12 |
| 2016–17 | Swiss Super League | 12 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 12 | 3 | |
| Total | 30 | 13 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 2 | 33 | 15 | ||
| Sivasspor | 2016–17 | TFF First League | 10 | 2 | 2 | 1 | — | 12 | 3 | |
| Total | 478 | 210 | 34 | 14 | 25 | 5 | 537 | 229 | ||
| Greece | ||
|---|---|---|
| Year | Apps | Goals |
| 2005 | 6 | 0 |
| 2006 | 5 | 0 |
| 2007 | 11 | 6 |
| 2008 | 13 | 6 |
| 2009 | 10 | 8 |
| 2010 | 7 | 0 |
| 2011 | 3 | 1 |
| 2012 | 11 | 2 |
| 2013 | 3 | 1 |
| 2014 | 9 | 0 |
| Total | 78 | 24 |
| Team | From | To | Record | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| G | W | D | L | Win % | ||||||
| Panegialios | 4 September 2021 | 30 June 2022 | 25 | 4 | 7 | 14 | 016.00 | |||
| Akhisarspor | 1 July 2022 | 5 December 2022 | 16 | 2 | 8 | 6 | 012.50 | |||
| Darıca Gençlerbirliği | 18 October 2023 | 6 December 2023 | 6 | 1 | 4 | 1 | 016.67 | |||
| Tilikratis | 7 December 2023 | 10 March 2024 | 11 | 3 | 1 | 7 | 027.27 | |||
| Rodos | 8 October 2023 | 24 October 2023 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 000.00 | |||
| Total | 60 | 10 | 21 | 29 | 016.67 | |||||
