 Fountoukidis during the 1966–67 season | |||
| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | Aristotelis Fountoukidis | ||
| Date of birth | (1942-02-13)13 February 1942 | ||
| Place of birth | Panteleimon, Kilkis, Greece | ||
| Date of death | 7 July 2007(2007-07-07) (aged 65) | ||
| Place of death | Nea Kallikrateia, Chalkidiki, Greece | ||
| Position | Defender | ||
| Youth career | |||
| 1956–1960 | Aris Panteleimon | ||
| Senior career* | |||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) |
| 1960–1963 | Apollon Kalamarias | 14 | (2) |
| 1963–1966 | MENT | 81 | (0) |
| 1966–1978 | PAOK | 336 | (18) |
| Total | 430 | (20) | |
| Managerial career | |||
| 1981 | PAOK (caretaker) | ||
| * Club domestic league appearances and goals | |||
Aristotelis Fountoukidis (Greek:Αριστοτέλης Φουντουκίδης; 13 February 1942 – 7 July 2007), known mistakenly for many years as Aristarchos Fountoukidis (Greek:Αρίσταρχος Φουντουκίδης), was aGreek footballer who played as acentral defender.[1]
Fountoukidis was born in 1942 inPanteleimon, Kilkis. He started playing football at his hometown clubAris Panteleimon and in 1960 he moved toApollon Kalamaria.[2] In 1963, he was transferred toMENT and from there he was acquired byPAOK in the summer of 1966, a move that was made possible thanks to the collaboration of PAOK administrative leaderGiorgos Pantelakis with the team's coachNikos Pangalos. Although he started his career as a center forward, at PAOK he established himself as a central defender and quickly became irreplaceable. Fountoukidis worked in construction when he was young and thanks to his impressive physical qualities, he was nicknamed"The Wall"(Greek:"Ο Τοίχος").[3] He isPAOK 5th all-time appearance maker with 395 games in total (336 in the league) and won with theWhite-blacks of the North the1972 and1974 editions of the Cup and the1976 league title.[4][5][6][7]
Fountoukidis was assistant ofGyula Lóránt when the Hungarian manager returned to PAOK for a second spell in 1980 and took over as caretaker coach after Lóránt's passing.[8][9] Aristos coached PAOK in the1981 Greek Cup final againstOlympiacos.[10]
On 7 July 2007, he suffered a heart attack and died at the age of 65.[11][12] PAOK FC issued the following statement:
«PAOK FC expresses its deepest condolences to the family of the deceased, who was a leader and soul of the club. His name and his contribution will remain indelibly written in the golden pages of PAOK's history. PAOK FC Board of Directors decided to ask the higher authorities to observe a minute of silence in memory of Aristotelis Fountoukidis in the first official game of the new season. Club's representatives will lay wreaths at his funeral, which will take place at 17:00 at the Church of the Transfiguration of the Savior in Kalamaria.»
PAOK
