Sokratis Papastathopoulos (Greek:Σωκράτης Παπασταθόπουλος; born 9 June 1988), also knownmononymously asSokratis,[4] is a Greek former professionalfootballer who played as acentre-back.
On 21 June 2005 Papastathopoulos joinedAEK Athens from Apollon Petalidiou after being scouted byToni Savevski.[5] On 26 October 2005, he made his debut for AEK in aGreek Cup match againstPAS Giannina, scoring in the seventh minute of the game to help lead AEK to a 3–0 win.[6]
In January 2006, he was loaned toBeta Ethniki clubNiki Volos for six months to gain first-team football experience. He made 15 appearances for Niki Volos.[citation needed]
On 1 August 2008, Papastathopoulos agreed to transfer toGenoa of the ItalianSerie A for an undisclosed fee.[7] He also played a club friendly against Genoa on the same day.[8]
He made his debut for Genoa on 27 September 2008 againstFiorentina, followed by a start againstRavenna in theCoppa Italia a few days later. His first goal for Genoa came on 5 October 2008 at home againstNapoli. Genoa won the game 3–2, but Papastathopoulos was sent off in the 89th minute[9][10] During the2009–10 season, he managed to play in most games and gained a following.[citation needed]
On 20 July 2010, the AC Milan website confirmed that Papastathopoulos had joined the team, after Genoa and Milan reached an agreement to transfer Papastathopoulos to the club for €14 million, with the following payment schedule:Gianmarco Zigoni (half of his registration rights, valued at €3.75 million),Nnamdi Oduamadi (half of his rights, valued at €3.5 million) andRodney Strasser (half of his rights, valued at €2.25 million) in aco-ownership deal, plus €4.5 million.[11][12][13] Papastathopoulos was the club's first arrival under new managerMassimiliano Allegri.[14]
On 24 May 2011, Milan and Genoa executivesAdriano Galliani andEnrico Preziosi, respectively, verbally agreed to settle the player ownerships (subject to player agreements) ofKevin-Prince Boateng,Alberto Paloschi,Marco Amelia andGiacomo Beretta. The deal entailed that Milan buy back Gianmarco Zigoni, Rodney Strasser and Nnamdi Oduamadi (all under original price),[15] while Genoa buy back Papastathopoulos for €13 million, which effectively made thede facto loan cost for Milan €1 million.[15][16][17]
On 21 July 2011, Papastathopoulos moved to the Germany clubWerder Bremen on a loan deal until the end of the2011–12 season, with the option to purchase outright.[18][19][20] Following impressive performances on loan, on 16 April 2012, it was announced that Papastathopoulos would join Bremen on a permanent basis for a €5 million transfer fee.[21][22][23] The2012–13 season, however, was not a good one for the club. In March 2013, in the midst of a relegation battle and with tensions high, Papastathopoulos engaged in a training ground brawl with teammateMarko Arnautović.[24] Bremen would ultimately finish the year in 14th, staving-off relegation.[citation needed]
On 24 May 2013, the eve of the2013 Champions League Final betweenBayern Munich andBorussia Dortmund, Papastathopoulos completed a €9.5 million transfer to Dortmund, agreeing to a five-year contract through to 2018.[25][26][27] Upon signing, he spoke about the deal, saying, "Money did not play a role in my decision to join Dortmund. My own future was all that mattered and I am convinced that I made the right decision."[28] With centre-backFelipe Santana departing Dortmund forSchalke 04, Papastathopoulos began as the effective third-choice behind tandemNeven Subotić andMats Hummels. Borussia Dortmund Sporting DirectorMichael Zorc expressed his satisfaction with the deal: "We are delighted that Sokratis has decided to join Borussia Dortmund. He is a flexible player capable to play in a variety of positions in defence who we believe has tremendous potential."[29]
On 10 July 2013, Papastathopoulos made his debut for Dortmund in a pre-season friendly away to Swiss clubBasel atSt. Jakob-Park, along with fellow BVB debutants (and future Arsenal teammates)Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang andHenrikh Mkhitaryan. On 27 July, he won his first title with the club after entering the match as a substitute in a 4–2 win over Bayern Munich for the2013 DFL-Supercup.[citation needed] On 1 November 2013, he scored his debut goal for Dortmund in a win overVfB Stuttgart in theBundesliga, 6–1.[30]
Papastathopoulos' strong first year with Dortmund was rewarded with his selection to the best XI of the2013–14 Bundesliga campaign. The selection was organised in a worldwide fan vote by the governing body of the Bundesliga through its official website. The description of his play following his nomination was, "The definition of defense falls on him. The Greek stopper took advantage of the opportunities given to him by the absence of Neven Subotić and Mats Hummels. Stable, with leadership characteristics and tendency to win the ball without making easily a mistake."[31][32]
In November 2014, Papastathopoulos was out of action for two weeks diagnosed with a broken fibula. He suffered the injury to his right leg in Dortmund's 1–0 win overBorussia Mönchengladbach, a result that ended a five-match Bundesliga losing streak for the club. After an early recovery, he was deemed fit for BVB'sChampions League match againstArsenal on 26 November.[33] On 3 January 2015, football news website Goal.com assessed statistics to determine which players maintained the highest tackle success rate in the first half of the 2014–15 season acrossEurope's top five leagues; Papastathopoulos finished joint-third, alongsideHamburger SV'sMatthias Ostrzolek, having won 92.59 per cent of all tackles.[34]
In the summer of 2015, Papastathopoulos was linked with moves to various EnglishPremier League clubs as Dortmund prepared for a new start following long-time managerJürgen Klopp's departure. Dortmund Sporting DirectorMichael Zorc, however, said Papastathopoulos would still have a part to play for BVB in new managerThomas Tuchel's debut season with the club.[35] On 26 October 2015, Papastathopoulos extended his contract with Borussia Dortmund until 2019.[36]
"The defensive work that Sokratis puts in is just unbelievable."
After the extension, Zorc said, "We are very pleased that we have been able to sign with Sokratis, another top performer, on a long term."[38] During Tuchel's tenure, Papastathopoulos was promoted to be partner-in-chief toMats Hummels overNeven Subotic.[citation needed]
On 19 December 2015, Papastathopoulos scored his first goal in the2015–16 Bundesliga in an eventual 2–1 away loss to1. FC Köln, giving his club the lead in the first-half from a header from a corner.[39] On 30 January 2016, in a league game againstIngolstadt 04, Papastathopoulos reached his 100th Bundesliga appearance with Dortmund. On 22 February 2016, Papastathopoulos missed the second leg of theUEFA Europa League round-of-32 tie againstFC Porto and the Bundesliga clash with Bayern Munich due to an adductor injury, as tests confirmed that the 27-year-old would be out for up to three weeks. The Greek centre back picked up the injury during Dortmund's 1–0 win againstBayer Leverkusen and was replaced 13 minutes from time at the BayArena.[40][41] On 21 May 2016, Papastathopoulos featured in his thirdDFB-Pokal final in a row, putting in a tremendous performance despite a missed penalty, but he did not succeed in winning the DFB-Pokal for first time in his career.[42]
He started the2016–17 season as the undisputed leader in BVB defence. On 15 September 2016, he netted the second goal in an away crashing 6–0 againstLegia Warsaw on a GroupUEFA Champions League match.[43] On 4 January 2017, the German magazine"kicker" listed the Greek international as one of the best players in the GermanBundesliga. The magazine paid a tribute to the best players currently playing in the German Bundesliga, separating them out into different categories. In the first category (World Class) no defenders were listed, however, Papastathopoulos was one of three defenders listed in the second category, International Class. The other two defenders includedMats Hummels of Bayern Munich andJonathan Tah of Bayer Leverkusen.[44]
On 8 February 2017, in a DFB-Pokal home win on penalties' game againstHertha Berlin, Papastathopoulos' two quickfire (in a minute) bookings for dissent saw Dortmund finish extra time with 10 men beforeFabian Lustenberger,Vladimír Darida andSalomon Kalou all missed from the spot, renderingChristian Pulisic's miss irrelevant.[45] On 25 February 2017, Dortmund made three changes from last weekend's 3–0 win overVfL Wolfsburg and it was two of those, Papastathopoulos andRaphaël Guerreiro, who combined to open the scoring in the 13th minute in a 3–0 away win againstSC Freiburg. Papastathopoulos looked to be offside as Guerreiro swung in a free-kick from the right, which the Greece defender met with a header planted inside the right-hand post.[46][47]On 16 April 2017, Papastathopoulos was the one who had a quick reaction to anEintracht Frankfurt equalising, by scoring a goal afterSven Bender's assist giving a lead to the score in his team in a final 3–1 home win.[48]On 26 April 2017, helped Borussia Dortmund to a 3–2 win over Bayern Munich and their fourth consecutive DFB-Pokal final. On 20 May 2017, Papastathopoulos reached 100 appearances with Dortmund inBundesliga in a home game againstWerder Bremen and secured automatic qualification to the group stage of next season's UEFA Champions League. On 27 May 2017, in his fourth DFB-Pokal final in a row, Borussia Dortmund claimed a first DFB-Pokal win since 2012 asPierre-Emerick Aubameyang's penalty defeatedEintracht Frankfurt 2–1.[49][50]
On 5 August 2017, as the captain of the club, he lost the2017 DFL-Supercup on penalties' game against Bayern Munich. On 17 September 2017, he scored at the end of the first half against1. FC Köln, giving a lead of two goals in his club. It was his first goal for the2017–18 season and was secured with the use of VAR (Video Assistant Referee) method.[51] On 14 October 2017, Borussia Dortmund's unbeaten start to the season was ended byRB Leipzig's 3–2 away win, as the Greek defender initially in trying to push the ball away helped Leipzig wingerYussuf Poulsen to score, while at the beginning of second half, was sent off for a foul in the box andJean-Kévin Augustin scored the penalty.[52] On 17 October 2017, after losing its UEFA Champions League opening games in Group H toTottenham Hotspur andReal Madrid, Dortmund needed a win to kick-start its campaign in Europe's premier club competition, but they succeeded only to seal an away draw against Cypriot championsAPOEL, as the Greek defender equalised with a header toMario Götze's cross.[53][54] On 4 November 2017, in the derby against rivalsBayern Munich he suffered a leg injury, during the first half, and was substituted byJeremy Toljan,[55] and two weeks later in an away game againstVfB Stuttgart has received a heavy blow and replaced at the end of the first half fromDan-Axel Zagadou.[56]
On 2 July 2018,Arsenal announced that Papastathopoulos had agreed a long-term contract with the club for a reported fee £17.6 million and would wear the number 5 shirt.[57][58] On 12 August 2018, he made his official debut with the club as a starter atEmirates Stadium, in a 2–0 loss against championsManchester City. On 4 October 2018, Papastathopoulos scored his first for the club, setting theGunners on their way to a comfortable 3–0 victory overQarabag in the2018–19 UEFA Europa League group stage: after just four minutes of play inBaku, the centre-back was left unmarked inside the opposing penalty area, deflecting the ball home after an initial header fell into his path.[59] Papastathopoulos was named to the UEFA Europa League Team of the Week.[60]
On 15 October 2018, Papastathopoulos was forced off during Greece's 2–0 defeat toFinland and was believed to have sprained his ankle. Papastathopoulos was at the heart ofUnai Emery's defence since the Spaniard took over the reins in the summer and a fixture in a winning run of nine matches.[61] On 21 February 2019, he netted his second goal as an Arsenal player, taking advantage of a missed punch fromBATE Borisov's goalieDenis Scherbitskiy to head the ball into an empty net following a corner kick fromGranit Xhaka, to seal a 3–0 home win for Arsenal and send them through to the Round of 32 in the2018–19 UEFA Europa League.[62]
On 12 April 2019, Papastathopoulos was named to theUEFA Europa League's 'Team of the week' after playing a vital role in Arsenal's 2–0 win overNapoli in thefirst leg of the quarter-finals. He was one of four Arsenal players selected along withPetr Čech,Ainsley Maitland-Niles, andAaron Ramsey.[63] On 24 April 2019, Papastathopoulos scored his maiden goal in the EnglishPremier League via a close-range header from a corner kick, but Arsenal slipped to a 3–1 defeat againstWolverhampton Wanderers.[64] On 29 May 2019, he started in the2019 UEFA Europa League Final againstChelsea which Arsenal lost 4–1. This was the first time Arsenal had conceded four goals in a European match since a 5–1 loss to Bayern Munich in March 2017.[65]
On 27 October 2019, Papastathopoulos – marking his 50th appearance – scored his first goal of the season, afterCrystal Palace failed to clearNicolas Pépé's corner in a 2–2 draw at home.[66] On 1 January 2020, he scored a close-range finish to seal a 2–0 win overManchester United, securingMikel Arteta his first victory in charge of theGunners. He was namedSky Sports Man of the match.[67] On 2 March 2020, he scored with a volley to give Arsenal the lead in a 2–0 away win againstPortsmouth, helping Arsenal to be the first team in theFA Cup quarter-finals.[68] On 1 August 2020, Papastathopoulos played as a late substitute in the2020 FA Cup Final against Chelsea, as Arsenal won the trophy for the 14th time.[69]
Papastathopoulos andMesut Özil were notably excluded from Arsenal's Premier League and Europa League squads for 2020–21, leaving them only eligible for one League Cup game between October and January.[70]
On 20 January 2021, Arsenal announced that Papastathopoulos would be leaving the club after his contract was cancelled "by mutual consent."[71]
On 25 January 2021, Papastathopoulos joined Greek sideOlympiacos on a two-and-a-half-year contract.[72] On 21 April 2021, he scored his first goal with the club, in a 1–0 home win game againstAsteras Tripolis.[73]
On 26 October 2023, after leaving Olympiacos at the end of his contract, Papastathopoulos signed a one-year deal withLa Liga clubReal Betis.[74]
On 19 May 2024, Papastathopoulos announced that he would retire at the end of the season.[75] Papastathopoulos played his last professional game againstReal Madrid at the2023–24 La Liga final round.[76]
Papastathopoulos was called up for theGreek senior team on 1 February 2008[77] and made his debut on 5 February 2008 in the 1–0 friendly victory against theCzech Republic. The Greece squad forUEFA Euro 2008 was announced byOtto Rehhagel on 27 May 2008, and Papastathopoulos was the unfortunate player to be cut from the provisional squad of 24 to the final 23-man selection.[78]
Papastathopoulos became the first player to be sent off atUEFA Euro 2012 during the opening game of the tournament against co-hostsPoland after receiving two yellow cards, following what pundits decried as two poor decisions by refereeCarlos Velasco Carballo.[79]
On 11 June 2019, following the loss toArmenia at theOlympic Stadium, Papastathopoulos called for immediate changes to be made to the Greece national squad set-up, and he allegedly requested forAngelos Anastasiadis to be removed from his role of head coach when speaking to EPO president, Evangelos Grammenos.[83][84]
