| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | Ioannis Kalitzakis | ||
| Date of birth | (1966-02-10)10 February 1966 (age 59) | ||
| Place of birth | Eleusis,Greece | ||
| Height | 1.88 m (6 ft 2 in) | ||
| Position(s) | Center back | ||
| Senior career* | |||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) |
| 1983–1987 | Panelefsiniakos | 106 | (3) |
| 1987 | Diagoras | 18 | (1) |
| 1987–1997 | Panathinaikos | 260 | (15) |
| 1997–2000 | AEK Athens | 76 | (1) |
| 2000–2001 | Ethnikos Asteras | 23 | (0) |
| Total | 483 | (20) | |
| International career | |||
| 1987–1998 | Greece | 71 | (0) |
| *Club domestic league appearances and goals | |||
Giannis Kalitzakis (Greek:Γιάννης Καλιτζάκης; born 10 February 1966) is a formerGreek professionalfootballer who played as acenter back. His nickname was"The Ninja" due to his hard acrobatic tackles and very strong defensive style. He is currently the general manager atPanathinaikos B.
Kalitzakis started his career inPanelefsiniakos, where he played for three and a half seasons and after playing for another half season atDiagoras he signed forPanathinaikos. In the "greens" he quickly established himself as a key player and irreplaceable, he became especially loved by the world and did a lot important career for a whole decade, being also captain of the team, winning 4championships, 6Greek Cups and 3 Super cups, including 3 doubles. He participated in very important European nights for the club, including the course of the team to the semi-finals of theUEFA Champions League in 1996.[1]
In the summer of 1997, he was released by Panathinaikos and the people ofAEK Athens did not miss the opportunity to sign him. He had a pretty good presence for three years with many different partners by his side, without usually losing his place in the lineup. Despite this, he did not reach the standards of performance that he previously achieved at Panathinaikos. Kalitzakis and AEK won 1 cup in 2000. He left the team in 2000 following the decision of the coach,Giannis Pathiakakis.[2] After AEK he played for one season atEthnikos Asteras before ending his career.
Kalitzakis played forGreece from 16 December 1987 to 1999. He had 71 caps in total, including three appearances at the1994 FIFA World Cup.
After the end of his career, he served as the head of Panelefsiniakos' academies and general captain ofPaniliakos. In 2009 he returned to Panathinaikos as a member of the scouting department, a position he held for a year. In 2022 he became General manager ofPanathinaikos B[3]
Panathinaikos
AEK Athens
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