| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | Dimitrios Patikas | ||
| Date of birth | (1963-10-18)18 October 1963 (age 61) | ||
| Place of birth | Sydney, Austrialia | ||
| Height | 1.76 m (5 ft 9 in) | ||
| Position(s) | Wide midfielder,forward | ||
| Senior career* | |||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) |
| 1979–1983 | Sydney City | 59 | (10) |
| 1981 | Aberdeen | ||
| 1983–1984 | Sydney Olympic | 57 | (13) |
| 1985 | Sydney Croatia | 25 | (17) |
| 1985–1993 | AEK Athens | 142 | (27) |
| 1993 | Athinaikos | 10 | (1) |
| 1993 | A.P.I.A. Leichhardt Tigers | 1 | (0) |
| 1993–1994 | Athinaikos | 35 | (2) |
| 1995 | Kastoria | ||
| 1996 | Sydney United | 17 | (1) |
| 1996–1997 | Sydney Olympic | 1 | (0) |
| Total | 329 | (71) | |
| International career | |||
| 1984–1985 | Australia B | 9 | (0) |
| 1981–1988 | Australia | 10 | (2) |
| Managerial career | |||
| 2024– | Inner West Hawks | ||
| *Club domestic league appearances and goals | |||
Dimitris "Jimmy" Patikas (Greek:Δημήτρης "Τζίμης" Πατίκας; born 18 October 1963) is a formerAustralianfootball player, who is currently manager ofInner West Hawks inNSW League Two.[1] Renowned for his exceptional speed and for being the first established Australian player to be signed by a professional European football club, he was capped 27 times for theSocceroos and played as a forward and midfielder forSydney City,Sydney Olympic,Sydney Croatia,AEK Athens,Athinaikos andKastoria.[2]
Patikas represented theYoung Socceroos in both the 1981 FIFAWorld Youth Cup inSydney and 1983World Youth Cup inMexico. Despite being one of the youngest players in the 1981 World Youth Cup, Patikas had already played over two seasons forNSL ChampionsSydney City debuting as a 15-year-old in the 1979 season. He was therefore a key part of the Australian squad that reached the Quarter Finals in 1981, losing 1-0 only to eventual winners,Germany. His performances for the Young Socceroos and Sydney City earned Patikas his first full international cap aged only 17 against Indonesia in 1981 World Cup Qualifying and a contract with aSir Alex Ferguson coachedAberdeen.
In 1983, after five seasons and threeNSL Championships withSydney City, Patikas was signed byTommy Docherty atSydney Olympic. In his first season at Olympic, he won the NSL Cup and held the record for most Young Socceroos international appearances after playing in his second FIFAWorld Youth Cup in Mexico. Against European Youth ChampionsScotland, Patikas scored a goal with 3 minutes remaining to give the Young Socceroos a 2-1 victory elevating them to the top of Group A.[3] In the final round, a 2-1 defeat toKorea Republic saw the Young Socceroos exit the tournament with only one defeat. However, the performances of Patikas attracted the attention of many international scouts. One including newly appointedBarcelona F.C. coachCesar Luis Menotti. According to media reports, Patikas was offered a contract by Menotti, but injury forced him to return to Australia.
In 1985, Patikas joined Olympics' rivalsSydney Croatia and scored two goals against his former club on his way to the Player of the Year and top goal scorer titles. He played 13 of his 27 caps during this season, and was a key member of the Socceroos' 1986 World Cup Qualifying matches against a Scotland national side featuringGordon Strachan,Alex McLeish andGraeme Souness.[4] Patikas who had experience in Scotland during his time atAberdeen was one of the Socceroos' stand-out performers in a 2-0 aggregate loss. Following these games, he was signed by Greek clubAEK Athens. In March 1988, Patikas returned to Australia to represent theSocceroos in the Olympic qualifiers becoming the first player to turn out for theSocceroos while based at a non-Australian club.[5] In his first game back he scored the winner for theSocceroos against Chinese Taipei. The next match against New Zealand saw Patikas become the firstAustralian goal scorer at theSydney Football Stadium when opening the scoring in a 3-1 win.[6]
In his fourth season at AEK, Patikas won the league title ending the club's ten year championship drought. He went on to make over 200 appearances for AEK in all competitions (including European Cup / UEFA Champions League and UEFA Cup) scoring 58 goals. He won 3Greek Championships, 1Greek League Cup, 1Greek Super Cup and 1 Pre-1991 Mediterranean Games Cup.
After nearly a decade with AEK Athens, Patikas signed forAthinaikos in January 1993. In his first game back atNikos Goumas Stadium, he scored against his old club, AEK. Despite being man-of-the-match, he ended up on the losing side as the Greek champions won by 3–2.[7]
In 1995, Patikas signed for Northern Greek outfitKastoria inGamma Ethniki. The club was promoted intoBeta Ethniki, and Patikas helped the club gain promotion into the Greek First Division for the first time since 1983. Following a successful period at Kastoria, Patikas returned home to play for Sydney United and Sydney Olympic in theNSL.[8]
Sydney City
Sydney Olympic
AEK Athens
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)