Avraam Papadopoulos

Football player infobox
playername= Avraam Papadopoulos


height = 188 cm
nickname = "Pap"
dateofbirth = birth date and age|1984|12|3
cityofbirth = Melbourne
countryofbirth = Australia
currentclub = Olympiacos F.C.
clubnumber = 17
position = Defender
years = 2002 - 2008
2008 - present
clubs = Aris FC
Olympiakos FC
caps(goals) = 95 (14)
1 (0)
nationalyears = 2002 - 2008
2008 -
nationalteam = Greece U-21
Greece

nationalcaps(goals) = 9 (0)
4 (0)

Avraam Papadopoulos (born in December 3, 1984 in Melbourne, Australia) is a football player, currently playing for Olympiacos FC

Club career

Aris

Avraam Papadopoulos is one of the most talented and currently best central defenders in the Greek Championship. He started his professional career with Aris back in 2002 after stepping up from the Aris Youth with another promising attacking youngster- his mate Ethimios Pantelidis. Before, had been with Digenis Lakkomatos (Chalkidiki) youth.

At the beginning of his career, around the age of 17 (even before- including his youth days) he started as an attacking midfielder. Especially in the period between 2003 (obviously not too much time after Avraam's promotion into the first team) and the summer 2006, Aris lived some darker days of their history in Greek football also tangled with some sorts of more-less defensive philosophy of football, financial problems in the club, Avraam Papadopoulos experienced some gradual „demotions“ onto the more defensive positions by his coaches. Firstly back onto defensive midfield, then also right back and finally central defense where he generally plays even nowadays (his CD position has been granted after the summer 2006 roster rebuilding).

He is quite tall, with very tough body constitution, but not slow for his physical appearance, with pretty good awareness and tackling, sometimes reckless which leads him to getting yellow cards, but also this can be partially explained by more attacking football of the post-2006 Aris that can expose a defender like Avraam to the situations of must-break the opponents' (counter) attacks. The scorer of several (significant) goals through his career generally by his strong headers and penalties. The best example is his only goal/header in the final qualifiers with Zaragoza for the UEFA Cup group stage at the Kleanthis Vikelidis stadium, which , at the end of the day, turned out to be the crucial and historic goal after Aris' loss 2:1 in Spain that ensured Aris the progression to the group stage. Yet he has been sent up in front, whenever Aris needed an extra striker in the dying minutes of (several) matches.

As an „Aris kid“ playing for his beloved club, but also with the fact that he experienced dark days as well as lighter, he was one of the fans' favourites logically, also one of the „last Mohicans“ in the club („Mohicans“- figuratively related to the players as Giorgios Koltsidas, Kostas Nebegleras, Avraam Papadopoulos, Giorgios Gougoulias, Ronald Nacho Garcia, Ethimios Kouloucheris, Kristi Vangjeli, retired Petros Passalis, gone Spyros Gogolos... that were with this team in the second division, season 2005/06, as well as the season/s after that, when the club experienced its promotion and then a total rebirth in the first division with good football and higher standing positions). Aris' number 4 is also known for his passion. Now for many years' transfer windows he has been linked to Athenian giants (especially Olympiacos) by media/usually the sports news-papers, but yet has never changed his club. Also as stories were circulating during the last season (2006/07), he had been watched closely by some bigger clubs' scouts like Benfica or Chelsea, recently Zenit of Russia as well.

So far his number of caps for his club Aris has been closing in to the margin of 100. Considered as one of the Aris 2007/08 top stars along with Sergio Koke, Ronald Nacho Garcia and recently added experienced super star Marcio Amoroso and a couple of others.

After the end of the 2007-08 season, on triple occasion he refused to renew his contract up to 2013 (2 million euros in 5 years) although he had previously expressed affirmatively. That act which took its culmination right after he accepted to join Olympiakos, caused many Aris fans to rage at him pronouncing the same as a traitor to them.

Olympiakos

On July 4 2008 the player was transferred to Olympiacos for 2,5 million euros.Olympiakos CFP announced on Friday the 4th of July 2008, the signing of footballer Avraam Papadopoulos from Aris. The player has signed a four year contract. Avraam stated this during a press conference ,"I came to Olympiakos, and not Panathinaikos, because it was the best choice for me. The ideal choice. I would not like to say anything else and it does not make sense to talk about the past. I will work as hard as I can to make the team reach its goals and objectives in both Europe and Greece."

International career

Greece

He had been capped for Greece U-21 for several times. After impressing Greece coach Otto Rehhagel, He was called to the Greek national football team for the first time on February 1 2008 [ [http://www.uefa.com/competitions/euro/news/kind=1/newsid=652323.html Greece bearing gifts for Stoltidis] ] and made his debut in the win over the Czech Republic on February 5.

References