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Avraam Papadopoulos (Greek: Αβραάμ Παπαδόπουλος) (born 3 December 1984) is a Greek footballer, currently playing for Olympiacos F.C. and the Greek national football team as a central defender.[1]
Club career
Aris Thessaloniki F.C.
Papadopoulos started his professional career with Aris back in 2003 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 Papadopoulos' 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, Papadopoulos experienced some gradual "demotions" into the more defensive positions by his coaches. Firstly back into 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 Papadopoulos 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, Papadopoulos, Georgios Gougoulias, Ronald Nacho Garcia, Efthimios Kouloucheris, Kristi Vangjeli, Petros Passalis, 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 was also known for his passion. For many years' transfer windows he used to be linked to Athenian giants (especially Olympiacos) by media/usually the sports news-papers, but yet had never changed his club, by then. Also as stories were circulating during the season (2006/07), he had been watched closely by some bigger clubs' scouts like Benfica or Chelsea, and Zenit of Russia as well.
Lastly, his number of caps for his ex-club Aris overflowed the margin of 100 (106 caps, scoring 6 goals). In last season (or 2) of his residence in Thessaloniki before moving in to Piraeus, he was considered as one of the Aris (2007/08) top stars along with Sergio Koke, Ronald Nacho Garcia and experienced ex-super star and big Aris flop 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 Olympiacos F.C., caused many Aris fans to rage at him pronouncing the same as a traitor to them.
Olympiacos
On 4 July 2008 the player was transferred to Olympiacos F.C. for 2,5 million euros. Olympiacos F.C. 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."
Honours
Olympiacos:
Superleague Greece: 2008-2009, 2010-2011
Greek Football Cup: 2009
International career
Greek national football team
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 1 February 2008[2] and made his debut in the win over the Czech Republic on 5 February.
In 2010, Papadopoulos played for Greece at the 2010 World Cup.
References
^ "Stats Centre: Arvaam Papadopoulos Facts". Guardian.co.uk. Retrieved 2009-11-29.
^ Greece bearing gifts for Stoltidis
| Ancient Greece
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