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Theofanis "Fanis" Gekas (Greek: Θεοφάνης "Φάνης" Γκέκας; born 23 May 1980) is a Greek footballer who plays for Konyaspor in the Süper Lig, as a striker.
He has been the top goalscorer of the Greek League and the Bundesliga in previous seasons. He was the top goalscorer of the Europe section of 2010 FIFA World Cup qualification for scoring ten goals in Greece's successful qualifying campaign.
Career
Gekas started his professional career at his local club Larissa (then of the Greek Second Division). In the summer of 2001, and after three years at Larissa, he moved to Kallithea. In his first season with the club, Kallithea was promoted to the Greek top division.
Gekas scored 30 goals in 87 second division matches.
Panathinaikos
After scoring 32 goals in 73 matches for Kallithea, Gekas and the club agreed to a transfer to Panathinaikos during the 2005 winter break. At his new club, Gekas became top goal scorer of the Greek league in 2005 with 18 goals. He was called to the national squad, making his playing debut in the 2–0 World Cup qualifying rounds victory against Albania in March 2005. In the Confederations Cup 2005, Gekas was part of the team of the European champion.
With Panathinaikos, Gekas scored 23 goals in 41 appearances. In the season 2005–06, Gekas made his debut in the UEFA Champions League and came second in the Greek top goalscorers list for the competition.
VfL Bochum
The 2. Bundesliga club VfL Bochum showed an interest in Gekas already by the spring of 2006, but Panathinaikos wanted €2 million for its forward.
In the summer of 2006, Panathinaikos signed Greek top scorer Dimitris Salpingidis from PAOK Salonica and, as part of the deal, Gekas was supposed to agree to a transfer to PAOK. Gekas refused and Panathinakos loaned Gekas out to VfL Bochum, which had just achieved promotion to the top division, for €300,000, with the German club having the option to buy out the rights for Gekas at the end of the season, if they were to remain in the top division, for another €700,000.
During the 2006–07 season, VfL Bochum was fighting against relegation, but within a short period Gekas became one of the stars of the team and popular among fans. His goals were celebrated with sirtakis from the stadium's loudspeakers. Coach Marcel Koller described him in November 2006 as their "life insurance", since Bochum not only avoided relegation but secured their place in the Bundesliga quite a few matchdays before the last.
Gekas went on to finish the season as Bundesliga's top scorer, with a tally of 20 goals.
Bayer Leverkusen
At the end of April 2007, VfL Bochum agreed to transfer Gekas to Bayer 04 Leverkusen for the following season. The transfer deal was as follows: Bayer 04 Leverkusen would pay €700,000 at the end of the season to Panathinaikos, and, if Bochum were to be relegated, they would get €1.5 million from Leverkusen. If Bochum were to remain in the Bundesliga's First Division, they would get €4 million from Leverkusen.
Gekas' first game for Bayer Leverkusen was a friendly which Bayer won 15–1 with Gekas scoring seven of those 15. However, despite being the top scorer for Bayer Leverkusen in the 2007–08 season, Gekas was been consistently dropped from the squad by coach Michael Skibbe, making mostly substitute appearances. Following an injury to teammate Dmitri Bulykin, Gekas was placed back into the starting XI and scored three goals in three games, including two + against Hamburg in a game which earned Leverkusen a quarter-final spot in the UEFA Cup in March 2008.
Portsmouth
On 2 February 2009, Gekas was loaned by Leverkusen to Portsmouth for the remainder of the 2008–09 season.[2]
Gekas was brought in by manager Tony Adams with a view to a permanent deal. However, soon after the move, Adams was sacked and replaced by caretaker Paul Hart. Gekas was not given any games and went on to state his desire to leave the club, with Zenit St. Petersburg reportedly being interested in him.[3]
On 11 April 2009, he came on as a substitute for one minute, replacing Jermaine Pennant in a 2–2 draw with West Bromwich Albion[4] in his only Portsmouth match.
His loan period was terminated by Portsmouth on 21 May 2009 two weeks earlier than initially expected and he returned to Bayer Leverkusen.
Bayer Leverkusen
Gekas, while playing for his national team, became the top scorer in the European section of the qualification for 2010 World Cup. But in Leverkusen, he was competing with Stefan Kießling, Eren Derdiyok and Patrick Helmes for a place in the starting formation, and he failed to establish himself. He left the club after half a year.
Hertha
On 17 December 2009, Bayer Leverkusen signed a half-year loan of Gekas with Hertha BSC.
In his first game for Hertha, Gekas scored in the team's 0–3 away win against Hannover 96 on 16 January 2009. Despite that promising start, Hertha continued to struggle at the bottom of the Bundesliga table.
Gekas' most notable performance came on 21 March 2010, when he scored a hat-trick in the 1–5 away victory over German champions VfL Wolfsburg. Hertha eventually did not avoid relegation.
Gekas ended up scoring 6 goals in 17 appearances for the club.
Eintracht Frankfurt
On 19 May 2010, Gekas signed a two-year contract with Eintracht Frankfurt.[5] He scored 16 goals in 34 appearances but this did not prevent Eintracht from being relegated to the German second division.
Gekas left Eintracht under a cloud, after having not picked up the language during his almost six years in Germany. "I wonder how it is possible for somebody to be living in Germany for five years but not be willing to learn the language" said Eintracht legend Egon Loy. When Gekas was told about the criticism, he responded: "I am being paid to score goals, not to speak."[6]
Samsunspor
On 7 January 2012, Gekas signed a six-month contract with Super Lig side Samsunspor.[7] He scored his first goals against Orduspor,[8] and scored a hat-trick two weeks later, in a game against Fenerbahçe.[9]
Levante
In August 2012, Gekas moved to the Spanish La Liga, siging a two-year contract with Levante UD.[10] He left the club on 27 November of the same year.[11]
Akhisar Belediyespor
On 25 January 2013, Gekas signed a one and a half-year contract with Turkish Süper Lig side Akhisar Belediyespor, then struggling to avoid relegation. He scored a goal on his debut on 1 February 2013 against Kayserispor.[12]
Gekas went on to score 12 goals overall in the 15 games he played during the rest of the 2012–13 season. Akhisar avoided relegation.
Konyaspor
On 5 September 2013, Gekas signed a one-year contract with Süper Lig club Torku Konyaspor. He will wear the number 22 shirt.[13]
Career statistics
[14]
Club performance League Cup League Cup Continental Total
Season Club League Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals
Greece League Greek Cup League Cup Europe Total
1998–99 Larissa Beta Ethniki 8 1 1 0 — — 9 1
1999–00 24 5 2 1 — — 26 6
2000–01 29 10 1 0 — — 30 10
2001–02 Kallithea 26 14 1 0 — — 27 15
2002–03 Alpha Ethniki 29 8 2 1 — — 31 9
2003–04 29 13 1 0 — — 30 13
2004–05 16 9 2 1 — — 18 10
2004–05 Panathinaikos 13 8 1 0 — 2 0 16 8
2005–06 28 15 1 0 — 4 0 33 15
Germany League DFB-Pokal DFB Ligapokal Europe Total
2006–07 VfL Bochum Bundesliga 32 20 3 2 — — 35 22
2007–08 Bayer Leverkusen 29 11 1 0 — 10 2 40 13
2008–09 15 2 3 1 — — 18 3
England League FA Cup League Cup Europe Total
2008–09 Portsmouth Premier League 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 0
Germany League DFB-Pokal DFB Ligapokal Europe Total
2009–10 Bayer Leverkusen Bundesliga 8 0 2 1 — — 10 1
2009–10 Hertha BSC 17 6 1 1 — 2 0 20 7
2010–11 Eintracht Frankfurt 34 16 3 2 — — 37 18
2011–12 2. Bundesliga 14 7 1 2 — — 15 9
Turkey League Türkiye Kupası League Cup Europe Total
2011–12 Samsunspor Süper Lig 11 8 1 0 — — 12 8
Spain League Copa del Rey Copa de la Liga Europe Total
2012–13 Levante La Liga 4 0 0 0 — 4 1 8 1
Turkey League Türkiye Kupası League Cup Europe Total
2012–13 Akhisar Belediyespor Süper Lig 15 12 0 0 — — 15 12
2013–14 Konyaspor 22 12 1 0 — — 23 12
Country Greece 202 83 12 3 0 0 6 0 220 86
Germany 149 62 14 9 0 0 12 2 175 73
England 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 0
Turkey 48 32 2 0 0 0 0 0 50 32
Spain 4 0 0 0 0 0 4 1 8 1
Total 404 176 28 12 0 0 22 3 454 192
International career
Theofanis playing with the Greek national team against Germany in the Euro 2012 competition
Gekas helped his country's team to reach UEFA Euro 2008 and also became the top scorer among the 2010 World Cup Qualifiers from UEFA nations with 10 goals. At the 2010 World Cup he helped the team to reach the first victory at a World Cup. Gekas is also fifth in the top scorer ranking of the Greek national team. On 9 September 2010, Theofanis Gekas officially announced his decision to retire from the national team of Greece, due to "special circumstances inside the team", as he mentioned. This was the third player retirement after the departure of coach Otto Rehhagel, following Sotiris Kyrgiakos and Ioannis Amanatidis.[15]
One year later, Gekas stated that it was a mistake for him to retire from the national team, thus making himself once again available to be selected by manager Fernando Santos.[16]
Greece national team
Year Apps Goals
2005 6 0
2006 5 0
2007 11 6
2008 13 6
2009 10 8
2010 7 0
2011 3 1
2012 11 2
2013 3 1
Total 69 24
International goals
Goal Date Venue Opponent Score Result Competition
1. 2 June 2007 Heraklion, Greece Hungary 2–0 Win UEFA Euro 2008 qualifier
2. 22 August 2007 Thessaloniki, Greece Spain 2–3 Loss Friendly Match
3. 13 October 2007 Athens, Greece Bosnia and Herzegovina 3–2 Win UEFA Euro 2008 qualifier
4. 17 November 2007 Athens, Greece Malta 5–0 Win UEFA Euro 2008 qualifier
5. 17 November 2007 Athens, Greece Malta 5–0 Win UEFA Euro 2008 qualifier
6. 17 November 2007 Athens, Greece Malta 5–0 Win UEFA Euro 2008 qualifier
7. 20 August 2008 Bratislava, Slovakia Slovakia 0–2 Win Friendly Match
8. 20 August 2008 Bratislava, Slovakia Slovakia 0–2 Win Friendly Match
9. 6 September 2008 Luxembourg, Luxembourg Luxembourg 0–3 Win 2010 FIFA World Cup qualifier
10. 10 September 2008 Riga, Latvia Latvia 0–2 Win 2010 FIFA World Cup qualifier
11. 10 September 2008 Riga, Latvia Latvia 0–2 Win 2010 FIFA World Cup qualifier
12. 19 November 2008 Piraeus, Greece Italy 1–1 Draw Friendly Match
13. 11 February 2009 Piraeus, Greece Denmark 1–1 Draw Friendly Match
14. 28 March 2009 Ramat Gan, Israel Israel 1–1 Draw 2010 FIFA World Cup qualifier
15. 9 September 2009 Chişinău, Moldova Moldova 1–1 Draw 2010 FIFA World Cup qualifier
16. 10 October 2009 Athens, Greece Latvia 5–2 Win 2010 FIFA World Cup qualifier
17. 10 October 2009 Athens, Greece Latvia 5–2 Win 2010 FIFA World Cup qualifier
18. 10 October 2009 Athens, Greece Latvia 5–2 Win 2010 FIFA World Cup qualifier
19. 10 October 2009 Athens, Greece Latvia 5–2 Win 2010 FIFA World Cup qualifier
20. 14 October 2009 Athens, Greece Luxembourg 2–1 Win 2010 FIFA World Cup qualifier
21. 7 October 2011 Piraeus, Greece Croatia 2–0 Win UEFA Euro 2012 qualifier
22. 12 June 2012 Wrocław, Poland Czech Republic 1–2 Loss UEFA Euro 2012
23. 7 September 2012 Riga, Latvia Latvia 1–2 Win 2014 FIFA World Cup qualifier
24. 22 March 2013 Zenica, Bosnia and Herzegovina Bosnia and Herzegovina 3–1 Loss 2014 FIFA World Cup qualifier
Honours
Greek Superleague Top Goalscorer: 2004–05
Bundesliga Top Goalscorer: 2006–07
Top scorer 2010 World Cup Qualifiers UEFA section
Personal life
Shortly after the 2008 European Championships, his wife Vasso gave birth to twins Nikolaos and Mikaela-Lamprini.[17]
References
"Theofanis Gekas" (in Dutch). VI. Retrieved 4 February 2010.
"Pompey sign striker Gekas on loan". BBC Sport. 2 February 2009. Retrieved 2 February 2009.
"Greek striker Gekas 'unhappy' at Portsmouth". ESPN Soccernet. 7 April 2009. Retrieved 24 April 2011.
Chowdhury, Saj (11 April 2009). "Portsmouth 2-2 West Brom". BBC Sport. Retrieved 29 December 2013.
"Στην Αϊντραχτ Φρανκφούρτης για 2 χρόνια ο Φάνης Γκέκας (vid)" [Gekas to Eintracht] (in Greek). contra.gr. 19 May 2010. Retrieved 19 May 2010.
Drakoularakos, Stavros (30 May 2012). "Euro 2012: Greece profile – Theofanis Gekas". Guardian. Retrieved 30 May 2012.
Georgakopoulos, George (7 January 2012). "Gekas moves to Turkey's Samsunspor". ekathimerini.com. Retrieved 2 February 2012.
Stamatopoulos, Vangelis (21 January 2012). "Τα πρώτα γκολ του Γκέκα" [Gekas scores two goals on his debut] (in Greek). Sport24.gr. Retrieved 2 February 2012.
"Derbi öncesi, Sirtaki bozgunu!" [Before the derby, "Sirtaki" defeat!] (in Turkish). Ajansspor.com. 2 February 2012. Retrieved 2 February 2012.
"Gekas, un relevo para Koné" (in Spanish). Valencia: El Mundo.es. 14 August 2012. Retrieved 14 August 2012.
"Gekas se desvincula del Levante UD" (in Spanish). levanteud.com. 27 November 2012. Retrieved 28 November 2012.
"Akhisar Belediyespor vs. Kayserispor 1 – 2". Soccerway. 1 February 2013. Retrieved 2 February 2013.
"Theofanis Gekas ile bir yıllık sözleşme imzaladık" [Theofanis Gekas signed a one-year contract] (in Turkish). Torku Konyaspor. 5 September 2013. Retrieved 9 September 2013.
"Theofanis Gekas". National Football Teams. Retrieved 29 March 2014.
"Gekas becomes third player to quit Greece team in a month". Reuters. 9 September 2010. Retrieved 9 September 2010.
"Δήλωση Φάνη Γκέκα" (in Greek). www.epo.gr. 23 September 2011. Retrieved 23 September 2011.
"Gekas Profile Bayer Leverkusen". Bayer Leverkusen. Retrieved 26 December 2008.
External links
Article in German sports magazine kicker (German)
Theofanis Gekas at fussballdaten.de (German)
Theofanis Gekas at National-Football-Teams.com
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