Giorgos Donis
| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | Giorgios Donis | ||
| Date of birth | 22 October 1969 | ||
| Place of birth | Frankfurt, West Germany | ||
| Height | 1.80 m (5 ft 11 in) | ||
| Playing position | Midfielder | ||
| Youth career | |||
| 1986–1987 | Pavlos Melas | ||
| 1987–1988 | Panathinaikos | ||
| 1988–1989 | Athinaikos | ||
| 1989–1990 | Panargiakos | ||
| Senior career* | |||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) |
| 1990–1991 | PAS Giannina | 52 | (7) |
| 1991–1996 | Panathinaikos | 107 | (31) |
| 1996–1997 | Blackburn Rovers | 22 | (2) |
| 1997–1998 | AEK Athens | 30 | (2) |
| 1999 | Sheffield United | 7 | (1) |
| 1999–2000 | Huddersfield Town | 21 | (0) |
| 2000–2001 | AEK Athens | 13 | (0) |
| Total | 252 | (43) | |
| National team | |||
| 1991–1997 | Greece | 24 | (5) |
| Teams managed | |||
| 2002–2004 | Ilisiakos | ||
| 2004–2008 | AEL | ||
| 2008–2009 | AEK Athens | ||
| 2009–2012 | Atromitos | ||
| 2012–2013 | PAOK | ||
| 2013–2015 | APOEL | ||
| 2015–2016 | Al-Hilal | ||
| 2016 | Al-Sharjah | ||
| * Senior club appearances and goals counted for the domestic league only. |
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Giorgos Donis (Greek: Γεώργιος Δώνης, born 22 October 1969) is a Greek football manager and former player. He was the first ever Greek to play in the English Premier League. In England, he was also known as George Donis.
Donis was born and raised in Frankfurt, West Germany until he was six years old and the family moved back to their native Greece. His parents had lived in Frankfurt for "many years" and he has still family ties there.
Giorgos Donis started his senior career with PAS Giannina in 1990, and after one successful year he moved to Panathinaikos. The fans of Panathinaikos, known for their love for nicknames, named him the Train for his remarkable acceleration.
On 5 June 1996, after helping the Greek club reach the UEFA Champions League semi-finals against Ajax FC, Donis moved to Blackburn Rovers on a free transfer, making use of the then recent Bosman ruling signing for 1.1 billion drachmas, a record amount for Greek players at the time. He had an erratic season with Blackburn, scoring against Everton and Coventry City. He then headed back home to play for AEK Athens, before moving back to England again, playing for Sheffield United and Huddersfield Town where he ended his career.
He made his debut for the Greek national football team on 22 December 1991, in a 1–1 draw against Malta for the UEFA Euro 1992 qualifying round. He appeared in 24 matches and scored five goals during his international career with Grecce.
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