Liberopoulos
Liberopoulos in 2012
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| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | Nikolaos Liberopoulos | ||
| Date of birth | 4 August 1975 | ||
| Place of birth | Filiatra, Greece | ||
| Height | 1.87 m (6 ft 2 in) | ||
| Playing position | Striker / Attacking midfielder | ||
| Club information | |||
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Current team
|
AEK Athens (Technical Director) | ||
| Senior career* | |||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) |
| 1991–1994 | Erani Filiatrion | 53 | (33) |
| 1994–1996 | Kalamata | 78 | (20) |
| 1996–2003 | Panathinaikos | 186 | (72) |
| 2003–2008 | AEK Athens | 141 | (67) |
| 2008–2010 | Eintracht Frankfurt | 57 | (13) |
| 2010–2012 | AEK Athens | 53 | (17) |
| Total | 568 | (259) | |
| National team‡ | |||
| 1996–2012 | Greece | 76 | (13) |
| * Senior club appearances and goals counted for the domestic league only and correct as of 20 May 2012. ‡ National team caps and goals correct as of 20:18, 22 June 2012 (UTC) |
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Nikolaos "Nikos" Liberopoulos (Greek: Νίκος Λυμπερόπουλος; born on 4 August 1975) is a retired Greek international footballer who played as a striker. He is famous for his aim-to-goal shot, his innate in-play instincts, and his technical attacking skills. Liberopoulos is a unique player in Greek domestic football, as he is equally adored by fans of both AEK Athens and Panathinaikos. He is the only player to be recorded in the top ten scorers of all time for both these teams. Indeed, after seven seasons at Panathinaikos Liberopoulos scored 103 goals. On 10 May 2012, he reached a milestone 100 goals for AEK Athens after a brace against Atromitos, making him the only player in history to score a hundred goals for both Athens clubs.
He is one of the most popular footballers to come out of Peloponnesus. Liberopoulos started off his career with Erani Filiatron, he then moved to Kalamata F.C. in 1994. After an impressive debut season in Greece's top division, AEK Athens and Olympiakos F.C. tried to sign him during the summer of 1996 yet Panathinaikos managed to snap him up.
In summer 1996, he signed for Panathinaikos. With them he reached the semi-final stage of the UEFA Champions League. Italian clubs, mainly Juventus and Hellas Verona showed interest in hiring him, but his loyalty to Panathinaikos kept him in Athens. In 2003, Liberopoulos clashed with Panathinaikos' board which eventually led to him leaving the club.
Following his departure from Panathinaikos he was ready to join Sochaux but he finally chose his childhood club AEK Athens where he became a formidable offensive player and inspirational leader. He went to score several times against his former team but never celebrated earning the fans' applause and a standing ovation for his action. He helped AEK Athens scoring 79 times in his 195 appearances and earning a top scorer award during the 2006–07 season. His most important goals originated from two long range shots, the one against Lille OSC (AEK Athens won 1–0) and the other against Olympiakos F.C. (AEK Athens won 4–0). During June 2007, Liberopoulos was offered a lucrative contract with 1. FC Nürnberg worth 4 million euros, which he declined to remain with AEK Athens. Club president Demis Nikolaidis had publicly announced his intent to retain Lymperopoulos at all costs in an effort to bolster AEK Athens' chances at achieving dominance in the Greek Super League. On 7 July 2008, Liberopoulos was released by AEK. German team Eintracht Frankfurt announced his signing on 13 July 2008.
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