Theodoros Zagorakis
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| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | Theodoros Zagorakis | ||
| Date of birth | 27 October 1971 | ||
| Place of birth | Lydía, Kavala, Greece | ||
| Height | 1.78 m (5 ft 10 in) | ||
| Playing position | Midfielder | ||
| Senior career* | |||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) |
| 1988–1993 | Kavala | 114 | (6) |
| 1993–1998 | PAOK | 155 | (10) |
| 1998–2000 | Leicester City | 50 | (3) |
| 2000–2004 | AEK Athens | 101 | (4) |
| 2004–2005 | Bologna | 32 | (0) |
| 2005–2007 | PAOK | 45 | (0) |
| Total | 497 | (23) | |
| National team | |||
| 1994–2007 | Greece | 120 | (3) |
| * Senior club appearances and goals counted for the domestic league only. |
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Theodoros "Theo" Zagorakis (Greek: Θεόδωρος Ζαγοράκης; born 27 October 1971) is a Greek politician and former footballer. He was the captain of the Greece national team that won UEFA Euro 2004, and was also president of PAOK FC. He was elected as a Greek MEP at the May 2014 European Parliament election.
Zagorakis was a defensive midfielder who could also play on the right side of midfield. He started his career with Kavala, the club that also produced Zisis Vryzas, with whom he became close friends. He was an important part of helping the team get into the Greek Second Division. He had six goals and 114 appearances for Kavala before being transferred in 1993 to PAOK.
In the 1992–93 season, Zagorakis left Kavala as a winter transfer to join PAOK, part of a string of star transfers made that season. He played for PAOK until December 1997, and also captained the squad in his last two seasons. He rose to become an iconic figure for the fans,as he rarely missed a league derby and often scored with important goals, particularly in 1994-95 when he struck four, his best-ever tally.
Zagorakis left for English club Leicester City the following winter and signed for Martin O'Neill's in 1998. While in England, he took part in two consecutive League Cup finals at Wembley Stadium, losing the first against Tottenham Hotspur in 1999 and defeating Tranmere Rovers in the second. Zagorakis will always be fondly known by Leicester fans for his sheer determination in midfield. He will always be fondly remembered for his goalkeeping cameo against Crystal Palace (in which Leicester won).
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