Andreas Samaris

Andreas Samaris

Samaris playing for Benfica in 2016
Personal information
Full name Andreas Samaris
Date of birth (1989-06-13) 13 June 1989
Place of birth Patras, Greece
Height 1.89 m (6 ft 2 in)
Playing position Central midfielder / Defensive midfielder
Club information
Current team
 Benfica
Number 7
Youth career
2006–2007 Panachaiki
Senior career*
Years Team Apps† (Gls)†
2006–2010 Panachaiki 37 (3)
2010–2012 Panionios 49 (1)
2012–2014 Olympiacos 28 (4)
2012–2013 → Panionios (loan) 21 (5)
2014– Benfica 53 (2)
National team‡
2007 Greece U19 1 (0)
2013– Greece 21 (1)

* Senior club appearances and goals counted for the domestic league only and correct as of 29 April 2016.
† Appearances (goals)

‡ National team caps and goals correct as of 26 March 2016

Andreas Samaris (Greek: Ανδρέας Σάμαρης; born 13 June 1989) is a Greek professional footballer who plays as a central midfielder for Portuguese club Benfica and the Greece national team.[1]

Club career

Samaris started his career in Gamma Ethniki side Panachaiki in 2006, making a total of 37 league appearances and scored three goals for the club.[2] On 10 April 2007, Samaris signed his first professional contract in Panachaiki. On 11 January 2010, he moved to Panionios.[2]

Samaris joined Olympiacos in 2012, but spent the season on loan at Panionios. In 2013 he returned to Olympiacos, and scored his first goal with the club on 23 November 2013, in an away 4–1 victory against Panthrakikos.[3] Samaris ended the league with 38 appearances and scored four goals en route to the Greeks' 41st title.[4]

Samaris with Benfica in 2015

On 22 August 2014, Samaris moved abroad and joined Portuguese champions Benfica on a five-year contract for a transfer fee of €10 million and with a €45 million release clause.[5][6][7] He made his debut for the Eagles on 12 September against Vitória Sétubal.[8]

At the end of the 2014–15 season, Samaris mentioned that the Portuguese language was a barrier in his first year with the club. The Greek international stressed the importance of learning it by stating, "I liked to learn Portuguese because I became closer to my colleagues. The most important is to understand what my coach says because there was an idea of game and I had to adapt faster than the others."[9]

On 29 August 2015, in the second day of 2015–16 Primeira Liga, Samaris, after an assist from Greek teammate Konstantinos Mitroglou, scored with a right-footed shot from outside the box to the bottom left corner, the second goal giving the lead to his club in a 3–2 win against Moreirense. It was his first goal in the Primeira Liga.[10] On 1 April 2016, he scored his second goal in the Portuguese league, with a direct free kick, in a 5–1 home game against Braga.[11]

International career

Samaris is a former Greece under-19 international.[2] He made his debut in a 2008 European Under-19 Championship qualifier against France.[1] In October 2013, he was called-up to the Greek senior side by manager Fernando Santos and made a substitute appearance in the final group qualifier against Liechtenstein, also coming off the bench in the two play-off matches against Romania. After a strong season with Olympiakos, Santos opted to select Samaris to his final 23-man squad for the 2014 FIFA World Cup.[12]

On 24 June 2014, in his first appearance in a final tournament of the World Cup and against the Ivory Coast, Samaris opened the scoring after capitalizing on Cheick Tioté's defensive mistake in the 42nd minute in an eventual 2–1 victory; Samaris came on as an early replacement for the injured Panagiotis Kone.[13]

Career statistics

Club

As of match played 29 April 2016
Club Season League National Cup Cup* Continental Total
DivisionAppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoals
Panachaiki2006–07Gamma Ethniki4000——40
2007–0819300——193
2008–0914000——140
2009–100010——10
Total 373100000383
Panionios2009–10Superleague2000——20
2010–1120100——201
2011–1227030——300
2012–1321510——225
Total 706400000746
Olympiacos2013–14Superleague28440—60384
Benfica2014–15Primeira Liga280103050370
2015–16252104070372
Total 5322070120742
Career total188151107018022415

*Includes Taça da Liga and Supertaça Cândido de Oliveira

International

As of 30 March 2016[14]
National team Year Apps Goals
Greece 201330
201481
201590
201610
Total211

Honours

Olympiacos
Benfica

References

  1. 1 2 "Andreas Samaris profile". uefa.com. Retrieved 21 March 2012.
  2. 1 2 3 "Τον Ανδρέα Σάμαρη απέκτησε ο Πανιώνιος (Panionios signed Andreas Samaris)". Eleftherotypia (in Greek). 11 January 2010.
  3. ↑ "11/24/2013: Latest Greek Super League Results with Video". greece.greekreporter.com. 24 November 2014. Retrieved 22 August 2014.
  4. ↑ "Quem é Andreas Samaris?". Desporto.sapo.pt (in Portuguese). 21 August 2014. Retrieved 22 August 2014.
  5. ↑ "Samaris assina contrato com o SL Benfica por cinco épocas". www.slbenfica.pt (in Portuguese). 22 August 2014. Retrieved 22 August 2014.
  6. ↑ "Jorge Jesus confirma contratação de Samaris pelo Benfica". Público (in Portuguese). 22 August 2014. Retrieved 22 August 2014.
  7. ↑ "Announcement to CMVM" (PDF). S.L. Benfica. 22 August 2014. Retrieved 31 August 2014.
  8. ↑ "V. Setúbal-Benfica, 0-5 (crónica)" [Vitória Setubal- Benfica, 0-5 (chronicle)]. Maisfutebol.iol.pt (in Portuguese). 12 September 2014. Retrieved 12 September 2014.
  9. ↑ "Samaris: "O tricampeonato é muito importante"". www.record.xl.pt. 17 June 2015.
  10. ↑ "Benfica vs Moreirense 3-2". www.skysports.com. 29 August 2015.
  11. ↑ ""Πάρτι" Μήτρογλου-Σάμαρη στην πεντάρα της Μπενφίκα". www.sport24.gr. 1 April 2016.
  12. ↑ "Greece World Cup 2014 squad". telegraph.co.uk. 19 May 2014.
  13. ↑ "Greece-Ivory Coast 2-1". goal.com. 24 June 2014.
  14. ↑ "Andreas Samaris". National Football Teams. Retrieved 30 March 2016.
  15. ↑ Cunha, Pedro Jorge (17 May 2015). "Benfica bicampeão: 28 com as faixas e dois à espera" [Benfica back-to-back champion: 28 with the sashes and two await] (in Portuguese). Maisfutebol. Retrieved 19 May 2015.

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