Christos Karipidis
| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | Christos Karipidis | ||
| Date of birth | 2 December 1982 | ||
| Place of birth | Thessaloniki, Greece | ||
| Height | 1.83 m (6 ft 0 in) | ||
| Playing position | Centre back / Defensive midfielder | ||
| Club information | |||
Current team | Skoda Xanthi | ||
| Number | 55 | ||
| Youth career | |||
| 1999–2001 | PAOK | ||
| Senior career* | |||
| Years | Team | Apps† | (Gls)† |
| 2001–2002 | Kavala | 40 | (0) |
| 2002–2003 | Kerkyra | 25 | (2) |
| 2003–2006 | PAOK | 63 | (2) |
| 2006–2009 | Hearts | 62 | (3) |
| 2009–2012 | Omonia | 72 | (2) |
| 2012–2013 | APOEL | 18 | (0) |
| 2013–2014 | Apollon Limassol | 26 | (4) |
| 2014– | Skoda Xanthi | 24 | (1) |
| National team‡ | |||
| 2004 | Greece Olympic | 0 | (0) |
|
* Senior club appearances and goals counted for the domestic league only and correct as of 24 September 2015. | |||
Christos Karipidis (Greek: Χρήστος Καρυπίδης; born 2 December 1982 in Thessaloniki, Greece) is a Greek professional footballer currently playing for Superleague Greece club Skoda Xanthi as a Centre back.
Club career
Hearts
He joined Hearts from PAOK on 3 August 2006 for a fee of around £200,000.[1] Karipidis made his Hearts debut against AEK Athens in a third-round UEFA Champions League qualifier at Murrayfield on 9 August 2006[2] in a defensive midfield role, Hearts lost the game 2-1.[3]
In August 2008 Karipidis looked set for a return to his former club PAOK following an indifferent start to his Hearts career and the birth of his daughter. Hearts negotiated a fee in the region of £200,000 as they looked to recoup the fee they paid to sign him from the Greek club 2 years earlier and he was offered a four-year deal by PAOK.[4] However, newly appointed manager Csaba László convinced Karipidis to stay and decided to use him as a holding midfielder, an idea which was initially met with a negative reaction by Hearts fans. Karipidis himself insisted he was happy to play anywhere László decided.[5] Despite having played most of his career as either a central defender or occasionally a right-back Karipidis performed well in his new role, prompting László to say "Karipidis, at the moment, is the discovery of the year in the number six position."[6]
In February 2009, captain Christophe Berra signed for Wolves and Karipidis was made Hearts' vice-captain after teammate Robbie Neilson was given the captaincy.
On 27 April 2009 Hearts announced that Karipidis had a pre-contract agreement with Omonia Nicosia which would see him join the Cypriot side on a three-year deal at the end of the season. He stated that although he had enjoyed his time in Scotland, the move was motivated by his desire to be closer to his home and relatives in Greece.[7][8] His final appearance at Tynecastle came in a 3-0 victory over Dundee United which confirmed Hearts' place in the Europa League for the following season and third place in the SPL. He was replaced by Jason Thomson in the closing stages of the match and received a standing ovation from the Hearts fans.[9]
Cyrpus (Omonia / APOEL / Apollon)
Omonia announced the signing of Karipidis on 1 June 2009. His first season wasn't good enough with Christos having problems to settle, but he had a solid second season and he became the defensive leader of the team. After the end of the season he was named new season's vice captain. On 22 August 2012, his contract at Omonia terminated by mutual consent.
On 26 August 2012, Karipidis signed a two-year contract with APOEL.[10] At the end of the season, he became a champion after helping APOEL to win the 2012–13 Cypriot First Division. On 10 July 2013, his contract with APOEL was mutually terminated.[11]
On 11 July 2013, Karipidis signed a one-year contract with the option of a further season with Apollon Limassol.[12]
Skoda Xanthi
After five years playing among the top clubs in Cyrpus, Karipidis returned to Greece signing a two years' contract with Skoda Xanthi.[13][14]
International career
Karipidis was a part of the Greek squad at the 2004 Summer Olympics, but he didn't play any single match in the competition.
Following Karipidis' good start to the 2008-09 season former Hearts player and current technical director of the Hellenic Football Federation Takis Fyssas announced that he was in the plans of the Greek national team.[15]
Honours
- Cypriot Cup: 2
- 2010
References
- ↑ Karipidis completes Hearts transfer, BBC Sport, 3 August 2006
- ↑ Christos Karipidis, heartsfc.co.uk, 26 December 2008
- ↑ Hearts 1-2 AEK Athens, ESPNsoccernet, 9 August 2006
- ↑ Hearts star Karipidis set for Greece return, Edinburgh Evening News, 1 August 2008
- ↑ Karipidis desperate for derby delight, teamtalk.com, 26 December 2008
- ↑ Hearts' Karipidis factor proves Laszlo's worth, Scotsman.com Sport, 18 December 2008
- ↑ Christos: Total focus Heartsfc.co.uk, 27 April 2009. Retrieved 27 April 2009
- ↑ Hearts' Kari on his way to Cyprus Edinburgh Evening News, 27 April 2009. Retrieved 27 April 2009
- ↑ Hearts 3-0 Dundee United BBC Sport, 16 May 2009. Retrieved 16 May 2009
- ↑ Γαλαζοκίτρινος και ο Καρυπίδης [Karipidis in blue and yellow] (in Greek). APOEL FC. 26 August 2012. Retrieved 26 August 2012.
- ↑ Ανακοίνωση [Announcement] (in Greek). APOEL FC. 10 July 2013. Retrieved 10 July 2013.
- ↑ Στα μπλε και ο Χρίστος Καρυπίδης [Karipidis in blue also] (in Greek). apollon.com.cy. 11 July 2013. Retrieved 11 July 2013.
- ↑ Καρυπίδης: «Με έλκυσε το πλάνο της Ξάνθης», 1 August 2014
- ↑ Καρυπίδης: «Καλύτερα από οτι είχα στο μυαλό μου», 1 August 2014
- ↑ Hearts' Karipidis on Greece radar thanks to old mate Fyssas, Edinburgh Evening News, 1 October 2008
External links
- APOEL official profile
- Hristos Karapidis career statistics at Soccerbase
- Christos Karipidis profile at Soccerway
- Player statistics at londonhearts
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