Kostas Chalkias

Kostas Chalkias

Chalkias playing for PAOK in 2010
Personal information
Full name Konstantinos Chalkias
Date of birth (1974-05-30) 30 May 1974
Place of birth Larissa, Greece
Height 1.99 m (6 ft 6 in)
Playing position Goalkeeper
Youth career
1993–1994 Apollon Larissa
1994–1996 Panathinaikos
Senior career*
Years Team Apps (Gls)
1996–1998 Apollon Smyrni 59 (0)
1998–2001 Panathinaikos 10 (0)
1999Apollon Smyrni (loan) 16 (0)
2001–2003 Iraklis 52 (0)
2003–2005 Panathinaikos 28 (0)
2005–2006 Portsmouth 6 (0)
2006 Real Murcia 2 (0)
2006–2008 Aris 62 (0)
2008–2012 PAOK 125 (0)
Total 299 (0)
National team
2001–2012 Greece 32 (0)

* Senior club appearances and goals counted for the domestic league only and correct as of 17 May 2012.
† Appearances (goals)

‡ National team caps and goals correct as of 16:00, 12 June 2012 (UTC)

Konstantinos "Kostas" Chalkias (Greek: Κωνσταντίνος "Κώστας" Χαλκιάς; born 30 May 1974) is a retired Greek footballer who last played as a goalkeeper for PAOK. Previously he had played for Panathinaikos, Apollon Smyrni, Iraklis, Portsmouth, Real Murcia and Aris.

He was also capped 32 times by the Greek national football team, with whom he won Euro 2004. He also was selected at the next two European Championships and the 2010 FIFA World Cup.

Club career

Greece

Chalkias started his career in the Panathinaikos youth academy in the 94/95 double winning PAO team. He was transferred to feeder club Apollon Athens in 1996 as a replacement for retired Antonis Minou, signing a 5-year professional contract.[1] His solid performances helped Apollon avoid relegation from Alpha Ethniki[2] and made him return to Panathinaikos two years later, in 1998.[3] Howerver, he didn't get any playing time at Panathinaikos by his head coach Vasilis Daniil and in January 1999 he was re-sent to Apollon on loan for six months.[2][4] After his return, he was forced to play third keeper to the legendary Jozef Wandzik and Greek legend Antonis Nikopolidis. He made a total of 25 starts over the next three years between 1998 and 2001 for Panathinaikos and was transferred for two seasons to Iraklis before good performances led to a return to Panathinaikos in the 03/04 season. After playing second fiddle again to Antonis Nikopolidis during most of the 03/04 season, he was allowed back into the first team after a dispute Nikopolidis had with management.

Going abroad

At the end of the 2003–04 season, Nikopolidis was let out on a free transfer to bitter rivals, Olympiakos, and a new keeper was bought, Mario Galinovic. After a fight for first team football, eventually Galinovic won out and due to overseas interest, Chalkias was shipped out to English side Portsmouth F.C. in January 2005, making his debut in the FA Cup fourth round tie away at fierce rivals Southampton.[5] Over the next few matches Chalkias's wild tactics and inconsistency led to some poorly conceded goals, and he was soon dropped and replaced by Jamie Ashdown. With the signing of Sander Westerveld in July 2005, Chalkias fell even further down the pecking order, and in January 2006 he left Portsmouth by mutual consent, having made only five league appearances for the club.[6] Shortly after his release from Portsmouth he joined Segunda División side Real Murcia.[7]

Return to Greece

Chalkias was bought in the summer transfer window of 2006 by Aris Thessaloniki, who were then newly promoted to the Greek Superleague.[8] After his transfer to Aris, Chalkias regained some of the form that he showed during his bright run in the first team for Panathinaikos and after an exceptional season, he was recalled το the national team and gained a starting spot over Antonis Nikopolidis after the latter's poor performance earlier in a Euro 2008 qualifying match against Turkey.[9]

Chalkias left Aris in late May 2008 after his contract was due to run out[10] and on 28 May 2008 he agreed to sign a two-year contract for rivals PAOK,[11] thus becoming the third player to have played for the all three major clubs of Thessaloniki (Iraklis, Aris, PAOK) following Apostolos Tsourelas and Stefanos Borbokis.[10]

In the 2009–10 season he reached the second position with PAOK F.C. and the semifinal of the Greek cup. In January 2010 he renewed his contract with PAOK F.C. for 2 more years. Chalkias has contributed to the qualification of PAOK F.C. the 2010–11 UEFA Champions League third qualifying round, after winning the preliminaries against AEK Athens, Olympiakos and Aris Thessaloniki F.C..

International career

Chalkias made his debut on 10 November 2001, in a frienly 4–2 home win against Estonia, as he replaced Antonis Nikopolidis at half time.[12] In the summer 2004 he was part of the squad which won Euro 2004, although he was only the reserve 'keeper.[6] Otto Rehhagel called him also for the qualification of Euro 2008. Chalkias played as the first goalkeeper for the Greek national team during most of the qualification for the World Cup 2010, after the retirement of the legendary goalkeeper Antonis Nikopolidis and he is the only goalkeeper from the Euro 2004.[13]

In Euro 2012 Chalkias was the oldest player at the tournament at 38 years of age and one of just three players remaining from the victorious 2004 Greek squad.[14] On 12 June 2012, he started the second group stage match against Czech Republic – at the 21st minute of the match, and having conceded two goals in 6 minutes, he was substituted with Michalis Sifakis due to injury.[15] After Greece's lost quarterfinal to Germany on 22 June, a game which Chalkias watched from the bench, he announced his withdrawal from the national team alongside Nikos Liberopoulos.[16]

Retirement

On 22 September 2012, Chalkias announced his retirement from football.[17]

Career statistics

As of 23 June 2012[18][19][20][21]
Club Season League Cup[A] Continental[B] Others[C] Total
AppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoals
Apollon Smyrni 1996–97 290290
1997–98 300300
Total 590590
Panathinaikos 1998–99 0000
Total 0000
Apollon Smyrni (loan) 1998–99 160160
Total 160160
Panathinaikos 1999–2000 6060
2000–01 404080
Total 10040140
Iraklis 2001–02 250250
2002–03 250250
Total 500500
Panathinaikos 2003–04 11040150
2004–05 10040140
Total 21080290
Portsmouth 2004–05 501060
2005–06 0000
Total 501060
Real Murcia 2005–06 2020
Total 2020
Aris 2006–07 29010300
2007–08 22040260
Total 51050560
PAOK 2008–09 29060350
2009–10 2804040360
2010–11 140303060260
2011–12 1403050220
Total 850301002101190
Career total 2990402702103510

Notes

A. ^ Includes appearances in the Greek Cup and FA Cup.
B. ^ Includes appearances in the UEFA Champions League and UEFA Europa League.
C. ^ Includes appearances in the Superleague Greece play-offs.

Honours

Club

Panathinaikos

Aris

Country

Greece

References

  1. Alysandratos, V. (4 July 1996). "Ο Χαλκιάς φέρνει Κόλα (Chalkias brings Kola)". Athlitiki Echo (in Greek).
  2. 1 2 Spanoudakis, Giorgos (6 January 1999). "Το μυστήριο της Παιανίας (Paiania's mystery)". Athlitiki Echo (in Greek).
  3. Spanoudakis, Giorgos (8 August 1998). "Εγγύηση τα "δικά" του παιδιά (Their kids are warranty)". Athlitiki Echo (in Greek).
  4. Nanos, G. (3 January 1999). "Χαλκιάς και Μπέρχολντ "κάτοικοι" Ριζούπολης (Chalkias and Berchold to Rizoupoli)". Athlitiki Echo (in Greek).
  5. "Southampton 2–1 Portsmouth". BBC Sport. 29 January 2005. Retrieved 8 June 2012.
  6. 1 2 "Goalkeeper Chalkias leaves Pompey". BBC Sport. 19 January 2006. Retrieved 8 June 2012.
  7. "Στη Ρεάλ Μούρθια συνεχίζει την καριέρα του ο Χαλκιάς (Chalkias moving to Real Murcia)" (in Greek). Athens: In.gr. 31 January 2006.
  8. "Παρελθόν ο Αναστόπουλος από την τεχνική ηγεσία του Αρη, που απέκτησε τον Χαλκιά (Anastopoulos released from Aris, which signed Chalkias)" (in Greek). Thessaloniki: In.gr. 23 June 2006.
  9. "Τέλος εποχής ή απλή παρένθεση ο πάγκος της Εθνικής για τον Νικοπολίδη; (End of an era or just a parenthesis the national team's bench for Nikopolidis?)" (in Greek). Athens: In.gr. 3 June 2007.
  10. 1 2 "Ο Χαλκιάς για δύο χρόνια στον ΠΑΟΚ, προσπάθειες και για Σαουντάτι (Chalkias to PAOK for two years, attempts for Saudati)" (in Greek). Thessaloniki: In.gr. 26 May 2008.
  11. ""Να γίνει ο ΠΑΟΚ πρωταγωνιστής" είπε ο Χαλκιάς για τη νέα ομάδα του ("PAOK should become a protagonist" Chalkias said for his new team)" (in Greek). Thessaloniki: In.gr. 28 May 2008.
  12. "Φιλική νίκη (4–2) και καλές εντυπώσεις από την εθνική ποδοσφαίρου (Friendly victory and good impressions from the national team)" (in Greek). Athens: In.gr. 10 November 2001.
  13. Αγώνες Εθνικής Ανδρών του 2010 (in Greek). Ελληνική Ποδοσφαιρική Ομοσπονδία (Greek Football Federation). Retrieved 2 February 2011.
  14. Norris, Darren (8 June 2012). "The European Championship from A to Z". Irish Examiner. Retrieved 8 June 2012.
  15. "Match report: Greece v Czech Republic – 12th June 2012". Sky Sports. 12 June 2012.
  16. Papantonopoulou, Vassilki (23 June 2012). "Liberopoulos, Chalkias call time on Greece careers". Gdansk: uefa.com.
  17. "Kostas Chalkias". National Football Teams. Retrieved 23 June 2012.
  18. "Kostas Chalkias statistics". ZeroZero. Retrieved 23 June 2012.
  19. "Kostas Chalkias statistics". Soccerway. Retrieved 23 June 2012.
  20. "Kostas Chalkias statistics". Guardian.co.uk. Retrieved 23 June 2012.

External links

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