Vassilis Lakis

Vasilis Lakis
Personal information
Full name Vasilios Lakis
Date of birth (1976-09-10) 10 September 1976
Place of birth Thessaloniki, Greece
Height 1.76 m (5 ft 9 1⁄2 in)
Playing position Right Winger
Senior career*
Years Team Apps† (Gls)†
1992–1996 Naoussa 67 (7)
1996–1998 Panileiakos 69 (7)
1998–2004 AEK Athens 145 (37)
2004–2005 Crystal Palace 18 (0)
2005–2007 AEK Athens 49 (6)
2007–2009 PAOK 41 (3)
2009–2010 Kavala 16 (0)
Total 397 (60)
National team‡
1999–2005 Greece 35 (3)

* Senior club appearances and goals counted for the domestic league only and correct as of 17 July 2010.
† Appearances (goals)

‡ National team caps and goals correct as of 17 June 2007

Vasilis Lakis (Greek: Βασίλης Λάκης) (born 10 September 1976 in Thessaloniki) is a retired Greek footballer and he was named "Turbo" for his speed on the attacking wing and making great crosses in the area for the strikers.

Club career

Naoussa

Lakis started his career in for FAS Naoussa and he began his career as a defender but his earliest coaches, recognizing his natural ability, moved him to the attacking wing, where he has since shone. In FAS Naoussa Lakis played with players like the future Greek star Vassilios Tsiartas.

Paniliakos

In the summer 1995, Lakis signed for the professional club Panileiakos and in the next season he helped the team to achieve the 7th place in the Greek Super League and Lakis scored 7 goals for the Panileiakos team.

AEK Athens

In the simmer 1998 Lakis signed for AEK Athens FC and here he played with big stars like, Demis Nikolaidis, that they won 2 Greek Cup in the season 1999/2000 against Ionikos and in 2001/2002 against the rival Olympiakos also with Vasilios Tsiartas joyned from Seville and Theodoros Zagorakis from Leicester City. In the season 2001/2002 Lakis with AEK Athens FC achieved the Fourth round of the 2001–02 UEFA Cup against the Internazionale Milano F.C. of Héctor Raul Cúper. In the season 2002/2003 Lakis found also Grigorios Georgatos from Internazionale Milano F.C. and with AEK Athens FC gained the 2002–03 UEFA Champions League in the same group with big clubs like A.S. Roma and the Spanish giants Real Madrid C.F.. The club nearly beat Real Madrid C.F. after leading 3–1 and then 3–3 at home in the old stadium Nikos Goumas Stadium, but AEK Athens FC took the revenge in Madrid at the Santiago Bernabéu Stadium drawing 2–2.

Crystal Palace

After Greece won Euro 2004, Lakis signed as a free agent for Crystal Palace in the Premiership.[1] He made 18 league appearances for Palace. He notably missed the goal from 6 yards in the game against Arsenal at Selhurst Park while the score was 1-1.[2] It is likely that Palace would have won the match had he scored. He was also sent off a in a 0-0 draw with Manchester United.[3] Unfortunately the club was relegated the same year and Lakis decided to return to Greece and his previous club AEK Athens FC.

AEK Athens

He returned to long-time club AEK Athens FC and here he found players like, Traianos Dellas that came from the Italian gian A.S. Roma and as president Demis Nikolaidis. AEK Athens FC gained again the 2006–07 UEFA Champions League in the same group of A.C. Milan that they beat at home 1–0 with the goal of Júlio César. In the summer 2007 AEK Athens FC acquired the Brazilian Rivaldo from the rival Olympiacos and the club rich the top of Greek Championship with the Piraeus rival. He is a pacy right winger who can also play up front, known for his fast-paced end-to-end style of play. He is renowned in his homecountry for his habit of missing easy chances but his speed, cutting passes, and incisive runs into the box more than makeup for this failing.

PAOK

On 2 July 2007, Lakis was released by AEK, on 3 July he signed a three-year contract with PAOK, which here he founds Theodoros Zagorakis as the president of the club and Zisis Vryzas as a player, that they won Euro 2004. Lakis heled his new team to gain the second place in the Greek Championship behind Olympiacos and qualifying PAOK for the UEFA Intertoto Cup.

Kavala

On 1 July 2009 he signed a two-years contract with the football club AO Kavala.[4] Here lakis found the goalkeeper Fanis Katergiannakis that he helped to promote the team in the Greek Championship after 10 years. His new club AO Kavala was the revelation of the Greek Championship fighting for the first six positions and Lakis become one more time one of the most important players with experience.

Lakis with Kavala FC reached the semifinal of the Greek Cup against Panionios. In the semifinal Kavala FC will face Aris Thessaloniki F.C..

International career

Lakis made 35 appearances for the Greece national football team[5] and scored his first goal in a friendly match, in April 2000 in Dublin against the Republic of Ireland, in Lansdown Road. The coach Otto Rehhagel called him for the qualification for Euro 2004 and he was included in the Greek squad that won Euro 2004 and made two appearances as a substitute against Portugal in the group-stage and France in the quarterfinal.

International goals

# Date Venue Opponent Score Result Competition
1. 23 February 2000 Kalamata, Greece  Austria 4–1 Win Friendly
2. 26 April 2000 Dublin, Republic of Ireland  Republic of Ireland 0–1 Win Friendly
3. 15 November 2003 Aveiro, Portugal  Portugal 1–1 Draw Friendly

Honours

Vassilis Lakis
Medal record
Representing  Greece
European Championships
2004 Portugal Greece

Ethnikos Piraeus

AEK

Greece

References

  1. ↑ "Palace snap up Lakis". BBC Sport. 29 September 2004. Retrieved 19 June 2014.
  2. ↑ "Crystal Palace 1-1 Arsenal". BBC Sport. 6 November 2004. Retrieved 19 June 2014.
  3. ↑ "Crystal Palace 0-0 Man Utd". BBC Sport. 5 March 2005. Retrieved 19 June 2014.
  4. ↑ "Έξι μεταγραφές ανακοίνωσε η Καβάλα". contra.gr. 2009-07-01. Retrieved 2009-07-01.
  5. ↑ Mamrud, Roberto (2009-10-29). "Greece – Record International Players". RSSSF.

176155889 321&2 05

External links

This article is issued from Wikipedia - version of the Tuesday, May 03, 2016. The text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution/Share Alike but additional terms may apply for the media files.