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Antonios Nikopolidis (given name also rendered as Andonis; Greek: Αντώνιος Νικοπολίδης, born 13 January 1971 in Arta) is a Greek football player, a goalkeeper for Olympiacos and the Greek national football team. He's mostly known for being the goalkeeper of the Euro 2004 winners. The first years and the move to Panathinaikos His first team was Anagennisi Artas, that he left in 1989 in order to join Panathinaikos FC where he waited patiently to take his place in the team, most of the time behind Polish goalkeeper Józef Wandzik.It took six years for Nikopolidis to reach the first team at Panathanaikos after his move from third division Anagennisi Arta as an 18-year old in 1989. He made his debut during 1990/1991 season in a match against his current club, Olympiacos, as Josef Wandzik's replacement. He played well until he had to leave the pitch due to an head injury inflicted by a brick! In 1995 played five games as the Greens won the championship in 1994/95 and three as they retained it the following year and gradually became a regular. Since then has gained a reputation as one of the best goalkeepers in the Greek league. It is a common joke among fans that the premature fading of his hair colour (much like that of Fabrizio Ravanelli) happened due to the long wait for Wandzik's retirement. Taking the No 71 jersey, representing the year of his birth, he helped Olympiacos to two consecutive doubles - making him the first player in the Greek league to do that three years running. Along with the Euro 2004 success it meant Nikopolidis had won seven honours in 25 months
Problems with Panathinaikos In 2002 helped the club reach the UEFA Champions League quarter-finals but in 2003/04 he lost his place to Konstantinos Chalkias when contract negotiations broke down. Although at the final year of his contract (2004) Panathinaikos offered him a big rise, amounting to €500,000 per annum, he did not immediately accept, raising doubt about his future in the team. Panathinaikos management found this behavior suspicious and decided to bench him for almost all the second half of the season 2003-04. Rumors were circulating among Panathinaikos fans that he had already agreed to move to arch-rivals Olympiacos. Such was the disappointment of the fans that at the festivities for the 2003-04 season double (won by Panathinaikos), when Nikopolidis raised the trophy he was booed by the majority of the crowd. Panathinaikos did the double but Nikopolidis went to Olympiacos on a three-year contract that provoked much comment in Greece
The move to Olympiacos Nikopolidis has indeed changed teams after Euro 2004 and went to Olympiakos CFP for €800,000 per annum, although it is unclear when exactly he had made up his mind. At Olympiacos, he wears the #71 jersey, which represents his year of birth, 1971. Upon signing his new contract he stated that, although he was not a fan of Olympiacos, his former club acted so unprofessionally, that he had no ethical dilemma in becoming a private member of his new club. Notably, although he was a Panathinaikos footballer for several years he fitted quite well into Olympiakos squad and fans quite early after his arrival created a chant for him; the chant is about how good he looks with the red white shirt (i.e. the club's shirt). Remarkably, he is paying back the love he received from Olympiakos fans by playing with such passion which he never showed when playing for Panathinaikos.
Greek national team He made his debut for the Greece national football team on August 18, 1999 against El Salvador. Two years later, Nikopolidis had become the undisputed choice in Greece's goal. He played in qualifying for the 2002 FIFA World Cup and excelled as Greece qualified for UEFA Euro 2004, keeping six clean sheets and not letting in a goal in the three knockout games as he claimed a winners' medal and a place in the All-Star Squad, and was voted goalkeeper of the Euro 2004 All Star team. In UEFA Euro 2004 he played in every game and conceded 3 goals. Nikopolidis was one of the cornerstones of the Greek triumph in Portugal. However, Greece missed out on the 2006 World Cup finals. He became team captain after the retirement of Theodoros Zagorakis but lost his armband to Angelos Basinas after his short relegation to the bench following a rare catastrophic performance in the 1-4 defeat to Turkey in March 2007. In a Euro 2008 group match against Russia, Nikopolidis made a crucial error, failing to maintain his position in front of the goal. This mishap resulted in a first-half Russian goal, which led to a 1-0 defeat for the Greeks and their elimination from Euro 2008. He has featured in a World XI game in 2002, a rare honour for a Greek player.Nikopolidis is first among all goalkeepers in the history of the national team with the most caps (90 after his retirement). On 15 June 2008, Nikopolidis announced his retirement from international football after Euro 2008, claiming that he had made this decision before the tournament started.[3]
Trivia He is married with one son. He lives in Nea Penteli, Athens, Greece. His nickname is Clooney, because of his striking resemblance with the American actor. Honours European Championship: 2004 2004 UEFA European Football Championship: UEFA Team of the Tournament
Retrieved from "http://en.wikipedia.org/ "
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