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Demis (Themistoklis) Nikolaidis (September 17, 1973, Giessen, Germany) is considered one of the finest footballers Greece has ever produced. His real first name is Themistoklis, but he is better known as 'Demis'. In his early childhood and teenage years he lived in the city of Alexandroupoli, in the north-east part of Greece. In a sterling career with Ethnikos Alexandroupolis, Apollon Athinon, AEK Athens and Atletico Madrid, Nikolaidis earned his reputation as a "born goalscorer", scoring prolifically for club and country. His power, pace and skill on the ball have been widely praised but it was his work-ethic and enthusiasm, perhaps, that propelled him to his exalted status among Greek footballersIn a sterling career with Apollon Athinon, AEK Athens and Atletico Madrid, Nikolaidis earned his reputation as a "born goalscorer", scoring prolifically for club and country. His power, pace and skill on the ball have been widely praised but it was his work-ethic and enthusiasm, perhaps, that propelled him to his exalted status among Greek footballers. Playing Days He made his professional debut at the age of 20 at Apollon and soon became a fixture in the first team. His fine performances, coupled with his call-up to Greece's 1994 World Cup squad, earned him a cross-town move to AEK, the third club of Greece, after giants Panathinaikos and Olympiakos, and the striker's childhood favorite. He onced remarked that had his football career not panned out, he would have liked to be president of the major AEK fanclub, the Originals. With his new side, Nikolaidis excelled, scoring an impressive 125 goals in 189 games, winning three Greek cups as well as topscoring in both the 2001 UEFA Cup and 1999 Greek league. At AEK, Nikolaidis linked up with some of the great Greek players of his generation, many of whom would go on to lift the UEFA 2004 trophy, including Vassilis Tsiartas, Theodoros Zagorakis, Michalis Kapsis, Grigoris Georgatos, Traianos Dellas, Ilias Atmatsidis, Vassilis Lakis and Kostas Katsouranis, among many others. From his move to AEK in 1995 to 1999 and from 2001 to the Euro 2004 qualifiers, Demis became the Greek national team's main source of goals. He amassed over 40 caps, netting 17 times. In 1999, however, along with Michalis Kasapis, Nikolaidis retired from the national team, protesting for injustice in the greek league . Two years later, though, after the latter's sacking following a particularly horrendous series of results, the two returned to the international fold. In his first game back, Nikolaidis scored in Greece's 2-2 away draw to England during the 2002 World Cup qualifiers. New coach Otto Rehhagel, a noted tactical mastermind, focused his offense around the quick striker and was rewarded with direct qualification to Euro 2004, upsetting Spain. A Move to Spain Although he failed to win the league in his time at AEK, Nikolaidis became arguably the most belovedplayer in the club's history. But after quarelling with owner Makis Psomiadis, later indicted for forgery, and allegedly being assaulted by his bodyguards, Nikolaidis decided the time had come to leave AEK after the 2002/2003 season. Atletico Madrid beat off several other clubs to land the striker's coveted signature. Nikolaidis' first months at the Vicente Calderon were a tremendous success; he scored six goals and formed a fearsome attacking pair with teenage sensation Fernando Torres. However, a series of serious injuries kept him out of the first team for nearly the rest of the season and severely limited his effectiveness at Euro 2004.
Demis Nikolaidis in the national team colors. Euro 2004 Even though struggling with injury, Rehhagel nevertheless included him in his Euro 2004 squad. Greece's new strike force, Zisis Vryzas and Angelos Charisteas, played well enough but Nikolaidis still figured consistently in the team, coming off the bench in all three group games before starting against France, against whom he was desperately unlucky not to score, and leading Greece to a tremendous shock victory. After that fine performance, however, Nikolaidis at last succumbed to a serious injury and did not even dress for Greece's last two games. Without a doubt, he accomplished much during his international career but there are some who wonder if his contribution could not have been greater had an injury and a poor run of luck not conspired against him.
Demis Nikolaidis in his new role as the president of AEK. Back to AEK With AEK struggling terribly in the wake of Psomiadis' corruption and the prospect of relegation to the fourth division looming, Nikolaidis shocked the football world by retiring at the relatively tender age of 31. His next move, even more surprisingly, was to establish a consortium of businessmen and purchase AEK, as he had always dreamed. Becoming the club's president, Nikolaidis, and technical director Ilija Ivic, a former teammate, made several astute signings and fought ferociously for the league title, finishing third when many had expected a mid-table performance. This year, after signing several current Greece Under-21 players, as well as adding former star Vasilis Lakis, Ukrainian international striker Oleg Venglinskyi and onetime Inter centreback Bruno Cirillo, many pundits and fans expect Champions league qualification or even a title run. Apart from the improvement of the economic standards and the athletic performance of AEK, Nikolaidis is determined to decrease the hooligan actions in football. He believes that if a fan wants to attend a football game, they must respect the fans of the opposite team and must not produce violence.
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