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Nikolaos "Nikos" Liberopoulos (Greek: Νίκος Λυμπερόπουλος) (born on 4 August 1975 in Filiatra) is a Greek international football player currently playing as a centre forward for AEK Athens F.C. in the Greek Super League. He is famous for his aim-to-goal shot, his innate in-play instincts, and his technical attacking skills. Liberopoulos is a unique player in Greek domestic football, as he is equally adored by fans of both AEK Athens and Panathinaikos. Due to the tense rivalry between the Greek clubs, this happens very rarely.
He is one of the most popular footballers to come out of Peloponnesus. Liberopoulos started off his career with Erani Filiatron, he then moved to Kalamata F.C. in 1994. After an impressive debut season in Greece's top division AEK Athens and Olympiakos F.C. tried to sign him during the summer of 1996 yet Panathinaikos managed to snap him. Panathinaikos F.C. In the summer 1996 he signed for for Panathinaikos he reached the semifinal stage of the UEFA Champions League. Italian clubs, mainly Juventus and Hellas Verona showed interest in hiring him, but his loyalty to Panathinaikos kept him in Athens. In 2003 Liberopoulos clashed with Panathinaikos' board which eventually led to him leaving the club. AEK Athens Following his departure from Panathinaikos he was ready to join Sochaux but he finally chose his childhood club AEK Athens where he became a formidable offensive player and inspirational leader. He went to score several times against his former team but never celebrated earning the fans' applause and a standing ovation for his action. He helped AEK Athens scoring 79 times in his 195 appearances and earning a top scorer award during the 2006–07 season. His most important goals originated from two long range shots, the one against Lille OSC (AEK Athens won 1-0) and the other against Olympiakos F.C. (AEK Athens won 4-0). During June 2007, Liberopoulos was offered a lucrative contract with 1. FC Nürnberg worth 4 million euros, which he declined to remain with AEK Athens. Club president Demis Nikolaidis has publicly announced his intent to retain Lymperopoulos at all costs in an effort to bolster AEK Athens' chances at achieving dominance in the Greek Super League. On 7 July 2008, Liberopoulos was released by AEK.[1] German team Eintracht Frankfurt announced his signing on July 13, 2008. Eintracht Frankfurt Liberopoulos signed a 2-year deal giving the number 10 shirt. He made his German Bundesliga debut for Eintracht Frankfurt, playing the full 90 minutes against Hertha Berlin on August 17, 2008 at the Commerzbank-Arena in Frankfurt. Liberopoulos scored his first goal against Mainz 05. Lyberopoulos has won 55 caps scoring 13 goals in all competitions. AEK Athens Liberopoulos again signed for AEK Athens in the summer of 2010, and put in an impressive display in AEK's 5-3 win against Australian A-League club Sydney FC on 25 July 2010, scoring one goal and setting-up two others. Liberopoulos also scored against Blackburn three day's later. He made his Superleague Greece against Kerkyra and scored his first official goal in a Europa League match against Hajduk Split. On 19 January 2010, in a Greek Cup match against Panathinaikos he scored two goals leading his team to victory. Liberopoulos was applauded during his substitution later in that game by some of Panathinaikos' fans despite their team's defeat. After the match Liberopoulos said "I have spent seven nice years in Panathinaikos in which I matured as a player. I keep only the positive things, but now for me AEK is my family and I will do everything for the team." and about the Panathinaikos' fans ovation "It means a lot to me. It's a great feeling to be applauded during your substitution. There were some hoots also but even if the whole stadium was hooting at me that would not have changed what I have said earlier about my feelings for Panathinaikos".[2] International career Liberopoulos has appeared 67 times for Greece scoring 13 goals in the process. Liberopoulos is currently active as a forward in the national team. His most notable performance in the Euro 2008 qualifiers to date was a last-second goal 5 minutes into stoppage time to grant Greece a 2-1 victory over Moldova on June 6, 2007, which placed Greece at the top of their qualifying division. Liberopoulos has been known on the international scene as a "super sub", coming off the bench many times in the final quarter of games and scoring the decisive goal. He was a member of the 23-man squad formed by Coach Otto Rehhagel for Euro 2008, but was surprisingly out of favour for Euro 2004 On 11 September 2009, Liberopoulos announced his retirement from international football.[3] But he returned to the national squad about a year later when he was recalled by the new coach Fernando Santos. Records * He has a total 83 appearances in European competitions which is a record for a Greek forward.
Last updated: 2010-12-03 Statistics Club
International
Last updated: 2010-3-03
Honours Individual * Greek Young Footballer of the year: 1 1996 * Greek Footballer of the year: 3 2000, 2006, 2007 * Greek Super League top scorer: 2 2003, 2007
1. ^ AEK FC release Liberopoulos Retrieved from "http://en.wikipedia.org/"
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