Kostas Katsouranis

Panachaiki

Katsouranis was not even 17 years old when he debuted in 1996 for the Patras-based club Panachaiki. In his first season, Panachaiki reached the Greek Cup semi-finals, tying an all-time best result in the competition. In the following season, Katsouranis made three appearances in the Intertoto Cup, scoring one goal as Panachaiki finished fourth out of five in their group. He spent six seasons in Patras and by the third, he was a regular. In the summer of 2002, when his contract with Panachaiki expired, Katsouranis opened negotiations with Panathinaikos. However the manager Fernando Santos, decided to sign Portuguese Carlos Chaínho, a player he knew when at Porto. Katsouranis was then approached by Olympiacos. The talks with the vice-president of the club, Giorgos Louvaris, seemed final, but Louvaris asked Katsouranis to wait until the president, Sokratis Kokkalis, returned from a business trip to the United States for the final negotiations. However, the boss of AEK Athens Chrarilaos Psomiadis took advantage of the situation and convinced the Katsouranis to sign a three-year contract with AEK Athens.

AEK Athens

Coming off the bench and making an impressive debut for the club, Katsouranis immediately became an integral part of the club. His continuing progress in the top-level rapidly made him one of the team's best players with great performances, both domestically and internationally. He was used mainly as a central midfielder but also can be…

Katsouranis made his international debut for Greece on 20 August 2003 against Sweden and scored his first goal against Kazakhstan in a 2006 FIFA World Cup qualifier. Katsouranis was one of the key factors in Greece's triumph at UEFA Euro 2004, beating Portugal in his own "home" (Benfica's Estádio da Luz) and, following Greece's success at the tournament, was on the starting XI after coming off the bench for the opening game of the tournament. He was an important part of a three-man midfield that also included Theodoros Zagorakis and Angelos Basinas. It was in Portugal that Katsouranis really made a name for himself, delivering consistent performances culminating with that famous final in Lisbon. Lifting the Henri Delaunay trophy represents the pinnacle of a national-team career. Katsouranis was a regular for Greece in their unsuccessful 2006 FIFA World Cup qualification campaign. He believes that the worse moment of the Greece national team was the elimination from the 2006 World Cup, realizing his own percentage in this unsuccessful tournament in a game against Albania national football team. Katsouranis became one of Greece's impact players in their UEFA Euro 2008 qualifiers when he helped Greece consecutively qualify for the finals to defend their crown. Their UEFA Euro 2008 campaign resulted in poor fashion as Greece failed to pick up a point. Katsouranis has captained Greece on several occasions and was selected for his country in the 2010 FIFA World Cup qualification.…

Katsouranis could play in various positions, as a result of the combination of his technique, speed and strength. He has been described as "a reasonable goal threat despite being notionally a midfielder". A technically gifted passer, Katsouranis was also strong in aerial duels and noted for his defensive positioning. Although primarily deployed in a deep-lying midfield role, he possessed strong attacking instincts and frequently made late runs into the penalty area. Throughout his club career, and at times with the Greece national team, he demonstrated an eye for goal, scoring a variety of important goals. His ability to contribute offensively without neglecting his defensive responsibilities led to him being regarded as a complete box-to-box midfielder.

Club

International goals

Scores and results list Greece's goal tally first, score column indicates score after each Katsouranis goal.