Ilias Atmatsidis

Atmatsidis started playing football regularly in his village team at the age of 13 competing as a winger. In a match against Foufa Ptolemaidas where the team's goalkeeper could not compete, Atmatsidis was called to play as goalkeeper. His performance established him in the position under the team's goalposts. He was then transferred to the team of the neighboring village of Agios Dimitrios, with which he was crowned champion of the local second division. He was then transferred to Pontioi Kozani where he played in the fourth national division. In July of 1989 he joined Pontioi Veria, where he played for 3 years contributing to the promotion of the team to the second division. On 24 June 1992 he was transferred to AEK Athens for a fee of 40 million drachmas. In his first year in the team he was the substitute of Antonis Minou, but from the following season he established himself as a starter for many years, while he was among the captains of the club. A remarkable performance of Atmatsidis was when he made a double save on a penalty by Anastasiou and then on a shot by Tsiantakis in a championship match with OFI. In 1998 and 1999 he was voted as the best goalkeeper of the league in the PSAP awards. He scored once with a penalty in a crucial championship match against Skoda Xanthi on 23 May 1999. He had another outstanding performance in the league derby against Olympiacos in 1997, where he kept the clean seat and AEK won by 0–1. From 2000 onwards he began to lose his position…

Atmatsidis debuted for Greece on 23 March 1994. He played 47 matches, and was included in the 1994 FIFA World Cup, playing as starting goalkeeper in the 0–4 loss against Bulgaria. In November 1999, he decided to retire from the national team, as a sign of protest against refereeing in Greek football.

AEK Athens

Alpha Ethniki: 1992–93, 1993–94 Greek Cup: 1995–96, 1996–97, 1999–2000, 2001–02 Greek Super Cup: 1996 PAOK

Greek Cup: 2002–03 Individual

Super League Greece Goalkeeper of the Year: 1997–98, 1998–99