Angelos Basinas
| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | Angelos Basinas | ||
| Height | 1.80 m (5 ft 11 in) | ||
| Position(s) | Midfielder | ||
| Team information | |||
Current team |
 RCD Mallorca | ||
| Number | 6 | ||
| ‡ National team caps and goals, correct as of June 2 2006 | |||
Angelos Basinas (Greek: Άγγελος Μπασινάς) (born 3 January 1976) is a footballer. He is a defensive midfielder who plays for the Greek national football team and RCD Mallorca whom he joined in January 2006. He currently has 78 caps and 5 goals for his national team.
The influential Basinas has nearly always put his stamp on Panathinakos, Mallorca & Greece games, whether with his sublime passing, combative style, hard running or deadly long shot.
Panathinaikos
Basinas joined the youth academy of Panathinaikos FC as a teenager and was a key figure in all of Panathinaikos' domestic and European successes during his ten year time as a professional at Panathinaikos F.C. (95/96-04/05). During his time at Panathinaikos, Basinas won two league titles whilst playing in the first team: the 95/96 title and the 03/04 title. 2003/2004 was said to be one of his best seasons at Panathinaikos and he brought the title to Panathinaikos with a severely diminished squad from the one that made the UEFA Champions League quarter finals in 2001/2002. During his time he also won the 03/04 Greek Cup, completing the domestic double.
National Team
Basinas won his first cap in a 3-1 win over El Salvador on 18/08/1999 and scored his first goal in just his second match, also against El Salvador just two days later. He has remained a part of the national team setup since his debut and has been a regular since Otto Rehhagel took over in 2001.
He was a key player in Greece's shock European Championship victory, scoring a penalty in his country's 2-1 upset win over host team Portugal in the tournament's opening game. Basinas was a vital cog in the hard working midfield of the Greek team and was also involved in the deciding goal against France. Also in the final, Charisteas scored the winning goal of Greece against Portugal off a corner kick by Basinas, which saw Greece win the trophy.
Following the triumph in Portugal, Basinas maintained his place in the national team and was a major part of the failed FIFA World Cup 2006 qualification attempt and the 2008 European Championship qualification attempt. He came under some criticism for some poor performances in the World Cup qualifiers but to his defence, he was played in several positions that he does not usually play. During the qualifiers for the 2008 European Championship, he once again hit good form (which coincided with Greece taking an early 5 point lead at the top of the group).
RCD Mallorca
On 21 September 2005 Basinas was released by Panathinaikos after almost 15 years in the team. Although rumoured to go to Birmingham City, Everton F.C., AEK and Olympiakos during the 2006 Winter transfer window, Basinas signed a contract with RCD Mallorca preferring to leave Greece and avoid the EPL.
In the second half of the 05/06 season, Basinas completed a successful first period at Mallorca, helping to save the team from certain relegation proving a key part of the struggling teams survival.