Greece national football team

Greece
Nickname(s)	Ethniki (National); Galanolefki (Blue-white);
Association	Hellenic Football Federation
Confederation	UEFA (Europe)
Head coach	Fernando Santos
Captain	Giorgos Karagounis
Most caps	Theodoros Zagorakis (120)
Top scorer	Nikos Anastopoulos (29)
Home stadium	Karaiskakis Stadium (now) ; Olympic Stadium ; other stadiums outside the capital ; Pankritio Stadium (Crete)
FIFA code	GRE
First colours	Second colours
FIFA ranking
Current	15
Highest	8 (April 2008 – June 2008 September 2011 - October 2011)
Lowest	66 (September 1998)
First international
	Greece 1–4 Italy ; (Athens, Greece; 7 April 1929)
Biggest win
	Greece 8–0 Syria ; (Athens, Greece; 25 November 1949)
Biggest defeat
	Hungary 11–1 Greece ; (Budapest, Hungary; 25 March 1938)
World Cup
Appearances	2 (first in 1994)
Best result	Round 1, 1994 and 2010
European Championship
Appearances	3 (first in 1980)
Best result	Winners, 2004
Confederations Cup
Appearances	1 (first in 2005)
Best result	Round 1, 2005

The Greece national football team (Greek: Εθνική Ελλάδος, [Ethniki Ellados] Error: {{Lang}}: text has italic markup (help)) represents Greece in association football and is controlled by the Hellenic Football Federation, the governing body for football in Greece. Greece's home ground is Karaiskakis Stadium in Piraeus and their head coach is Fernando Santos. Greece spent most of their history in relative obscurity, having participated only twice in the final tournaments of the FIFA World Cup and the UEFA European Championship, in 1994 and 1980 respectively, until UEFA Euro 2004, when they became European champions in only their second participation in the tournament. The Greeks, dismissed as rank outsiders before the tournament with bookmakers giving odds of between 80–1 to 150–1 for them to win, defeated some of the favourites in the competition including defending champions France and hosts Portugal, who Greece beat in both the opening game of the tournament and again in the final.

Since that victory Greece have occupied a place in the top 30 of the FIFA World Rankings for all but 2 months, and reached a high of 8th from April to June 2008, as well as from September to October 2011.

History

1980 European Football Championship

Greece, under the guidance of Alketas Panagoulias, made its first appearance in a major tournament at the Euro 1980 in Italy, after qualifying top of a group that included the Soviet Union and Hungary, both world football powers back then. In the final tournament, Greece was drawn into group A with West Germany, the Netherlands, and Czechoslovakia. In their first game, Greece held the Dutch until the only goal of the game was scored by Kist, in the 65th minute. Three days later Greece played against Czechoslovakia in Rome, after holding the Czechoslovakians 1–1 at the end the first half, Greece eventually lost 3–1. In their last game, Greece earned a 0–0 draw against eventual winners West Germany, concluding what was considered a decent overall performance in the team's maiden presence in a final phase of any football competition.

World Cup 1994

The team's success in qualifying for the 1994 FIFA World Cup in the USA, marked the first time they had made it to the FIFA World Cup finals. Greece finished first and undefeated in their qualifying group, surpassing Russia in the final game. In the final tournament Greece were drawn into group D with Nigeria, Bulgaria, and Argentina. After the successful qualifying campaign, expectations back in Greece were high as no one could imagine the oncoming astounding failure. Most notable reason for this complete failure was the fact that legendary coach Alketas Panagoulias opted to take a squad full of those players – though most of them aging and out of form – that helped the team in the qualifying instead of new emerging talents seeing it as a reward for their unprecedented success. Furthermore, they had the disadvantage of being drawn into a "group of death", with runners-up at the 1990 FIFA World Cup Argentina, later semifinalists Bulgaria, and Nigeria, one of the strongest African teams. It is worth mentioning that all players of the squad, including the 3 goalkeepers, took part in those 3 games, something very rare. In their first game against Argentina, Greece lost 4–0. Four days later Greece suffered another 4–0 blow from Bulgaria and in their final game lost to Nigeria 2–0. In the end, Greece were eliminated in the first round by losing all three games, scoring no goals and conceding 10, thus making one of the worst records in World Cup history.

Near misses

Greece failed to qualify for the Euro 1996 finishing third in the group behind Russia and Scotland. In their 1998 World Cup qualifying tournament the team finished only one point shy of second-placed Croatia as, despite a plethora of missed chances, it was halted to a 0–0 draw by the eventual Group winners, the Danish national football team. In their Euro 2000 qualifying group, Greece finished again in third place, two points behind second-placed Slovenia in a highly disappointing campaign that saw the team lose at home to Latvia and led to the sacking of then national coach Kostas Polychroniou. In the 2002 World Cup qualifying Greece finished a disappointing fourth in their group behind England, Germany and Finland making them change their coach Vasilis Daniil in the process and replace him with Otto Rehhagel. Highlights of the campaign were the humiliating 5–1 defeat in Finland and the 2–2 draw that followed in England, both the first two games of the soon to become legendary German coach at the reins of the Greek national team.

Euro 2004 triumph

Qualification

Greece started the qualification process for the Euro 2004 in poor fashion losing at home to Spain and away to Ukraine both times with a 2–0 scoreline. Astonishingly, the team went on to win their remaining six games, including a highly decisive 1–0 away win over Spain in their second matchup, securing first place in the group and an appearance in the European Championship finals for the first time in 24 years. Expectations before the tournament were low with memories of a bitter 1994 FIFA World Cup experience still fresh in the minds of many, where Greece lost all three group stage matches, conceding ten goals and scoring none.

Group Stage

In the opening match against hosts Portugal, Greece achieved a surprise 2–1 victory, receiving the nickname "pirate ship" used by Greek sportscasters in reference to the floating ship used in the tournament's opening ceremony. Greece won with a 25-yard strike from Giorgos Karagounis and a penalty from Angelos Basinas. Four days later, Greece stunned Spain in front of a largely Spanish crowd with a 1–1 draw after being down 1–0 at half time. Greece fell behind from a defensive lapse, which allowed Fernando Morientes to score. However, a sublime diagonal pass from playmaker Vasilios Tsiartas allowed Angelos Charisteas to score an equaliser in the second half, giving Greece hope of qualifying. In the last group game, Greece fell behind 2–0 to Russia (who were already eliminated) within the first ten minutes of the game but managed to pull one back through Zisis Vryzas and thus progressed to the next round, at the expense of Spain, on goals scored. Dmitri Kirichenko had the chance to eliminate Greece in the final minutes of this game, but his stretched effort squeezed just wide.

Quarter-final

In the quarterfinals Greece faced off with the undefeated and reigning champions France. At 65 minutes, Greece took the lead. Angelos Basinas played a perfect pass to captain Theodoros Zagorakis, who flicked the ball high in the air, passed veteran French defender Bixente Lizarazu, and sent a perfect cross to Angelos Charisteas for the header and goal. Greece held on to win, despite a late French onslaught on goal with close efforts from Thierry Henry, thus knocking France out of Euro 2004 and becoming the first team ever to defeat both the hosts and defending champions in the same tournament.

Semi-final

Greece reached the semifinals to face the Czech Republic, who were the only team to defeat all of their opponents to that point. The Czech record included a convincing 3–2 win over the Netherlands, a 2–1 win over Germany, and a 3–0 win over Denmark in the quarterfinals. At this stage in the tournament, the Czechs were favourites to take the trophy. The game began nervously for Greece, as the Czech Republic applied much pressure. Tomáš Rosický hit the crossbar in the opening minutes, and Jan Koller had several efforts saved by Antonis Nikopolidis. The Czechs chances were dealt a blow when influential midfielder Pavel Nedvěd left the pitch injured in the first half. After 90 minutes the game ended 0–0, despite the Czechs having most of the game's missed chances. In the last minute of the first half of extra time, a close range silver goal header from Traianos Dellas from a Vassilios Tsiartas corner ended the Czech campaign, putting Greece into the final of Euro 2004 and sending their fans into raptures.

Final

For the first time in history (a recurring theme in this tournament), the final was a repeat of the opening game, with Greece and hosts Portugal facing off in a rematch. In the 57th minute, Charisteas gave Greece the lead with a header from a corner by Angelos Basinas. Portugal had much of the possession, but the Greek defence was solid and dealt with most attacks. Cristiano Ronaldo had a good chance to equalise in the dying moments, but could not apply a finish. Greece held on to win 1–0, winning the tournament, an achievement considered by many to be one of the greater, if not the greatest, football upset in history. Captain Zagorakis was named the man of the tournament, having led Greece and made the most tackles in the entire tournament.

Recognition

Greece's victory shot them up in the FIFA World Rankings from 35th in June 2004 to 14th in July 2004. This is one of the largest upward moves in a single month in the top echelon of the rankings. The triumph of Greece at Euro 2004 is the biggest sporting achievement in the country's history for a men's team sport, along with the successes of the Greece national basketball team in the European Championships of 1987, 2005 and 2006 FIBA World Championship. The team has appeared on stamps and received medals from the President of Greece, the Archbishop of Athens, and an ecstatic ovation from the country's population which came out to see the team with the trophy from the Athens airport to the Panathinaiko Stadium where the Greek political and religious leadership was awaiting them. The Euro 2004 winners were selected as "World Team of the Year" at the 2005 Laureus World Sports Award for Team of the Year.

2005 Confederations Cup

As Euro 2004 winners, Greece qualified for the 2005 FIFA Confederations Cup in Germany. Greece were drawn into Group A along with 2002 World Cup champions Brazil, 2004 Asian champions Japan, and 2003 North America champions Mexico. Greece lost 3–0 to Brazil and 1–0 to Japan and draw 0–0 with Mexico in a tournament that was seen mostly as a time for experimentation as players like Efstathios Tavlaridis, Loukas Vyntra, Mihalis Sifakis, Ioannis Amanatidis, and Theofanis Gekas either received their first ever calls or earned their maiden caps in the national squad.

2006 FIFA World Cup qualifying

After winning the Euro 2004, Greece were considered favourites to top their group, in the 2006 World Cup qualification. The team was drawn into Group 2 along with Ukraine, Turkey, Denmark, Albania, Georgia and Kazakhstan.

In their first qualifier, Greece could not handle the game with Albania and lost 2–1. Afterward their matches were followed by draws (home and away respectively) with Turkey and Ukraine, before defeating Kazakhstan 3–1 at home. It was thought that the team was back on course as the 2–1 win over Denmark, with Zagorakis scoring his first ever goal in over 100 caps. This was followed by wins against Georgia and Albania and a respectable away draw with Turkey. However, despite dominating the game, Greece lost at home to Ukraine 1–0 having two goals disallowed. Three months later, Greece barely escaped embarrassment as they scraped to a 2–1 away win against Kazakhstan in the dying seconds. Greece was defeated 1–0 by Denmark in Copenhagen as chances for a qualification through a playoff looked dismal after a 1–0 win of Turkey in Kiev against the already qualified Ukrainian side. In their last game, Greece defeated Georgia finishing 4th, four points behind first-placed Ukraine and two behind Turkey. Throughout the match, the 30,000 fans in the Karaiskakis Stadium chanted the name of Otto Rehhagel in their utmost support and he said afterwards "Even if 10 years pass, part of my heart will be Greek". There was a dissatisfaction with the selection of the team by Otto Rehhagel throughout qualification campaign from some journalists as they argued that he was sticking to exactly the same Euro 2004 squad even though some players didn't even have a club and was overlooking others most notably Ieroklis Stoltidis of Olympiacos and Akis Zikos of Monaco.

On 25 May 2006, less than a month before the opening of the 2006 World Cup in Germany, Greece lost 1–0 to Australia in a friendly match in front of 95,103 people at the MCG.

Euro 2008

Greece was the highest ranked seed in the 'pots' for qualification to the UEFA Euro 2008 in Switzerland and Austria and was drawn with Turkey, Norway, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Hungary, Moldova and Malta being the only group which did not have a team represented in the World Cup 2006.

Greece began their Euro 2008 campaign with victories over Moldova, Norway and Bosnia-Herzegovina. As a result, Greece climbed eighteen places in two months to 13th place in the October FIFA World Rankings. On 24 March 2007 Greece lost their fourth game 4–1 against Turkey in Athens. Nevertheless the team went on to win away to Malta, with the only goal coming in the 66th minute from an Basinas penalty, Hungary and Moldova at home and drew 2–2 away to Norway despite having hit the goalpost three times in this match. The draw in Oslo was followed by a 3–2 home win against Bosnia-Herzegovina and a 1–0 away win to Turkey, securing its presence to the Euro 2008 finals at their old rival's home ground. In the last two matches, Greece smashed Malta 5–0 in Athens and defeated Hungary with an away 2–1 win, finishing first in their group with a total of 31 points, the most points gained among any group. In the draw for the final tournament, Greece was seeded first as the defending European Champion. In addition to this, Greece climbed to the 11th place in the FIFA World Rankings, the highest ever for them, thus they are seeded first for the draw of the European qualification zone for the World Cup 2010, also for the first time. The draw for the Euro 2008 finals was held on December 2 in Switzerland, Greece were drawn in Group D along with Sweden, Spain, and Russia. In preparation for the tournament, Greece defeated Portugal 2–1 on 26 March 2008, in a repeat of the Euro 2004 opening and final match; as a result, Greece moved up to a record 8th position in the FIFA world ranking.

In the tournament finals, however, the Greek team lost all three games and scored only one goal. Greece underperformed in the opening match against Sweden and lost 2–0. They tried to recover in the match against Russia, but lost 1–0. Having already been eliminated, the Greek team tried their chances against already qualified Spain, but also lost 2–1, becoming the first defending champion not to earn a single point in the next European Championship.

2010 FIFA World Cup

Despite the scoring prowess of Europe's top 2010 World Cup qualifying goal-scorer Theofanis Gekas—who produced 10 goals in as many games—Greece took second place to Switzerland in Group 2 of UEFA qualification, thus advancing to a home-and-away playoff round, where they faced Ukraine. After a scoreless draw at home in the first match, the second leg in Donetsk saw Greece triumph with a 1–0 win, sending the Greeks to the 2010 FIFA World Cup. At the 2010 World Cup draw in Cape Town, South Africa on 4 December 2009, Greece found itself grouped with two familiar opponents from its first World Cup appearance in 1994. Argentina and Nigeria were yet again drawn into group stage play alongside Greece, this time into Group B with South Korea replacing Greece's third 1994 opponent, Bulgaria.

In its World Cup opener, Greece lost 2–0 to South Korea after a dismal performance characterized by excessive long-ball attacks and a lack of offensive creativity. In its second fixture against Nigeria, Greece won 2–1 coming from behind after conceding an early goal. Dimitris Salpigidis scored Greece's first ever goal in the World Cup finals in the 44th minute of the first half to tie the match at 1–1. Vasilis Torosidis scored the game-winning goal in the 71st minute after a goalkeeper error, securing the first points and first victory for Greece in tournament history. In the third match against heavily favored Argentina, Greece needed a combination of results to advance to the next round. As expected, in what would be his final game as Greece's national team head coach, Otto Rehhagel conjured up a very defensive-minded strategy, leaving Georgios Samaras with nearly all offensive responsibilities as the lone striker. The strategy nearly paid off in the second half with the score still knotted 0–0 when Samaras beat the last Argentine defender on a quick long-ball counterattack and curled a rushed shot just wide of the far post. The Greeks held the Argentines scoreless until the 77th minute and ultimately lost 2–0, finishing third in Group B.

After the 2010 World Cup, Greece moved from 13th to 12th in the FIFA World Rankings. Russia, Croatia and France dropped lower than Greece while Uruguay and Chile jumped ahead of the Greeks.

UEFA Euro 2012

Qualifying

Template:UEFA Euro 2012 qualifying Group F

Having gone through the qualifying stages of Euro 2012 unbeaten, Greece secured a place in the finals qualifying top of their group on 11th October after going one goal down to Georgia only to score two goals in the last 10 minutes. Because of their surprising 2-0 victory over heavily favored Croatia, and their 2-1 comeback victory over Georgia, Greece jumped three places in the FIFA World Rankings and ranked 8th, which tied their record which they set back in 2008.

Finals

Team	Pld	W	D	L	GF	GA	GD	Pts
Poland	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0
Greece	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0
Russia	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0
Czech Republic	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0

Stadium

Historically, Greece have used various stadiums as their home ground, but they have spent most of their history playing their home matches in Athens, while stadiums in other cities around the country, especially Thessaloniki, have occasionally hosted the national team. They played most of their competitive matches at the Karaiskakis Stadium and the Apostolos Nikolaidis Stadium until the mid-1980s, when the Athens Olympic Stadium opened and hosted the majority of Greece's home matches, before the stadium was closed for renovation in 2002 for the upcoming 2004 Summer Olympics, when Greece moved to the Apostolos Nikolaidis Stadium for the UEFA Euro 2004 qualifying.

After they were crowned European champions in 2004, the newly reconstructed Karaiskakis Stadium became the new home ground of the Greek national team for the qualifyings of the 2006 FIFA World Cup and the 2008 UEFA Euro, when some riots took place during a match against Turkey in the latter competition; the team was forced to play away from Athens for two fixtures and moved to the Pankritio Stadium in Heraklion, Crete, before moving back to Athens and the Olympic Stadium for the remaining matches. In the 2010 FIFA World Cup qualification, Greece used all these three stadiums for home games, but the Athens Olympic Stadium has been used more recently for official matches and it is considered the current home ground of the team unless a different decision is made.

Colours

Greece's home kit since the Hellenic Football Federation was first established was blue, but after Greece's triumph at Euro 2004 they changed their home kit from blue to white. The team wears either a set of white jerseys, shorts and socks or a set of blue jerseys, shorts and socks. A combination of a blue jersey and white shorts has also been used in some matches. The official shirt supplier is Adidas which has signed a long-term agreement with the Greek Federation until 2012.^[1] The Former Suppliers were Le Coq Sportif (2000-2003),^[2] Diadora (1992-1998) and Puma (until 1990).

1994 World Cup (H)

1994 World Cup (A)

2004 UEFA Euro (A)

2008 UEFA Euro (H)

2008 UEFA Euro (A)

2010 World Cup (H)

2010 World Cup (A)

2012 UEFA Euro (H)

2012 UEFA Euro (A)

Nicknames

Traditionally, Greece is referred to by the media and the Greeks in general simply as Ethniki, which means 'national'. The team is often called Galanolefki (Blue-white) due to its kit colours which are also the colours of the Greek flag. Both nicknames are used for the country's national teams in other sports as well. During the opening ceremony in the UEFA Euro 2004, which took place before the inaugural game of the tournament between Greece and hosts Portugal, a replica of a 16th century ship was used referring to the Portuguese expeditions of that time. Greek radio sports journalist Georgios Helakis commented that "since the Portuguese team appear in such a ship, it's time for us to become pirates and steal the victory". Eventually, Greece beat the hosts and Piratiko (The Pirate Ship) emerged as the new nickname of the team, repeated at every win. Especially after the Greek win in the final to Portugal, the new nickname was established to commemorate their coronation as European champions.

Competitive record

FIFA World Cup

Year	Round	Position	GP	W	D	L	GS	GA
1930	Did not enter
1934 to 1990	Did not qualify
1994	Round 1	24/24	3	0	0	3	0	10
1998 to 2006	Did not qualify
2010	Round 1	25/32	3	1	0	2	2	5
Total	2/20		6	1	0	5	2	15

UEFA European Championship

UEFA European Championship record
Year	Round	Position	GP	W	D*	L	GS	GA
1960 to 1976	Did not qualify
1980	Group stage	8th	3	0	1	2	1	4
1984 to 2000	Did not qualify
2004	Champions	1st	6	4	1	1	7	4
2008	Group Stage	16th	3	0	0	3	1	5
2012	Qualified		0	0	0	0	0	0
Total	Champions	4/14	12	4	2	6	9	13

**Gold background colour indicates winner of tournament.

FIFA Confederations Cup

Year	Round	GP	W	D	L	GS	GA
1992 to 2003	Did not qualify
2005	Round 1	3	0	1	2	0	4
2009	Did not qualify
Total	1/8	3	0	1	2	0	4

Players

Current squad

Squad for UEFA Euro 2012.^[3]

Players' records are accurate as of 31 May 2012 after the game against Armenia.

No.	Pos.	Player	Date of birth (age)	Caps	Goals	Club
1	1GK	Kostas Chalkias	(1974-05-30) 30 May 1974 (age 50)	30	0	PAOK
12	1GK	Alexandros Tzorvas	(1982-08-12) 12 August 1982 (age 42)	16	0	Palermo
13	1GK	Michalis Sifakis	(1984-09-09) 9 September 1984 (age 40)	12	0	Aris Thessaloniki

3	2DF	Giorgos Tzavelas	(1987-11-26) 26 November 1987 (age 36)	6	0	Monaco
4	2DF	Stelios Malezas	(1985-03-11) 11 March 1985 (age 39)	2	0	PAOK
5	2DF	Kyriakos Papadopoulos	(1992-02-23) 23 February 1992 (age 32)	8	3	Schalke 04
8	2DF	Avraam Papadopoulos	(1984-12-03) 3 December 1984 (age 39)	33	0	Olympiacos
15	2DF	Vasilis Torosidis	(1985-06-10) 10 June 1985 (age 39)	44	6	Olympiacos
19	2DF	Sokratis Papastathopoulos	(1988-06-09) 9 June 1988 (age 36)	28	0	Werder Bremen
20	2DF	José Holebas	(1984-06-27) 27 June 1984 (age 40)	4	0	Olympiacos

6	3MF	Grigoris Makos	(1987-01-18) 18 January 1987 (age 37)	11	0	AEK Athens
2	3MF	Giannis Maniatis	(1986-10-12) 12 October 1986 (age 38)	9	0	Olympiacos
10	3MF	Giorgos Karagounis (captain)	(1977-03-06) 6 March 1977 (age 47)	117	8	Panathinaikos
16	3MF	Giorgos Fotakis	(1981-10-29) 29 October 1981 (age 43)	10	2	PAOK
18	3MF	Sotiris Ninis	(1990-04-03) 3 April 1990 (age 34)	19	2	Parma
21	3MF	Kostas Katsouranis	(1979-06-21) 21 June 1979 (age 45)	91	9	Panathinaikos
22	3MF	Kostas Fortounis	(1992-10-16) 16 October 1992 (age 32)	3	0	Kaiserslautern
23	3MF	Giannis Fetfatzidis	(1990-12-21) 21 December 1990 (age 33)	13	3	Olympiacos

7	4FW	Giorgos Samaras	(1985-02-21) 21 February 1985 (age 39)	54	7	Celtic
9	4FW	Nikos Liberopoulos	(1975-08-04) 4 August 1975 (age 49)	75	13	AEK Athens
11	4FW	Kostas Mitroglou	(1988-03-12) 12 March 1988 (age 36)	13	0	Atromitos
14	4FW	Dimitris Salpigidis	(1981-08-18) 18 August 1981 (age 43)	56	7	PAOK
17	4FW	Theofanis Gekas	(1980-05-23) 23 May 1980 (age 44)	58	21	Samsunspor

Recent callups

The following players have not been called up for the upcoming matches but have been called up for the team in the last 12 months.

Pos.	Player	Date of birth (age)	Caps	Goals	Club	Latest call-up
GK	Orestis Karnezis	(1985-07-11) 11 July 1985 (age 39)	1	0	Panathinaikos	v. Belgium, February 29, 2012
GK	Stefanos Kapino	(1994-03-18) 18 March 1994 (age 30)	1	0	Panathinaikos	v. Romania, November 15, 2011
GK	Dionisis Chiotis	(1977-06-04) 4 June 1977 (age 47)	1	0	APOEL	v. Georgia, October 11, 2011
GK	Dimitris Konstantopoulos	(1978-11-29) 29 November 1978 (age 45)	1	0	AEK Athens	v. Ecuador, June 8, 2011
GK	Stefanos Kotsolis	(1979-06-05) 5 June 1979 (age 45)	4	0	Panathinaikos	v. Ecuador, June 8, 2011

DF	Nikos Spiropoulos	(1983-10-10) 10 October 1983 (age 41)	29	1	Panathinaikos	v. Belgium, February 29, 2012
DF	Kostas Giannoulis	(1987-12-09) 9 December 1987 (age 36)	1	0	Atromitos	v. Romania, November 15, 2011
DF	Giannis Skondras	(1990-02-21) 21 February 1990 (age 34)	0	0	Atromitos	v. Georgia, October 11, 2011
DF	Loukas Vyntra	(1981-02-05) 5 February 1981 (age 43)	42	0	Panathinaikos	v. Georgia, October 11, 2011
DF	Giannis Zaradoukas	(1985-12-12) 12 December 1985 (age 38)	4	0	PAS Giannina	v. Croatia, October 7, 2011
DF	Vangelis Moras	(1981-08-26) 26 August 1981 (age 43)	16	0	Cesena	v. Ecuador, June 8, 2011

MF	Panagiotis Kone	(1987-07-26) 26 July 1987 (age 37)	10	0	Bologna	v. Slovenia, May 26, 2012
MF	Alexandros Tziolis	(1985-02-13) 13 February 1985 (age 39)	32	1	Monaco	v. Slovenia, May 26, 2012
MF	Giorgos Theodoridis	(1980-06-03) 3 June 1980 (age 44)	2	0	Panetolikos	v. Romania, November 15, 2011
MF	Thanos Petsos	(1991-06-05) 5 June 1991 (age 33)	1	0	Kaiserslautern	v. Georgia, October 11, 2011
MF	Pantelis Kafes	(1978-06-24) 24 June 1978 (age 46)	40	3	AEK Athens	v. Israel, September 2, 2011
MF	Vasilis Pliatsikas	(1988-04-14) 14 April 1988 (age 36)	5	0	MSV Duisburg	v. Bosnia and Herzegovina, August 10, 2011
MF	Andreas Tatos	(1989-05-11) 11 May 1989 (age 35)	0	0	Atromitos	v. Bosnia and Herzegovina, August 10, 2011

FW	Stefanos Athanasiadis	(1988-12-24) 24 December 1988 (age 35)	3	0	PAOK	v. Belgium, February 29, 2012
FW	Lazaros Christodoulopoulos	(1986-12-19) 19 December 1986 (age 37)	7	0	Panathinaikos	v. Belgium, February 29, 2012
FW	Angelos Charisteas	(1980-02-09) 9 February 1980 (age 44)	88	25	Panetolikos	v. Romania, November 15, 2011
FW	Giorgos Georgiadis	(1987-12-14) 14 December 1987 (age 36)	3	0	PAOK	v. Latvia, September 6, 2011

Past squads

FIFA World Cup squads

UEFA European Championship squads

FIFA Confederations Cup squads

2005 FIFA Confederations Cup squad

Most Appearances

As of 31 May 2012

#	Name	Career	Caps	Goals
1	Theodoros Zagorakis	1996–2007	120	3
2	Giorgos Karagounis	1999–	117	8
3	Angelos Basinas	1999-2009	100	7
4	Stratos Apostolakis	1986-1998	96	5
5	Kostas Katsouranis	2003-	91	9
6	Antonis Nikopolidis	1998-2009	90	0
7	Angelos Charisteas	2001–	88	25
8	Dimitris Saravakos	1982-1994	78	22
9	Stelios Giannakopoulos	1997-2009	77	12
9	Anastassios Mitropoulos	1978-1994	77	8

Most goals