Theodoros Zagorakis
| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Full name |
Theodoros Zagorakis (Θεόδωρος Ζαγοράκης) | ||
| Height | 1.78 m (5 ft 10 in) | ||
| Position(s) | center midfield | ||
| Team information | |||
Current team | PAOK | ||
| Number | 7 | ||
| ‡ National team caps and goals, correct as of March 2006 | |||
Theodoros Zagorakis (Greek: Θεόδωρος Ζαγοράκης; born October 27, 1971, in Kavala, Greece) is the captain of PAOK and the Greece national football team that won the 2004 European Football Championship.
A gritty but stylish defensive midfielder, Zagorakis started his career with FC Kavala, but moved to PAOK Thessaloniki in 1992. He stayed with PAOK until 1998, when he moved to English club Leicester City. While in England, he took part in two consecutive League Cup finals at Wembley Stadium, losing the first against Tottenham Hotspur in 1999 and defeating Tranmere Rovers in 2000.
Zagorakis headed back to Greece in 2000, joining AEK Athens, where he won the Greek Cup in 2002. On July 14, 2004, he was released by AEK as a result of the club's serious financial difficulties. After failed talks with newly-promoted Spanish club Levante, he signed a two-year contract with Italian Serie A side Bologna on July 16, moving on a Bosman free transfer.
Zagorakis signed a 2-year contract with PAOK FC (21/7/2005), after Bologna released him for free, in July 2005 (Bologna was relegated from Italian Serie A, and could not afford his wages). His fee was announced to be something less than 900,000 euros per year, a significant cutback on his previous wages. When Zagorakis landed at Makedonia Airport in Thessaloniki, 5000 PAOK supporters were there to welcome him back.
Zagorakis goes by the nickname "Theo", which was given to him by Leicester fans. He prefers shirt number 7, which he wears for Greece and will wear again for PAOK.
Zagorakis is also the captain of the national team. His first cap was in 1994, against the Faroe Islands. He played an important role in Greece's victory in the 2004 European Championship, and was named the Player of the Tournament by UEFA. Zagorakis is currently Greece's all-time leader in caps, earning his 100th against Kazakhstan on November 17, 2004. He is at 115 caps as of March 2006 (scoring his first ever goal on a free kick against Denmark in World Cup 06 qualifying, in Athens, during his 101st cap), and has never missed an international game due to injury. Although going 100 games without scoring a goal, he has scored three goals in his last 14 games. What makes it surprising to some, is that he is 34.
Trivia
- Zagorakis was featured on the cover of the Greek edition of FIFA 2000.
- His body naturally produces high levels of testosterone, which were suspected to have been caused by performance enhancing drugs. It has long been proven that it is indeed a natural but rare phenomenon, although it can cause him inconvenience with regard to drug tests.
- Gossip TV shows in Greece link him with a different super-model / pop singer almost every other month, but he is still single.
- Zagorakis is said to bear a striking resemblance to Australian actor Hugh Jackman.