Giorgos Donis
Encyclopedia
Giorgos Donis born on 29 October 1969 in Frankfurt
, West Germany
) is a retired professional football player. He was the first ever Greek
to play in the English Premiership. In England, he was also known as George Donis.
in 1990, after one successful year he moved to Panathinaikos
. On 5 June 1996 after helping the Greek club reach the UEFA Champions League
semi-finals, Donis moved to Blackburn Rovers on a free transfer, making use of the, then recent, Bosman ruling
signed for 1.1 billion drachmas, a record amount for Greek players at the time. He had an erratic season with them, scoring twice against Everton and Coventry City, before signing for Sheffield United. At United he scored once against Ipswich Town. He then headed back home to play for AEK Athens. Later he moved to England again, this time for Huddersfield Town
were he ended his career.
for one season and then made the move to Larissa
, as coach where after one season he managed to bring the team to the Greece Super League from the second division in one year and finish them in 8th the following year. In 2007 Larissa finished in 10th place but he managed to bring them the Greek Cup after defeating Panathinaikos
in the final. In his first taste of European football management, his Larissa side defeated his former team Blackburn Rovers to qualify for the group stages. He finished a great year in 6th (missing out on the season play-off's on goal difference). On 25 April 2008, Donis stepped down as manager of Larissa and was appointed as head coach of AEK Athens on May 14.
On 17 November 2008, AEK parted company with Giorgos Donis just six months after appointing the former Larissa manager, due to a string of poor performances and early knock out from the UEFA Cup
.
Currently, Giorgos Donis is managing Atromitos F.C. and again reached the Greek Cup Final only to lose this time to AEK Athens 0-3.
on 22 December 1991 and made 24 appearances scoring 5 goals.
Panathinaikos
As a Coach:
Larissa
Atromitos
Frankfurt
Frankfurt am Main , commonly known simply as Frankfurt, is the largest city in the German state of Hesse and the fifth-largest city in Germany, with a 2010 population of 688,249. The urban area had an estimated population of 2,300,000 in 2010...
, West Germany
West Germany
West Germany is the common English, but not official, name for the Federal Republic of Germany or FRG in the period between its creation in May 1949 to German reunification on 3 October 1990....
) is a retired professional football player. He was the first ever Greek
Greece
Greece , officially the Hellenic Republic , and historically Hellas or the Republic of Greece in English, is a country in southeastern Europe....
to play in the English Premiership. In England, he was also known as George Donis.
Club career
Giorgos Donis started his career with PAS GianninaPAS Giannina
PAS Giannina , the Panepirotic Athletic Association Giannina, is a Greek association football club based in the city of Ioannina, the capital of Greece’s Epirus region.Following the 2010–11 season, PAS was promoted to Greece’s Super League division...
in 1990, after one successful year he moved to Panathinaikos
Panathinaikos FC
Panathinaikos Football Club is a Greek professional football club based in Athens. Founded in 1908, they play in the Super League Greece and are one of the oldest and most successful clubs in Greek football history. They have won 20 Greek Championships and 17 Greek Cups.Panathinaikos is the most...
. On 5 June 1996 after helping the Greek club reach the UEFA Champions League
UEFA Champions League
The UEFA Champions League, known simply the Champions League and originally known as the European Champion Clubs' Cup or European Cup, is an annual international club football competition organised by the Union of European Football Associations since 1955 for the top football clubs in Europe. It...
semi-finals, Donis moved to Blackburn Rovers on a free transfer, making use of the, then recent, Bosman ruling
Bosman ruling
Union Royale Belge des Sociétés de Football Association ASBL v Jean-Marc Bosman is a 1995 European Court of Justice decision concerning freedom of movement for workers, freedom of association, and direct effect of article 39 of the EC Treaty...
signed for 1.1 billion drachmas, a record amount for Greek players at the time. He had an erratic season with them, scoring twice against Everton and Coventry City, before signing for Sheffield United. At United he scored once against Ipswich Town. He then headed back home to play for AEK Athens. Later he moved to England again, this time for Huddersfield Town
Huddersfield Town F.C.
Huddersfield Town Football Club is an English football club formed in 1908 and based in Huddersfield, West Yorkshire. They currently play in League One...
were he ended his career.
Management career
At the end of his playing career, he turned to coaching. In 2003 he managed the Zografou team IlisiakosIlisiakos F.C.
Ilisiakos is an Ilisia-based football club that was founded in 1927 by Michalis Xydis, Lambropoulos, Evgenopoulos, Nikolaos Plessas, et al.. Ilisiakos spent the majority of its later history in the Greek second division however the footballing arm of the club merged with Egaleo F.C...
for one season and then made the move to Larissa
AEL 1964
AEL 1964 F.C., fully the Athletic Union of Larissa 1964 , is a Greek association football club based in the city of Larissa, capital of Greece's Thessaly region. The club is also known, unofficially, as Larissa. It is the only FC outside the two big Greek cities, Athens and Thessaloniki, to have...
, as coach where after one season he managed to bring the team to the Greece Super League from the second division in one year and finish them in 8th the following year. In 2007 Larissa finished in 10th place but he managed to bring them the Greek Cup after defeating Panathinaikos
Panathinaikos FC
Panathinaikos Football Club is a Greek professional football club based in Athens. Founded in 1908, they play in the Super League Greece and are one of the oldest and most successful clubs in Greek football history. They have won 20 Greek Championships and 17 Greek Cups.Panathinaikos is the most...
in the final. In his first taste of European football management, his Larissa side defeated his former team Blackburn Rovers to qualify for the group stages. He finished a great year in 6th (missing out on the season play-off's on goal difference). On 25 April 2008, Donis stepped down as manager of Larissa and was appointed as head coach of AEK Athens on May 14.
On 17 November 2008, AEK parted company with Giorgos Donis just six months after appointing the former Larissa manager, due to a string of poor performances and early knock out from the UEFA Cup
UEFA Cup
The UEFA Europa League is an annual association football cup competition organised by UEFA since 1971 for eligible European football clubs. It is the second most prestigious European club football contest after the UEFA Champions League...
.
Currently, Giorgos Donis is managing Atromitos F.C. and again reached the Greek Cup Final only to lose this time to AEK Athens 0-3.
International career
He debuted for the Greek national football teamGreece national football team
The Greece national football team 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...
on 22 December 1991 and made 24 appearances scoring 5 goals.
Honours
As a Player:Panathinaikos
Panathinaikos FC
Panathinaikos Football Club is a Greek professional football club based in Athens. Founded in 1908, they play in the Super League Greece and are one of the oldest and most successful clubs in Greek football history. They have won 20 Greek Championships and 17 Greek Cups.Panathinaikos is the most...
- Greek ChampionshipSuper League GreeceThe Superleague Greece is the highest professional football league in Greece. It was formed on July 16, 2006 and replaced Alpha Ethniki at the top of the Greek football league system. The league consists of 16 teams and runs from August to May, with teams playing 30 games each...
: 1995, 1996 - Greek CupGreek football CupThe Greek Football Cup , commonly known as the Greek Cup or for sponsorship reasons the Football Cup OPAP, is a Greek football competition, run by the Hellenic Football Federation....
: 1993, 1994, 1995 - Greek Super CupGreek Super Cup-Official edition:-External links:*...
: 1993, 1994
As a Coach:
Larissa
- Greek CupGreek football CupThe Greek Football Cup , commonly known as the Greek Cup or for sponsorship reasons the Football Cup OPAP, is a Greek football competition, run by the Hellenic Football Federation....
: 2007 - Greek Second DivisionBeta EthnikiFootball League, former Beta Ethniki, is the second highest professional football league in Greece.-History:In its first years, the system of conduct was very intriguing. It began in 1954 as regional championship, separated in two groups, North and South. Then, the participating teams were the...
: 2005
Atromitos
Atromitos
Atromitos FC is a football club based in Peristeri, Athens that plays in the Super League Greece.-History:Atromitos FC was officially founded in May 1923 when Kalomvounis, Petos, Glykofridis, Stathopoulos, Synodinos, Rigopoulos, Stamatopoulos, and other students living in Victoria Square decided...
- Greek CupGreek football CupThe Greek Football Cup , commonly known as the Greek Cup or for sponsorship reasons the Football Cup OPAP, is a Greek football competition, run by the Hellenic Football Federation....
: 2011 Running-Up
External links
- Career Stats at National Football Teams.