Ioannis Fetfatzidis
Encyclopedia
Ioannis Fetfatzidis (born 21 December 1990) is a professional Greek footballer. He currently plays for the Greek club Olympiacos F.C. and the Greece national football team
.
, he joined Olympiacos who helped him with his growth hormone treatment.
gave him his Champions League
debut against Standard Liège
on 4 November 2009 in Liège
substituting Luciano Galletti
in the 39th minute of play.
On 15 July 2010 in Tirana
he made his first appearance in Europa League against Besa Kavajë replacing Jaouad Zairi
in the 75th minute. Fetfatzidis scored his first European goal against Besa Kavajë in G. Karaiskakis Stadium
in a high-score victory for Olympiacos F.C.. The match ended 6–1. Fetfatzidis scored his first goal in Superleague
against Skoda Xanthi F.C on 16 October 2010, replacing Dennis Rommedahl
. The match ended 0–3 victory for Olympiacos F.C.. His second goal, scored against Larissa in the last match of the season.
In early September 2010, Olympiacos F.C. reinforced his contract until 2015, increasing his wages and putting a €12.5 million release clause on his contract.
On 23 November 2011, Fetfatzidis helped Olympiacos to a 1-0 victory over Olympique Marseille
in the Champions League by scoring in the 82nd minute at the Stade Vélodrome, placing them in 3rd place in Group F.
|2009–10
||rowspan="3"|Olympiacos F.C.||rowspan="3"|Superleague Greece||3||0||0||0||1||0||4||0
|-
|2010–11
||19||2||3||0||2||1||24||3
|-
|2011–12
||3||0||0||0||2||1||5||1
|-
25||2||3||0||5||2||33||4
in the UEFA Euro 2012 qualifying
participating in the 1–0 win against Latvia
on 8 October 2010 at the G. Karaiskakis Stadium
as a 82nd minute substitution for Sotiris Ninis
. The following game with Israel he was substituted early for Sotiris Ninis
who picked up an injury. On 9 February 2011, he scored his first goal for the national team at the AEL FC Arena in Larissa in a friendly match against Canada
that Greece won 1-0.
Fetfatzidis is commonly compared to Lionel Messi
by fans and Greek based players, and is often referred to as "Greek Messi" due to his close ball control and skill. Fetfatzidis scored his 2nd and 3rd goals for his country on June 3rd against Malta during a Euro 2012 qualifying game.
Greece 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...
.
Early years
Fetfatzidis began playing football in the Vouliagmeni academies at age 6. His father was also a footballer for the lower league Glyfada Thunder. Fetfatzidis most significant spells were at the Glyfada and Sourmena Academies. He left Sourmena FC's youth team in 2004 (age 12) after he was spotted by coach Kostas Arzenis (Olympiacos Academies) and although there was competition from AEK Athens and PanathinaikosPanathinaikos
Panathinaikos Athlitikos Omilos is a multi-sport club based in Athens, Greece. It has the shamrock as its official emblem and green and white as its colours...
, he joined Olympiacos who helped him with his growth hormone treatment.
Olympiacos
Fetfatzidis made his debut with Olympiacos F.C. in the Greek championship during the 2009–2010 season, participating in the win against Atromitos on 31 October 2009. ZicoZico
Arthur Antunes Coimbra , better known as Zico , is a Brazilian coach and former footballer. He is the current head coach of the Iraq national football team. Often called the "White Pelé", he is commonly considered one of the most skilled finishers and one of the best passers ever and possibly the...
gave him his 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...
debut against Standard Liège
Standard Liège
Royal Standard de Liège, commonly referred to as Standard Liège Royal Standard de Liège, commonly referred to as Standard Liège Royal Standard de Liège, commonly referred to as Standard Liège (Dutch: Standard Luik [], German: Standard Lüttich , is a Belgian football club from the city of Liège....
on 4 November 2009 in Liège
Liège
Liège is a major city and municipality of Belgium located in the province of Liège, of which it is the economic capital, in Wallonia, the French-speaking region of Belgium....
substituting Luciano Galletti
Luciano Galletti
Luciano Martín Galletti is a former Argentine football right winger Forward last playing for Olympiacos CFP in Greece.-Playing career:...
in the 39th minute of play.
On 15 July 2010 in Tirana
Tirana
Tirana is the capital and the largest city of Albania. Modern Tirana was founded as an Ottoman town in 1614 by Sulejman Bargjini, a local ruler from Mullet, although the area has been continuously inhabited since antiquity. Tirana became Albania's capital city in 1920 and has a population of over...
he made his first appearance in Europa League against Besa Kavajë replacing Jaouad Zairi
Jaouad Zairi
Jaouad Zairi is a Moroccan footballer. He is currently free transfer and member of the Moroccan national team. He is nicknamed The Juggler because of his impressive technical skills.- Early life :...
in the 75th minute. Fetfatzidis scored his first European goal against Besa Kavajë in G. Karaiskakis Stadium
Karaiskakis Stadium
Karaiskakis Stadium is in the Neo Faliro area of Piraeus, Greece. It is the home ground of Olympiacos F.C. and is named after Georgios Karaiskakis , hero of the Greek War of Independence, who was mortally wounded near the area....
in a high-score victory for Olympiacos F.C.. The match ended 6–1. Fetfatzidis scored his first goal in Superleague
2010–11 Super League Greece
The 2010–11 Superleague Greece was the 52nd season of the highest football league of Greece and the fifth under the name Superleague. The league consisted of 16 teams, the 13 best teams of the 2009–10 season and three teams that had been promoted from the 2009–10 Beta Ethniki.The season began on 27...
against Skoda Xanthi F.C on 16 October 2010, replacing Dennis Rommedahl
Dennis Rommedahl
Dennis Rommedahl is a Danish footballer, who currently plays as a right winger for Brøndby IF. He has played 112 matches and scored 21 goals for the Danish national side. Rommedahl was selected for the Danish squads at the 2002 World Cup, Euro 2004 and the 2010 World Cup...
. The match ended 0–3 victory for Olympiacos F.C.. His second goal, scored against Larissa in the last match of the season.
In early September 2010, Olympiacos F.C. reinforced his contract until 2015, increasing his wages and putting a €12.5 million release clause on his contract.
On 23 November 2011, Fetfatzidis helped Olympiacos to a 1-0 victory over Olympique Marseille
Olympique de Marseille
Olympique de Marseille is a French association football club based in Marseille. Founded in 1899, the club plays in Ligue 1 and have spent most of its history in the top tier of French football. Marseille have been French champions nine times and have won the Coupe de France a record ten times. In...
in the Champions League by scoring in the 82nd minute at the Stade Vélodrome, placing them in 3rd place in Group F.
Career Statistics
|-|2009–10
2009–10 Super League Greece
The 2009–10 Super League Greece season is the fourth since its establishment. The league consists of 16 teams. Participants are the 13 best teams from the 2008–09 season and three teams that have been promoted from the Beta Ethniki...
||rowspan="3"|Olympiacos F.C.||rowspan="3"|Superleague Greece||3||0||0||0||1||0||4||0
|-
|2010–11
2010–11 Super League Greece
The 2010–11 Superleague Greece was the 52nd season of the highest football league of Greece and the fifth under the name Superleague. The league consisted of 16 teams, the 13 best teams of the 2009–10 season and three teams that had been promoted from the 2009–10 Beta Ethniki.The season began on 27...
||19||2||3||0||2||1||24||3
|-
|2011–12
2011–12 Superleague Greece
The 2011–12 Superleague Greece is the 53rd season of the highest football league of Greece and the sixth under the name Superleague. The season will begin in late August or early September 2011 and will end in May 2012 with the last matches of the European playoff round...
||3||0||0||0||2||1||5||1
|-
25||2||3||0||5||2||33||4
International career
Fetfatzidis made his debut with GreeceGreece 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...
in the UEFA Euro 2012 qualifying
UEFA Euro 2012 qualifying
The qualifying competition for UEFA Euro 2012 is a series of parallel association football competitions held over 2010 and 2011 to decide the qualifiers for UEFA Euro 2012, to be held in Poland and Ukraine...
participating in the 1–0 win against Latvia
Latvia national football team
The Latvian national football team is controlled by the Latvian Football Federation, the governing body for football in Latvia and represents the country in international football competitions, such as the World Cup and the European Championships. So far, they have never qualified for a FIFA World...
on 8 October 2010 at the G. Karaiskakis Stadium
Karaiskakis Stadium
Karaiskakis Stadium is in the Neo Faliro area of Piraeus, Greece. It is the home ground of Olympiacos F.C. and is named after Georgios Karaiskakis , hero of the Greek War of Independence, who was mortally wounded near the area....
as a 82nd minute substitution for Sotiris Ninis
Sotiris Ninis
Sotiris Ninis is a Greek footballer currently playing for Panathinaikos. Ninis is of Greek descent, and a member of the Greek national team. He was born in Albania to Greek parents...
. The following game with Israel he was substituted early for Sotiris Ninis
Sotiris Ninis
Sotiris Ninis is a Greek footballer currently playing for Panathinaikos. Ninis is of Greek descent, and a member of the Greek national team. He was born in Albania to Greek parents...
who picked up an injury. On 9 February 2011, he scored his first goal for the national team at the AEL FC Arena in Larissa in a friendly match against Canada
Canada men's national soccer team
The Canada men's national soccer team represents Canada in international soccer competitions at the senior men's level. They are overseen by the Canadian Soccer Association and compete in the Confederation of North, Central American and Caribbean Association Football .Their most significant...
that Greece won 1-0.
Fetfatzidis is commonly compared to Lionel Messi
Lionel Messi
Lionel Andrés "Leo" Messi is an Argentine footballer who plays for FC Barcelona and captains the Argentina national team, mainly as a striker. Messi received several Ballon d'Or and FIFA World Player of the Year nominations by the age of 21, and won in 2009 and 2010...
by fans and Greek based players, and is often referred to as "Greek Messi" due to his close ball control and skill. Fetfatzidis scored his 2nd and 3rd goals for his country on June 3rd against Malta during a Euro 2012 qualifying game.
International goals
| # | Date | Venue | Opponent | Score | Result | Competition |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | 9 February 2011 | Larissa Larissa Larissa is the capital and biggest city of the Thessaly region of Greece and capital of the Larissa regional unit. It is a principal agricultural centre and a national transportation hub, linked by road and rail with the port of Volos, the city of Thessaloniki and Athens... , Greece Greece Greece , officially the Hellenic Republic , and historically Hellas or the Republic of Greece in English, is a country in southeastern Europe.... |
1–0 | Win | Friendly Match Exhibition game An exhibition game is a sporting event in which there is no competitive value of any significant kind to any competitor regardless of the outcome of the competition... |
|
| 2. | 3 June 2011 | Piraeus Piraeus Piraeus is a city in the region of Attica, Greece. Piraeus is located within the Athens Urban Area, 12 km southwest from its city center , and lies along the east coast of the Saronic Gulf.... , Greece Greece Greece , officially the Hellenic Republic , and historically Hellas or the Republic of Greece in English, is a country in southeastern Europe.... |
3–1 | Win | UEFA Euro 2012 Qualifier | |
| 3. | 3 June 2011 | Piraeus Piraeus Piraeus is a city in the region of Attica, Greece. Piraeus is located within the Athens Urban Area, 12 km southwest from its city center , and lies along the east coast of the Saronic Gulf.... , Greece Greece Greece , officially the Hellenic Republic , and historically Hellas or the Republic of Greece in English, is a country in southeastern Europe.... |
3–1 | Win | UEFA Euro 2012 Qualifier | |