Nikos Nioplias
Encyclopedia
Nikolaos "Nikos" Nioplias , born on 17 January 1965 is a Greek
football manager
and former international footballer. He currently manages the Cyprus national football team
.
. In his first season he won the cup again and in 1994/95 they completed the domestic double. The next season the Athens side retained the title and Nioplias played a vital role in their run to the UEFA Champions League semi-finals. In 1996 he returned to OFI and remained for six seasons until a move to Halkidona FC, representing the newly-promoted side until summer 2004, when he ended his career having racked up 509 Greek top-flight appearances, second only to Mimis Domazos
– 363 appearances with OFI FC.
Nioplias lead Greece to the final of the U19 European Championship after remaining unbeaten in their group which featured Spain, Portugal and the host nation Austria. Greece than beat Germany 3:2 in the semi-final with a 90th minute header after Greece had a player sent off in the 60th minute. The final between Spain (who beat France in the other semi-final) and Greece was played on the 27/07 and Greece lost 1–0 despite a convincing second half display.
head coach, alongside with Krzysztof Warzycha
on the 8th of December 2009, immediately after the former manager, Henk ten Cate
, was released. Nioplias stated: "It is a great honour for me to be the manager of Panathinaikos. Starting from today, we are getting to work. My goal is to achieve with the team as the manager, what i 've achieved as a player.
He managed to win both the 2009–10 Greek Championship and Cup, ending a six-year drought.
Nioplias left Panathinaikos on 15 November 2010 "by mutual consent,"
to be the manager of Cyprus national football team
until the end of UEFA Euro 2012 qualifying
and for the 2014 FIFA World Cup qualification
.
As a Manager:
OFI Crete FC
Panathinaikos
As a Manager:
Greece
Greece , officially the Hellenic Republic , and historically Hellas or the Republic of Greece in English, is a country in southeastern Europe....
football manager
Coach (sport)
In sports, a coach is an individual involved in the direction, instruction and training of the operations of a sports team or of individual sportspeople.-Staff:...
and former international footballer. He currently manages the Cyprus national football team
Cyprus national football team
The Cyprus national football team represents Cyprus in association football and is controlled by the Cyprus Football Association, the governing body for football in Cyprus. Cyprus' home ground is the GSP Stadium in Nicosia and the current coach is Nikos Nioplias...
.
Club career
His career began with OFI Crete FC in 1982, winning the Greek Cup in 1987, and he remained for a decade before moving to Panathinaikos FCPanathinaikos 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 his first season he won the cup again and in 1994/95 they completed the domestic double. The next season the Athens side retained the title and Nioplias played a vital role in their run to the UEFA Champions League semi-finals. In 1996 he returned to OFI and remained for six seasons until a move to Halkidona FC, representing the newly-promoted side until summer 2004, when he ended his career having racked up 509 Greek top-flight appearances, second only to Mimis Domazos
Mimis Domazos
Dimitris "Mimis" Domazos , is a retired Greek footballer born in Ambelokipi, Athens. His nickname is "The General".Mimis Domazos is considered by many to be the best footballer that Greece has ever produced...
– 363 appearances with OFI FC.
International career
Meanwhile, he carved out a distinguished international career. Playing for Greece at the 1984 UEFA European Under-18 Championship finals, four years later he helped his nation to the final of the UEFA European U21 Championship. He graduated to the senior team, and was in the squad that qualified for the 1994 FIFA World Cup. In all he won 44 caps, and his move into coaching was no surprise as he was considered a natural instructor even on the pitch.Greece Under 19s
After gaining a diploma in the Netherlands, in January 2005 he gained his first coaching role. Coach of the Greece National Under 19 Football Team. He proved an immediate success as he masterminded Greece's progress to these finals in late May with wins against Scotland, Austria and Slovakia. In the latter game, when Greece only needed a point, he played an attacking game for a 2–0 victory and explained: "We played to win, because we must never allow expedience to come into the picture for such young players. Football should be joyful and that's the idea we are trying to instill in them."Nioplias lead Greece to the final of the U19 European Championship after remaining unbeaten in their group which featured Spain, Portugal and the host nation Austria. Greece than beat Germany 3:2 in the semi-final with a 90th minute header after Greece had a player sent off in the 60th minute. The final between Spain (who beat France in the other semi-final) and Greece was played on the 27/07 and Greece lost 1–0 despite a convincing second half display.
Greece Under 21s
Nioplias was named coach of the Greece national under-21 football team in September 2007 after his success with Greece National Under 19 Football Team in Austria.Panathinaikos
Nioplias was appointed as the Panathinaikos FCPanathinaikos 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...
head coach, alongside with Krzysztof Warzycha
Krzysztof Warzycha
Krzysztof "Kristof" Warzycha is a former Polish professional footballer. For the majority of his career he played for Greek club Panathinaikos FC.- KS Ruch Chorzów :...
on the 8th of December 2009, immediately after the former manager, Henk ten Cate
Henk ten Cate
Henk ten Cate is a Dutch football manager and a former professional player.In the 2005–06 season, he was the assistant of Frank Rijkaard at Barcelona that guided the team to a Champions League Trophy and La Liga title...
, was released. Nioplias stated: "It is a great honour for me to be the manager of Panathinaikos. Starting from today, we are getting to work. My goal is to achieve with the team as the manager, what i 've achieved as a player.
He managed to win both the 2009–10 Greek Championship and Cup, ending a six-year drought.
Nioplias left Panathinaikos on 15 November 2010 "by mutual consent,"
Cyprus
On June 2011 Noplias agreed with Cyprus Football AssociationCyprus Football Association
The Cyprus Football Association is the governing body of football in Cyprus. It organizes the football league, whose top league is Cypriot First Division, Cypriot Cup, Cyprus FA Shield and the Cypriot national football team. It is based in Nicosia. It Football was introduced to Cyprus early in...
to be the manager of Cyprus national football team
Cyprus national football team
The Cyprus national football team represents Cyprus in association football and is controlled by the Cyprus Football Association, the governing body for football in Cyprus. Cyprus' home ground is the GSP Stadium in Nicosia and the current coach is Nikos Nioplias...
until the end of 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...
and for the 2014 FIFA World Cup qualification
2014 FIFA World Cup qualification
The 2014 FIFA World Cup will feature 32 teams. One place was allocated to the hosts, , but no automatic place is given to the defending champions, . The remaining 31 places will be determined by a qualification process, in which entrants from among the other 207 teams from the six FIFA...
.
Career statistics
As A Player:As a Manager:
| Nat | Team | From | To | Record | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| P | W | D | L | Win % | |||||||
 Greece |
Greece U19 Greece national under-19 football team -Group 3:- Current squad :Represented Greece in the UEFA under 19 championship July 20- August 1 2011- See also :* Greece Under-19 2007 national team* Greece Under-19 2007 national team- External links :*... |
2005 | 2007 |
||||||||
| Greece |
Greece U21 | 2007 | 2009 |
||||||||
| Greece |
Panathinaikos | 2009 | 2010 |
||||||||
Honours
As A Player:OFI Crete FC
- 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....
: 1987
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
As a Manager:
- 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...
: 2010 - Greek Football 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....
: 2010 - U19 European Championship – Greece Silver Medal.