Vassilis Tsiartas
Encyclopedia
Vassilios Tsiartas (born on 12 November 1972 in Alexandreia
, Greece
) is a retired Greek
international football player who played as an attacking midfielder. Although he was famed for his lackadaisical playing style, his ability was never in question and he was in many ways the epitome of a player who wears the number 10 shirt. Tsiartas was predominantly left footed
but was just as dangerous with his right. He was a phenomenal free kick
specialist and also took all penalties
for the National Team of Greece
and his club sides. He was an important part of the Greek National Side claiming two assists in Portugal towards Greece's ultimate victory Euro 2004 (they began the tournament as 100-1 outsiders). In his entire career he did not receive a single red card.
. The left footed attacking midfielder
soon made a name for himself and his subsequent move to AEK Athens FC
resulted in him scoring the most goals in the 1996 season in the Alpha Ethniki (A League). This and his huge attacking presence lead to a move to Sevilla FC
where he was an influential captain and vital in team gaining promotion to the Primera Division
. He was known in Sevilla as 'El Mago' due to his lethal ability with any free kicks combined with a powerful shot in or outside the box. He returned to AEK Athens FC
in 2000 and after another successful 4 year spell at AEK he ended his career at 1. FC Köln
. Tsiartas officially returned to active competition by signing with Ethnikos Piraeus in Greece
. On 14 February 2007 Vasilis Tsiartas announced his retirement from professional football
on 27 April 1994 in a game against Saudi Arabia
. He managed to score 12 goals (5 of which were penalties) in his 70 caps with the National Team including an important penalty against Northern Ireland
in 2003 which led to Greece's qualification for Euro 2004. During the Euro 2004 he was used mainly as a substitute by the team's coach Otto Rehhagel
, but managed to claim two vital assists, one against Spain
and the other against the Czech Republic
on the way to Greece's victory in the tournament.
|-
! National team
! Season
! Apps
! Goals
|-
| rowspan=12|
| 1994
| 6
| 0
|-
| 1995
| 10
| 2
|-
| 1996
| 6
| 1
|-
| 1997
| 2
| 0
|-
| 1998
| 2
| 0
|-
| 1999
| 3
| 2
|-
| 2000
| 7
| 0
|-
| 2001
| 1
| 1
|-
| 2002
| 8
| 1
|-
| 2003
| 9
| 3
|-
| 2004
| 14
| 2
|-
| 2005
| 2
| 0
|-
! colspan=2| Total
! 70
! 12
Greece
Individual
Alexandreia
Alexandreia is a city in the Imathia peripheral unit, Greece.-Municipality:The municipality Alexandreia was formed at the 2011 local government reform by the merger of the following 4 former municipalities, that became municipal units:* Alexandreia...
, Greece
Greece
Greece , officially the Hellenic Republic , and historically Hellas or the Republic of Greece in English, is a country in southeastern Europe....
) is a retired Greek
Greeks
The Greeks, also known as the Hellenes , are a nation and ethnic group native to Greece, Cyprus and neighboring regions. They also form a significant diaspora, with Greek communities established around the world....
international football player who played as an attacking midfielder. Although he was famed for his lackadaisical playing style, his ability was never in question and he was in many ways the epitome of a player who wears the number 10 shirt. Tsiartas was predominantly left footed
Laterality
Laterality is the preference that most humans show for one side of their body over the other. Examples include right-handedness or left-footedness. It may also apply to other animals, or to plants.- Human laterality :...
but was just as dangerous with his right. He was a phenomenal free kick
Direct free kick
A direct free kick is a method of restarting play in a game of association football following a foul. Unlike an indirect free kick, a goal may be scored directly against the opposing side without the ball having first touched another player.-Award:...
specialist and also took all penalties
Penalty kick
A penalty kick is a type of direct free kick in association football, taken from twelve yards out from goal and with only the goalkeeper of the defending team between the penalty taker and the goal.Penalty kicks are performed during normal play...
for the National Team of Greece
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...
and his club sides. He was an important part of the Greek National Side claiming two assists in Portugal towards Greece's ultimate victory Euro 2004 (they began the tournament as 100-1 outsiders). In his entire career he did not receive a single red card.
Club career
He began his career at the academy at AE Alexandris and later the team of F.A.S. Naoussa FC which also produced such players as Yiotis Tsalouchidis and Dimitris MarkosDimitris Markos
Dimitris Markos is a retired Greek football midfielder. He now works as a scout for AEK Athens.-Career:Markos was born in Kilkis. He started his football career in Naoussa F.C., where he played three and a half season before joining the large Panathinaikos team...
. The left footed attacking midfielder
Midfielder
A midfielder is an association football position. Some midfielders play a more defensive role, while others blur the boundaries between midfielders and forwards. The number of midfielders a team uses during a match may vary, depending on the team's formation and each individual player's role...
soon made a name for himself and his subsequent move to AEK Athens FC
AEK Athens FC
AEK Athens F.C. , the Athletic Union of Constantinople, is a Greek association football club based in the city of Athens, Greece. Outside Greece, the club is also known as AEK Athens, however, the word Athens is not part of the club's official title.Established in Athens in 1924 by Greek refugees...
resulted in him scoring the most goals in the 1996 season in the Alpha Ethniki (A League). This and his huge attacking presence lead to a move to Sevilla FC
Sevilla FC
Sevilla Fútbol Club S.A.D. is a Spanish professional football club based in Seville, Spain that plays in the Spanish La Liga championship.They are one of the most successful clubs in Spanish football having won a 1 La Liga title, 5 Spanish "Copa del Rey" Cups, 1 Spanish Super Cup and 2 UEFA...
where he was an influential captain and vital in team gaining promotion to the Primera Division
La Liga
The Primera División of the Liga Nacional de Fútbol Profesional , commonly known as La Liga or, for sponsorship reasons, Liga BBVA since 2008, is the top professional association football division of the Spanish football league system...
. He was known in Sevilla as 'El Mago' due to his lethal ability with any free kicks combined with a powerful shot in or outside the box. He returned to AEK Athens FC
AEK Athens FC
AEK Athens F.C. , the Athletic Union of Constantinople, is a Greek association football club based in the city of Athens, Greece. Outside Greece, the club is also known as AEK Athens, however, the word Athens is not part of the club's official title.Established in Athens in 1924 by Greek refugees...
in 2000 and after another successful 4 year spell at AEK he ended his career at 1. FC Köln
1. FC Köln
1. FC Köln is a German association football club based in Cologne, North Rhine-Westphalia. It was formed in 1948 as a merger of the clubs Kölner Ballspiel-Club 1901 and SpVgg Sülz 07....
. Tsiartas officially returned to active competition by signing with Ethnikos Piraeus in Greece
Greece
Greece , officially the Hellenic Republic , and historically Hellas or the Republic of Greece in English, is a country in southeastern Europe....
. On 14 February 2007 Vasilis Tsiartas announced his retirement from professional football
International career
Having played U-16 and U-21 he debuted for the Greek National 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 27 April 1994 in a game against Saudi Arabia
Saudi Arabia national football team
Saudi Arabia national football team is the national team of Saudi Arabia and is controlled by the Saudi Arabia Football Federation...
. He managed to score 12 goals (5 of which were penalties) in his 70 caps with the National Team including an important penalty against Northern Ireland
Northern Ireland national football team
The Northern Ireland national football team represents Northern Ireland in international association football. Before 1921 all of Ireland was represented by a single side, the Ireland national football team, organised by the Irish Football Association...
in 2003 which led to Greece's qualification for Euro 2004. During the Euro 2004 he was used mainly as a substitute by the team's coach Otto Rehhagel
Otto Rehhagel
Otto Rehhagel is a German football coach and former football player. Along with Helmut Schön, Ottmar Hitzfeld, Udo Lattek and Hennes Weisweiler, he is considered one of the most successful German managers....
, but managed to claim two vital assists, one against Spain
Spain national football team
The Spain national football team represents Spain in international association football and is controlled by the Royal Spanish Football Federation, the governing body for football in Spain. The current head coach is Vicente del Bosque...
and the other against the Czech Republic
Czech Republic
The Czech Republic is a landlocked country in Central Europe. The country is bordered by Poland to the northeast, Slovakia to the east, Austria to the south, and Germany to the west and northwest....
on the way to Greece's victory in the tournament.
International
{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center"|-
! National team
! Season
! Apps
! Goals
|-
| rowspan=12|
| 1994
| 6
| 0
|-
| 1995
| 10
| 2
|-
| 1996
| 6
| 1
|-
| 1997
| 2
| 0
|-
| 1998
| 2
| 0
|-
| 1999
| 3
| 2
|-
| 2000
| 7
| 0
|-
| 2001
| 1
| 1
|-
| 2002
| 8
| 1
|-
| 2003
| 9
| 3
|-
| 2004
| 14
| 2
|-
| 2005
| 2
| 0
|-
! colspan=2| Total
! 70
! 12
Honours
AEK Athens- Alpha EthnikiSuper 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...
: 2
-
- 1993, 1994
- 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....
: 2
- Greek Cup
- 1996, 2002
- 1993, 1994
Greece
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...
- UEFA European ChampionshipUEFA European Football ChampionshipThe UEFA European Football Championship is the main football competition of the men's national football teams governed by UEFA . Held every four years since 1960, in the even-numbered year between World Cup tournaments, it was originally called the UEFA European Nations Cup, changing to the current...
: 1
-
- 2004
Individual
- Greek Super LeagueSuper 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...
top scorer: 1
-
- 1996
- Greek Footballer of the year: 1
- 1996
- 1996
Trivia
- He featured on the cover of the Greek edition of FIFA 2000.