Kostas Katsouranis

Kostas Katsouranis
Personal information
Full name	Konstantinos Katsouranis
Date of birth	21 June 1979 (age 30)
Place of birth	Patras, Greece
Height	6 ft 0 in (1.83 m)
Playing position	Midfielder / Centre back
Club information
Current club	Panathinaikos
Number	8
Senior career1
National team3
	1 Senior club appearances and goals counted for the domestic league only and correct as of 24 June 2009 (UTC).; 2 Appearances (Goals).; 3 National team caps and goals correct as of 24 June 2009 (UTC)

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Konstantinos "Kostas" Katsouranis (Greek: Κωνσταντίνος „Κώστας“ Κατσουράνης; born 21 June 1979 in Patras) is a Greek footballer who currently plays for Panathinaikos FC and the Greek national team as a defensive midfielder.

[edit] Club career

[edit] Panachaiki

He was only 17 years old when he debuted in the 1996–97 season for the Patras-based club Panachaiki, he spent six seasons there and, by the third, was a regular starter. During his time at Panachaiki, he helped them get promoted from the second division and was a vital part in there fight from relegation during his time at the club.

When his contract with Panachaiki expired, Katsouranis decided that it was time to move forward to a bigger club. He opened negotiations with Panathinaikos, but the coach, Fernando Santos, decided to sign Portuguese Carlos Chaínho, a player he knew when at FC Porto, which meant Katsouranis' transfer would not be finalized.

Olympiacos then approached the Greek. The talks with the vice-president of the club, Giorgos Louvaris, seemed final, but Louvaris asked Katsouranis to wait until the president, Sokratis Kokkalis, returned from a business trip to the United States for the final negotiations. But former AEK Athens president Chrysostomos Psomiadis took advantage of the situation and convinced the promising midfielder to sign a three-year contract with AEK Athens.

[edit] AEK Athens

Coming off the bench and making an impressive debut for the club, Katsouranis immediately became an integral part of the club. His continuing progress in the top-level rapidly made him the team's best player and a first team regular with great performances, both domestically and in European competition. The 2004–05 season would prove to be one Katsouranis' finest seasons with the club, as he scored 10 times in 28 appearances from the defensive midfielder spot, leading the club in a hard battle for the title. AEK managed to finish third when many had expected a mid-table performance. Werder Bremen expressed strong interest for the Greek international but Kostas together with president Demis Nikolaidis decided to reject the offer.

In the 2005–06 season, Katsouranis led the club to a second place finish in the league, which brought them into the UEFA Champions League. Att the end of the season, manager Fernando Santos was sacked and Katsouranis wanted to leave to a bigger club and further his career abroad. He then signed with SL Benfica of Portugal, managed by Fernando Santos, for a fee of around €2 million plus the proceeds of friendly match in Athens between the two clubs. ^[1]

[edit] Benfica

Katsouranis signed a four-year contract with SL Benfica on 22 June 2006, joining is ex-manager in Fernando Santos and fellow countryman Giorgos Karagounis. When he arrived in June, he said "Even if Fernando Santos or Karagounis were not here, I still would have joined. Benfica to me is one of Europe's top clubs and they proved that in the UEFA Champions League. I am here to achieve that same objective and joining Benfica can also help my international career."

In his first Portuguese derby, against FC Porto, he followed on to score for Benfica with a header following a corner kick, the second goal he has scored for Benfica in the league in just a few matches. Katsouranis quickly became a key player for Benfica, scoring some important goals and also captaining the team on a few occasions. He proved to be one of the most important imports into the 2006–07 Portuguese Liga, playing in 29 league matches and scoring six goals.

Despite interest from Valencia CF, Werder Bremen, Tottenham Hotspur, and Juventus, Benfica refused to sell the player, despite Juventus willing to trade Tiago for the Greek international. Benfica were relunctant to sell and, on 14 September 2007, Katsouranis agreed to a contract extension with Benfica for another two years.

On 2 March 2009, Katsouranis was named "Benfica Player of the Year".^[2] .

[edit] Panathinaikos

Katsouranis signed a four year contract with Greek Super League club Panathinaikos, on 1 July 2009 ^[3].

[edit] International career

Katsouranis made his international debut for Greece on 20 August 2003 against Sweden and scored his first goal against Kazakhstan in a 2006 FIFA World Cup qualifier.

Katsouranis was one of the key factors in Greece's triumph at the UEFA Euro 2004, beating Portugal in his own "home" (Benfica's Estádio da Luz) and, following Greece's success at the tournament, Katsouranis was a regular for Greece in their unsuccessful 2006 FIFA World Cup qualifiers. Katsouranis became one of Greece's impact players in their UEFA Euro 2008 qualifiers in which he helped Greece qualify for the finals and have a chance to retain their crown. Their UEFA Euro 2008 campaign resulted in poor fashion as Greece failed to pick up a point.

Katsouranis has captained Greece on several occasions.

[edit] Career Statistics

Club	Season	League		Cup		League Cup		Europe		Total
Club	Season	Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals
Panachaiki	1996-97	14	2	*	*	*	*	*	*	14	2
	1997-98	4	1	*	*	*	*	*	*	4	1
	1998-99	28	1	*	*	*	*	*	*	28	1
	1999-00	27	5	*	*	*	*	*	*	27	5
	2000-01	25	2	*	*	*	*	*	*	25	2
	2001–02	25	3	*	*	*	*	*	*	25	3
AEK Athens	2002–03	26	6	*	*	*	*	*	*	26	6
	2003–04	27	7	*	*	*	*	*	*	27	7
	2004–05	28	10	*	*	*	*	*	*	28	10
	2005–06	29	6	*	*	*	*	*	*	29	6
Total (Greece)		231	43	*	*	*	*	*	*	231	43
S.L. Benfica	2006–07	29	5	*	*	*	*	*	*	29	5
	2007–08	27	2	*	*	*	*	*	*	27	2
	2008–09	24	2	*	*	*	*	*	*	24	2
Total (Portugal)		80	9	*	*	*	*	*	*	80	9
Career Total		311	52	0	0	0	0	0	0	311	52

[edit] International goals

#	Date	Venue	Opponent	Score	Result	Competition
1.	17 November 2004	Athens, Greece	Kazakhstan	3-1	Win	2006 FIFA World Cup qualification
2.	7 October 2006	Athens, Greece	Norway	1-0	Win	UEFA Euro 2008 qualifier
3.	11 October 2006	Zenica, Bosnia and Herzegovina	Bosnia and Herzegovina	0-4	Win	UEFA Euro 2008 qualifier
4.	22 August 2007	Thessaloniki, Greece	Spain	2-3	Loss	Friendly Match
5.	6 February 2008	Nicosia, Cyprus	Finland	2-1	Win	Friendly Match
6.	19 May 2008	Patras, Greece	Cyprus	2-0	Win	Friendly Match
7.	11 October 2008	Athens, Greece	Moldova	3-0	Win	2010 FIFA World Cup qualifier