The best Greek players to play in the Premier League.

From Donis and Basinas to Tsimikas and Tzolis, plenty of Greek players have tried their luck in the best league in the world. With the Greek Cup final setting to take place in London we take a look at the Greek players who done it on a cold and windy night in Stoke. By Nikolas Fil

1.Stelios Giannakopoulos (Bolton)

Stelios joined The Wanderers in 2003 after 7 years wearing the Olympiacos’ red. One of Bolton’s finest players, alongside Jay-Jay Okocha, Djorkaeff and Real Madrid legend Fernando Hierro. In his debut season under Sam Allardyce he played 31 times in the Prem scoring twice helping Bolton finish 8th, their highest PL finish ever. He also helped the club reach the Carling Cup final where they lost 2-1 to Middlesbrough. Stelios left Bolton in 2008, after 137 appearances and 20 goals to join Hull, before returning back to Greece for AE Larisa in 2009.

2.Nikos Dabizas (Newcastle)

Another former Olympiacos player, Dabizas joined Newcastle after 4 successful years at Piraeus with 104 appearances and 2 league titles in 1997 and 1998.Dabizas joined Newcastle in January 1998, in his first season under Kenny Daglish he managed 11 appearances and 1 goal, against Chelsea in a 3-1 win. In the 1998/99 season and after a change to Newcastle’s manager, from Daglish to Ruud Gullit, Dabizas managed 30 appearances and 3 goals. Dabizas left Newcastle to join Leicester in 2003, before returning to Greece in 2005 for AE Larisas.

3.Jose Holebas (Watford)

Guess what? Yeah you guessed it, another Olympiacos player. Born in Germany to a Greek father and German mother, the 38 times international with our National Team came to Olympiacos in 2010. After 4 years wearing the red and white, winning 4 Championships and 2 Greek cups, he moved to Roma where he stayed for a season, before the move to England and Watford. In his first season for “The Hornets”, he made 11 appearances in the league scoring once against Everton. In his second season he became Watford’s starting LB, making 33 appearances in the league scoring 2 times, against West Ham and Middelsbrough, and giving 4 assists. Holebas was suspended for Watford’s biggest game in the last 10 years, after he picked up a red card against West Ham in the league missing out the chance to play in the FA Cup final. Watford lost 5-0 against Manchester City,. In his 5 years stay at the Vicarage Road, he made 114 appearances before he returned to Piraeus, where he won his 5th Championship before retiring in 2021.

4.Theodoros Zagorakis (Leicester City)

Our Euro-winning captain Zagorakis begin his career in Kavala before moving to PAOK in 1992. After 6 years, 155 appearances and 10 goals, he moved to England and Leicester City, but despite staying for only 2 years Zagorakis is a popular figure amongst the Leicester fans. In his first season for “The Foxes”, he made 19 appearances scoring once, against Manchester United. He also made 3 appearances in the League Cup, one of them in the final where Leicester lost 1-0 to Tottenham. In his second and final season in England, he made 19 appearances scoring 1 goal, against Newcastle. Zagorakis featured in every game in the League Cup for Leicester, ultimately lifting the cup in their cup-winning campaign with a 2-1 win against Tranmere. Zagorakis returned to Greece in 2000 for AEK, before moving to Italy after his fantastic Euro 2004 campaign, in which he was part of the best XI and won player of the tournament. After Bologna, he returned to PAOK where his retirement was announced. 

5.Sokratis Papastathopoulos (Arsenal)

Starting his career for AEK, Sokratis moved to Milan and then to Werder Bremen where Dortmund bought him from. Papa won the DFB Pokal in 2017 for the black and yellows, before securing his move to Arsenal in 2018 for 18M euros. Sokratis in his first season made 37 appearances, scoring 3 goals. He was part of the Arsenal squad that reached the UEL final, where they lost 4-1 to Chelsea with Sokratis playing the full 90 minutes. On his second season at the club and under Arteta, he started playing lesser games ending the season with 29 appearances in all competitions, scoring only 2 goals. But as an FA Cup winner, after his side won the oldest football competition, beating London rivals Chelsea 2-1 in the final, injuries didn't help and Sokratis left Arsenal in the summer of 2021 for Olympiacos, where he still plays his football. 

By Nikolas for Hellas Football 

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