Alexandros Tziolis
Encyclopedia
Alexandros Tziolis (born 13 February 1985 in Katerini
) is a Greek
international footballer
who plays for Racing de Santander
.
u. He played there for about 7 years and in 1995, a Panionios scouter spotted his talent and brought him to Athens
. He was an integral part of Panionios team for 3 seasons, playing 61 matches and scoring 3 goals. As a result, Panathinaikos F.C.offered Panionios 650.000€ and signed him.
during the 2006–2007 season. The lack of titles for Panathinaikos put Tziolis in the center of criticism alongside with his team-mate Loukas Vyntra
. For both players, though, this criticism could be considered unfair since they were neither big-money signings of the club nor did they receive the biggest contracts. By the end of 2007–2008 season Tziolis was close to his exit from Panathinaikops but the new manager Henk Ten Cate
chose to keep him. After being mostly neglected at the beginning of 2008–2009 season, Tziolis was included in the team in November and was MVP in the epic 3–0 win in Germany against Werder Bremen for the UEFA Champions' League, where he also scored the third goal for Panathinaikos. According to some Greek sport newspapers, he avoided to celebrate the victory with the fans, embittered by the recent criticism he received. Since ten Cate
shows his preference to 4–3–2–1 tactics, he is expected to gain more opportunities in the first XI at the expense of Marcelo Mattos
. He has since established himself as a valuable member of the squad, linking well with team-mates Gilberto Silva
and Simao Mate Junior
.
agreed terms with Werder Bremen and Tziolis will go on loan at the German club for at least 6 months, for a fee of €300.000. After those months, Werder Bremen has the right to fully obtain Tziolis for a fee of €1.6m.
Tziolis played a regular role in Bremen's midfield and helped the club to make the UEFA Cup
final against Shaktar Donetsk, on 20 May 2009. In the final, he came on as a substitute for Peter Niemeyer
in the 103rd minute. After having nearly scored the equalizing goal when Bremen where a goal behind, the team lost the final of the last UEFA Cup edition to Shaktar with a final score of 2–1. Tziolis also featured in Bremen's 1–0 victory over Bayer Leverkusen
in the German Cup final the same season, where Tziolis won his first ever trophy in professional football.
club AC Siena on 29 January 2010. He made his debut in the Serie A
on 7 February 2010 against Sampdoria. Tziolis was a regular for Siena, but the team wasn't able to avoid relegation to the Serie B
.
side Racing Santander
had agreed to take Tziolis on a one year loan deal. Then after a successful league campaign for the 2nd half of the season they signed him from Siena for an undisclosed fee
in the group-stage.
He was also part of the squad that participated to the 2010 FIFA World Cup
. He played every minute of the tournament for his country, including their first ever World Cup win over Nigeria
on 17 June 2010.
Werder Bremen
Panathinaikos
Individual
Katerini
Katerini is a town in Central Macedonia, Greece, the capital of Pieria regional unit. It lies on the Pierian plain, between Mt. Olympus and the Thermaikos Gulf, at an altitude of 14 m. The town, which is one of the newest in Greece, has a population of 83,764...
) is a Greek
Greece
Greece , officially the Hellenic Republic , and historically Hellas or the Republic of Greece in English, is a country in southeastern Europe....
international footballer
Football (soccer)
Association football, more commonly known as football or soccer, is a sport played between two teams of eleven players with a spherical ball...
who plays for Racing de Santander
Racing de Santander
Real Racing Club de Santander, S.A.D. is a Spanish football club based in Santander, in the autonomous community of Cantabria. Founded in 1913, it currently plays in La Liga, holding home games at Estadio El Sardinero, with a capacity for 22,400 spectators....
.
Early club career
Tziolis began his playing career as a teenager in a local team called Apollon LitochoroLitochoro
Litochoro is a town and a former municipality in the southern part of the Pieria regional unit, Greece. Since the 2011 local government reform it is part of the municipality Dio-Olympos, of which it is the seat and a municipal unit. It is located at the base of Mount Olympus, on the western shore...
u. He played there for about 7 years and in 1995, a Panionios scouter spotted his talent and brought him to Athens
Athens
Athens , is the capital and largest city of Greece. Athens dominates the Attica region and is one of the world's oldest cities, as its recorded history spans around 3,400 years. Classical Athens was a powerful city-state...
. He was an integral part of Panionios team for 3 seasons, playing 61 matches and scoring 3 goals. As a result, Panathinaikos F.C.offered Panionios 650.000€ and signed him.
Panathinaikos
Tziolis has been established as a first team player for Panathinaikos after replacing the big-name but disappointing Igor BiscanIgor Bišcan
Igor Bišćan is a Croatian professional footballer, playing for Dinamo Zagreb. He also played for the English team Liverpool and Greek side Panathinaikos, also spending one-year loan at NK Samobor in his early career...
during the 2006–2007 season. The lack of titles for Panathinaikos put Tziolis in the center of criticism alongside with his team-mate Loukas Vyntra
Loukas Vyntra
Loukas Vyntra is a Czech-Greek football player. He currently plays for Panathinaikos.-Career:...
. For both players, though, this criticism could be considered unfair since they were neither big-money signings of the club nor did they receive the biggest contracts. By the end of 2007–2008 season Tziolis was close to his exit from Panathinaikops but the new 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...
chose to keep him. After being mostly neglected at the beginning of 2008–2009 season, Tziolis was included in the team in November and was MVP in the epic 3–0 win in Germany against Werder Bremen for the UEFA Champions' League, where he also scored the third goal for Panathinaikos. According to some Greek sport newspapers, he avoided to celebrate the victory with the fans, embittered by the recent criticism he received. Since 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...
shows his preference to 4–3–2–1 tactics, he is expected to gain more opportunities in the first XI at the expense of Marcelo Mattos
Marcelo Mattos
Marcelo de Mattos Terra or simply Marcelo Mattos is a Brazilian football defensive midfielder. He currently plays for Botafogo....
. He has since established himself as a valuable member of the squad, linking well with team-mates Gilberto Silva
Gilberto Silva
Gilberto Aparecido da Silva, commonly known as Gilberto Silva, is a Brazilian footballer. He currently plays for Grêmio.Gilberto was raised in a poor family and as a child he balanced playing football with various labour jobs. He began his football career in 1997 with América Mineiro, where good...
and Simao Mate Junior
Simão Mate Junior
Simão Mate Junior is a football player from Mozambique currently playing as a defensive midfielder or a central defender for Panathinaikos FC. He is known for his marking.-Career:...
.
Werder Bremen
On 7 January 2009, 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...
agreed terms with Werder Bremen and Tziolis will go on loan at the German club for at least 6 months, for a fee of €300.000. After those months, Werder Bremen has the right to fully obtain Tziolis for a fee of €1.6m.
Tziolis played a regular role in Bremen's midfield and helped the club to make the UEFA Cup
UEFA Cup 2008–09
The UEFA Cup 2008–09 was the 38th edition of the UEFA Cup football tournament. The final was played at the Şükrü Saracoğlu Stadium, home ground of Fenerbahçe, in Istanbul, Turkey, on 20 May 2009. This season was the final one to use the UEFA Cup format; starting in 2009, the event is known as the...
final against Shaktar Donetsk, on 20 May 2009. In the final, he came on as a substitute for Peter Niemeyer
Peter Niemeyer
Peter Niemeyer is a German professional footballer who plays for Hertha BSC on loan from SV Werder Bremen.Mainly a defensive midfielder, he can also operate as a central defender.-Club career:...
in the 103rd minute. After having nearly scored the equalizing goal when Bremen where a goal behind, the team lost the final of the last UEFA Cup edition to Shaktar with a final score of 2–1. Tziolis also featured in Bremen's 1–0 victory over Bayer Leverkusen
Bayer Leverkusen
Bayer 04 Leverkusen is a German football club based in Leverkusen, North Rhine-Westphalia. It is the most well-known department of TSV Bayer 04 Leverkusen, a sports club whose members also participate in athletics, gymnastics, basketball and other sports.-Origins and early years:On 27 November...
in the German Cup final the same season, where Tziolis won his first ever trophy in professional football.
AC Siena
In January 2010 he signed for the Italian Serie ASerie A
Serie A , now called Serie A TIM due to sponsorship by Telecom Italia, is a professional league competition for football clubs located at the top of the Italian football league system and has been operating for over eighty years since 1929. It had been organized by Lega Calcio until 2010, but a new...
club AC Siena on 29 January 2010. He made his debut in the Serie A
Serie A
Serie A , now called Serie A TIM due to sponsorship by Telecom Italia, is a professional league competition for football clubs located at the top of the Italian football league system and has been operating for over eighty years since 1929. It had been organized by Lega Calcio until 2010, but a new...
on 7 February 2010 against Sampdoria. Tziolis was a regular for Siena, but the team wasn't able to avoid relegation to the Serie B
Serie B
Serie B, currently named Serie bwin due to sponsorship reasons, is the second-highest division in the Italian football league system after the Serie A. It is contested by 22 teams and organized by the Lega Serie B since July 2010, after the split of Lega Calcio that previously took care of both the...
.
Racing Santander
In August 2010, it was confirmed that the Spanish La LigaLa 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...
side Racing Santander
Racing de Santander
Real Racing Club de Santander, S.A.D. is a Spanish football club based in Santander, in the autonomous community of Cantabria. Founded in 1913, it currently plays in La Liga, holding home games at Estadio El Sardinero, with a capacity for 22,400 spectators....
had agreed to take Tziolis on a one year loan deal. Then after a successful league campaign for the 2nd half of the season they signed him from Siena for an undisclosed fee
International career
After representing his country 12 times for the under-21 side, Tziolis made his international debut for Greece on 21 January 2006 in a friendly match against South Korea. He was a part of the defending European champions at UEFA Euro 2008, where he played only once, when he came on as a substitute in a 1–2 loss to SpainSpain 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...
in the group-stage.
He was also part of the squad that participated to the 2010 FIFA World Cup
2010 FIFA World Cup
The 2010 FIFA World Cup was the 19th FIFA World Cup, the world championship for men's national association football teams. It took place in South Africa from 11 June to 11 July 2010...
. He played every minute of the tournament for his country, including their first ever World Cup win over Nigeria
Nigeria national football team
The Nigeria national football team, nicknamed the Super Eagles or Green Eagles, is the national team of Nigeria and is controlled by the Nigeria Football Federation . The team has ranked as high as 5th in the FIFA World Rankings, in April 1994...
on 17 June 2010.
Playing style
Tziolis is a tall defensive midfielder, good in air, with powerful long shots. He plays a "silent" role in the game, and he tends to occupy the role of a deep-lying playmaker more than a defensive stopper. His crisp passing and physical strength are also positive aspects of his game.Honours
TeamWerder Bremen
- German CupDFB-PokalThe DFB-Pokal or DFB Cup is a German knockout football cup competition held annually. 64 teams participate in the competition, including all clubs from the Bundesliga and the 2nd Bundesliga. It is considered the second most important national title in German football after the Bundesliga...
: 2008–09 - UEFA Cup: Runners-up 2008–09
Panathinaikos
- Greek Championship: 2009–10
- 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....
: 2009–102009–10 Greek Cup-Calendar:-First round:-Second round:-Third round:-Fourth round:-Fifth round:-Quarter-Finals:------------The match had been interrupted in the 69th minute due to bad condition of grass, that came from continuous raining...
, Runners-up 2006–07
Individual
- Greek Young Footballer of the year: 2004