Zisis Vryzas is a former football player, and had been the vice president of
PAOK FCP.A.O.K. F.C. is a Greek association football club based in Thessaloniki, Greece. It is the largest supported football club in Macedonia.PAOK FC is the football department of Pan-Thessalonian Athletic Club of Constantinopolitans , a multi-sport club. Since its formation in 1926 the football club...
for the past 3 years. He was born 9 November 1973 in
KavalaKavala , is the second largest city in northern Greece, the principal seaport of eastern Macedonia and the capital of Kavala peripheral unit. It is situated on the Bay of Kavala, across from the island of Thasos...
, city of northern Greece, located in the region of
Macedonia (Greece)Macedonia is a geographical and historical region of Greece in Southern Europe. Macedonia is the largest and second most populous Greek region...
. He played as a
strikerForwards, also known as strikers, are the players on a team in association football who play nearest to the opposing team's goal, and are therefore principally responsible for scoring goals...
for various teams in Greece and abroad, as well as the Greek National team, with which he won the Euro 2004. After his retirement, he worked for PAOK as technical director, and for a brief period, took up the position of president, following Theodoros Zagorakis' resignation. On 16 August 2010, Zisis Vryzas became the Assistant Coach of Greek national football team.
Club career
Vryzas started his football career at the
ThracianThrace is a historical and geographic area in southeast Europe. As a geographical concept, Thrace designates a region bounded by the Balkan Mountains on the north, Rhodope Mountains and the Aegean Sea on the south, and by the Black Sea and the Sea of Marmara on the east...
club
Skoda XanthiSkoda Xanthi F.C. , or F.C. Skoda Xanthi Athletic Club, is a Greek football club, based in the city of Xanthi. The club currently competes in the Super League Greece.-History:...
where his talent attracted the interest of stronger domestic as well as foreign Clubs. In 1996, Zisis Vryzas was signed by the most popular northern Greek Club
PAOK FCP.A.O.K. F.C. is a Greek association football club based in Thessaloniki, Greece. It is the largest supported football club in Macedonia.PAOK FC is the football department of Pan-Thessalonian Athletic Club of Constantinopolitans , a multi-sport club. Since its formation in 1926 the football club...
and moved in the capital of
Central MacedoniaCentral Macedonia is one of the thirteen regions of Greece, consisting of the central part of the region of Macedonia. With a population of over 1.8 million, it is the second most populous in Greece after Attica.- Administration :...
,
ThessalonikiThessaloniki , historically also known as Thessalonica, Salonika or Salonica, is the second-largest city in Greece and the capital of the region of Central Macedonia as well as the capital of the Decentralized Administration of Macedonia and Thrace...
, where he enjoyed great popularity among PAOK fans for his power, determination and devotion with which they describe his game and for scoring a handful of very important goals. The most significant memory of his career with
PAOK FCP.A.O.K. F.C. is a Greek association football club based in Thessaloniki, Greece. It is the largest supported football club in Macedonia.PAOK FC is the football department of Pan-Thessalonian Athletic Club of Constantinopolitans , a multi-sport club. Since its formation in 1926 the football club...
occurred in the 1st round 2nd leg of the 1997/98 UEFA Cup. It was the fantastic equaliser (1-1 on the night, 2-1 on aggregate) he scored in the 87th minute against Arsenal at Highbury, which resulted in a notable, historic qualification for PAOK against the English giants who managed to win the double in the Premier League that same season.
In 2000, while PAOK were struggling with endless financial problems due to the ineffective policy of debts and mismanagement of the main share-holder, consequently Vryzas was sold to the Italian Serie A relegation battlers A.C. Perugia. In Perugia, he once again gained popularity among the local fans for his work-rate and immediate adjustment to the new environment, which proved to be a key-factor for Perugia's constant presence in the Serie A, under the management of
Serse CosmiHowever, after a disappointing series of results, including elimination in Champions League and results in Serie A much below the expected results, Cosmi was finally fired on February 10, 2006.-Brescia and Livorno:...
.
His very positive performances with Perugia earned him a more lucrative contract at the once mighty
FiorentinaACF Fiorentina, commonly referred to as simply Fiorentina, is a professional Italian football club from Florence, Tuscany. Founded by a merger in 1926, Fiorentina have played at the top level of Italian football for the majority of their existence; only four clubs have played in more Serie A...
in 2003, at that time struggling in Serie B; ironically, the Viola returned to Serie A at the expense of Perugia, through a two-legged playoff, as they had finished sixth in Serie B that season, while Perugia had finished at 15th place in Serie A.
In 2004, the Greek striker joined
Celta VigoReal Club Celta de Vigo , simply referred to as Celta Vigo, is a Spanish professional football club based in Vigo, Galicia, currently playing in the Segunda División. It was founded on March 28, 1923 following the merger of Real Vigo Sporting and Real Fortuna Foot-ball Club.Nicknamed Los Celestes ,...
in a loan deal from Fiorentina with an option for the deal to become permanent. The Greek striker eventually departed again to join another popular Club of northern Italy,
Torino F.C.Torino Football Club, commonly referred to as simply Torino, is a professional Italian football club based in Turin, Piedmont, that was founded in 1906. The club has spent most of its history in the top tier in Italian football....
in January 2006, under a loan deal from Celta Vigo until the end of his contract with the Spanish Club.
In the summer of 2006 Zisis Vryzas returned to Greece and in particular to the club where he started his professional career,
Skoda XanthiSkoda Xanthi F.C. , or F.C. Skoda Xanthi Athletic Club, is a Greek football club, based in the city of Xanthi. The club currently competes in the Super League Greece.-History:...
.
In June 2007, he finally decided to join the "club of his heart" and signed a two year contract with
PAOK FCP.A.O.K. F.C. is a Greek association football club based in Thessaloniki, Greece. It is the largest supported football club in Macedonia.PAOK FC is the football department of Pan-Thessalonian Athletic Club of Constantinopolitans , a multi-sport club. Since its formation in 1926 the football club...
. There he found his old companion and team-mate, at both PAOK and the Greek National Team during the 1990s,
Theodoros Zagorakis-Kavala:Zagorakis was a defensive midfielder who usually operated on the right hand side of midfield. He started his career with Kavala, the club that also produced Zisis Vryzas, with whom he became close friends...
- who had only just taken the reins of the club. Vryzas stated upon his return that PAOK F.C. was an emotional choice for him, and the last stop in his career should only be in the club he loved and supported since childhood.
International career
Vryzas debuted for Greece in October 1994 in a home Euro 96 qualifier against Finland, a 4-0 victory. He scored his first goal three months later, in a friendly against Cyprus in Larnaca, but had to wait until 2004 in Portugal to take part in a final stage of a tournament.
Although not a very prolific scorer, Vryzas' tenacious work ethic, his restless battles with the opposing defenders, his talent to create chances and open spaces for his attacking partners, in addition to his aerial ability and passing skills made him a valuable member of all the Clubs he played for, as well as the Greek National Team with which he won the European Championship in 2004. He was a notable member of the starting eleven in
GreeceGreece , officially the Hellenic Republic , and historically Hellas or the Republic of Greece in English, is a country in southeastern Europe....
's victorious team and scored a tremendously important goal, a fine chip over the keeper, in Greece's 2-1 loss to
RussiaThe Russia national football team represents Russia in association football and is controlled by the Russian Football Union , the governing body for football in Russia. Russia's home grounds are Luzhniki Stadium, Lokomotiv Stadium , and Petrovsky Stadium in St.Petersburg and their head coach is...
. That goal sent the tournament underdogs into the quarter-final, on a better goal average against contenders Spain.
Retirement and Career After Retirement
On 6 January 2008, Zisis Vryzas played his last game of his successful football career at the home game of
PAOK FCP.A.O.K. F.C. is a Greek association football club based in Thessaloniki, Greece. It is the largest supported football club in Macedonia.PAOK FC is the football department of Pan-Thessalonian Athletic Club of Constantinopolitans , a multi-sport club. Since its formation in 1926 the football club...
against Larissa F.C. at the legendary ground of
PAOK FCP.A.O.K. F.C. is a Greek association football club based in Thessaloniki, Greece. It is the largest supported football club in Macedonia.PAOK FC is the football department of Pan-Thessalonian Athletic Club of Constantinopolitans , a multi-sport club. Since its formation in 1926 the football club...
Toumba StadiumToumba Stadium is a football stadium in Thessaloniki, Greece, owned by the multisports club A.S. PAOK. It was built in 6 September 1959 as the club's prime sporting venue and served the home ground for the club's football team, which was participating in the then national football league. The...
, a game which PAOK won 1-0, with a goal scored by
Lazaros ChristodoulopoulosLazaros Christodoulopoulos is a Greek footballer currently playing for Panathinaikos FC.Christodoulopoulos is considered one of the most promising young players in Greece. He is member of the Greek national team...
, a goal which the scorer dedicated to Vryzas. Zisis Vryzas, actually came in as a substitution in the 82nd minute of the game to replace Christodoulopoulos and was honoured by the fans with a standing ovation and with a long singing of his name, which lasted until the end of the game as Vryzas thanked them during his "goodbye round" of the stadium.
On 8 January 2008, Zisis Vryzas was officially appointed as the Technical Director of
PAOK FCP.A.O.K. F.C. is a Greek association football club based in Thessaloniki, Greece. It is the largest supported football club in Macedonia.PAOK FC is the football department of Pan-Thessalonian Athletic Club of Constantinopolitans , a multi-sport club. Since its formation in 1926 the football club...
. He joined the club's board along with former team-mate and current chairman of the club,
Theodoros Zagorakis-Kavala:Zagorakis was a defensive midfielder who usually operated on the right hand side of midfield. He started his career with Kavala, the club that also produced Zisis Vryzas, with whom he became close friends...
. During his first steps in his new career he succeeded in bringing to PAOK
Pablo ContrerasPablo Andrés Contreras Fica is a Chilean footballer who plays for PAOK F.C. in Greece. Primarily a central defender, he can also operate as a right back....
,
Zlatan MuslimovićZlatan Muslimović, is a Bosnian international football player. He holds both Bosnian and Swedish citizenships.-Early career:As a teenager, Muslimović played for the Swedish teams Habo IF and Husqvarna FF...
,
VieirinhaAdelino André Vieira Freitas , commonly known as Vieirinha, is a Portuguese footballer who plays for PAOK F.C. in the Greek League, as a winger.Ambidextrous, he started playing for F.C...
,
LinoDorvalino Alves Maciel better known as Lino born in São Paulo, Brazil is a Brazilian footballer who currently plays for PAOK in the Greek Super League.-Career:...
and
Pablo GarciaPablo Gabriel García Pérez is an Uruguayan footballer who plays for PAOK F.C. in Greece, as a defensive midfielder....
in 2008.
He succeeded sell
Lazaros ChristodoulopoulosLazaros Christodoulopoulos is a Greek footballer currently playing for Panathinaikos FC.Christodoulopoulos is considered one of the most promising young players in Greece. He is member of the Greek national team...
and
Christos MelissisChristos Melissis, is a Greek football player who currently plays for Panathinaikos FC. He usually plays as a center back but when called upon he is used as a right back or a defensive midfielder.-Playing career:...
to
Panathinaikos FCPanathinaikos 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...
for 4.300.000€ and Daniel Fernandes to
VfL BochumVerein für Leibesübungen Bochum 1848 Fußballgemeinschaft, commonly referred to as simply VfL Bochum, is a German association football club based in the city of Bochum, North Rhine-Westphalia.-Founding to World War II:...
for 1.100.000€ (
Total income: 5.400.000€)
On July 2009 he continued and succeeded in bringing to PAOK
Mirko SaviniMirko Savini is an Italian footballer defender.-Career:Savini spent most of his early career playing at lower division level, and reached Serie B only in 2002 with Ascoli...
,
Olivier SorlinOlivier Sorlin is a French football midfielder, currently playing for Évian Thonon Gaillard FC. Sorlin has spent most of his career playing in France....
,
Lucio FilomenoLucio Filomeno is an Argentine football forward who currently plays for Atlético de Rafaela. After growing up in Haedo, Buenos Aires, Filomeno played for a variety of clubs around the world and also for the Argentina U-16 National Team....
,
Bruno CirilloBruno "Brunillo" Cirillo is an Italian football player who plays as a centre back for PAOK FC.-Italy:...
,
Mohammed AbubakariMohammed Abubakari is a Ghanaian footballer. He currently plays for Larissa in Super League Greece.-Career:...
and
Vasilios KoutsianikoulisVasilios Koutsianikoulis is a Greek footballer. He currently plays for Greek Super League team Ergotelis F.C. He is a left footed winger that can play either on the left or right wing and is considered a strong prospect for the national team.- Iraklis Chalkis:Koutsianikoulis began his career at...
(a hot prospect of Greek football.).
On 9 October 2009, Zisis Vryzas was appointed
PAOK FCP.A.O.K. F.C. is a Greek association football club based in Thessaloniki, Greece. It is the largest supported football club in Macedonia.PAOK FC is the football department of Pan-Thessalonian Athletic Club of Constantinopolitans , a multi-sport club. Since its formation in 1926 the football club...
Chairman, following Zagorakis resignation for personal reasons.
On 11 August 2010, Zisis Vryzas resigned from the position of director of football from
PAOK FCP.A.O.K. F.C. is a Greek association football club based in Thessaloniki, Greece. It is the largest supported football club in Macedonia.PAOK FC is the football department of Pan-Thessalonian Athletic Club of Constantinopolitans , a multi-sport club. Since its formation in 1926 the football club...
.
Five days later, he is become colleague with
Fernando SantosFernando Manuel Fernandes da Costa Santos is a Portuguese football manager and former player. He is the current manager of the Greek national team, last managing PAOK of the Super League Greece....
the head coach of Greek national football team.
Career statistics
|-
|1991-92||rowspan="5"|Skoda Xanthi||rowspan="5"|
Super LeagueThe 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...
||12||3||3||0||—||—||0||0||||
|-
|1992-93||33||7||2||0||—||—||0||0||||
|-
|1993-94||30||6||4||1||—||—||0||0||||
|-
|1994-95||21||3||4||2||—||—||0||0||25||5
|-
|1995-96||26||12||6||1||—||—||0||0||32||13
|-
|1996-97||rowspan="5"|PAOK||rowspan="5"|
Super LeagueThe 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...
||31||9||2||0||—||—||0||0||33||9
|-
|1997-98||30||3||8||4||—||—||5||1||43||8
|-
|1998-99||33||4||2||0||—||—||2||0||37||4
|-
|1999-00||24||3||5||1||—||—||4||0||33||4
|-
|2000-01||0||0||6||1||—||—||0||0||6||1
|-
|2000-01||rowspan="4"|
PerugiaAssociazione Calcistica Perugia Calcio is an Italian association football club based in Perugia, Umbria, direct heir of the old Perugia Calcio and A.C. Perugia, excluded from Italian football because of financial troubles....
||rowspan="4"|
Serie ASerie 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...
||34||9||0||0||—||—||0||0||34||9
|-
|2001-02||33||8||3||2||—||—||0||0||36||10
|-
|2002-03||30||5||5||1||—||—||2||0||37||6
|-
|2003-04||9||3||2||0||—||—||9||0||20||3
|-
|2003-04||rowspan="2"|
FiorentinaACF Fiorentina, commonly referred to as simply Fiorentina, is a professional Italian football club from Florence, Tuscany. Founded by a merger in 1926, Fiorentina have played at the top level of Italian football for the majority of their existence; only four clubs have played in more Serie A...
||
Serie BSerie 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...
||20||4||0||0||—||—||0||0||20||4
|-
|2004-05||
Serie ASerie 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...
||0||0||2||0||—||—||0||0||2||0
|-
|2004-05||
Celta VigoReal Club Celta de Vigo , simply referred to as Celta Vigo, is a Spanish professional football club based in Vigo, Galicia, currently playing in the Segunda División. It was founded on March 28, 1923 following the merger of Real Vigo Sporting and Real Fortuna Foot-ball Club.Nicknamed Los Celestes ,...
||
Segunda DivisiónThe Segunda División is the lower tier of the two professional football leagues in Spain. From the season 2008-09 onwards, the name of the league is Liga Adelante.-History:...
||32||7||1||0||—||—||0||0||33||7
|-
|rowspan="2"|2005-06||
FiorentinaACF Fiorentina, commonly referred to as simply Fiorentina, is a professional Italian football club from Florence, Tuscany. Founded by a merger in 1926, Fiorentina have played at the top level of Italian football for the majority of their existence; only four clubs have played in more Serie A...
||
Serie ASerie 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...
||0||0||1||0||—||—||0||0||1||0
|-
|
TorinoTorino Football Club, commonly referred to as simply Torino, is a professional Italian football club based in Turin, Piedmont, that was founded in 1906. The club has spent most of its history in the top tier in Italian football....
||
Serie BSerie 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...
||11||2||0||0||—||—||0||0||11||2
|-
|2006-07||Skoda Xanthi||
Super LeagueThe 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...
||16||1||3||0||—||—||1||0||20||1
|-
|2007-08||PAOK||
Super LeagueThe 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...
||13||0||1||0||—||—||0||0||14||0
269||51||46||10||—||—||12||1||327||62
137||31||13||3||—||—||11||0||161||34
32||7||1||0||—||—||0||0||33||7
438||89||60||13||—||—||23||1||521||103
Honours
FiorentinaACF Fiorentina, commonly referred to as simply Fiorentina, is a professional Italian football club from Florence, Tuscany. Founded by a merger in 1926, Fiorentina have played at the top level of Italian football for the majority of their existence; only four clubs have played in more Serie A...
- Italian Second Division
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...
: 2004
GreeceThe 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...
- European Championship
The 2004 UEFA European Football Championship, better known as Euro 2004, was the 12th European Football Championship, a quadrennial football tournament for European national teams. It was hosted in Portugal, for the first time, between 12 June and 4 July 2004, following its selection by UEFA, in...
: 2004
Celta de VigoReal Club Celta de Vigo , simply referred to as Celta Vigo, is a Spanish professional football club based in Vigo, Galicia, currently playing in the Segunda División. It was founded on March 28, 1923 following the merger of Real Vigo Sporting and Real Fortuna Foot-ball Club.Nicknamed Los Celestes ,...
TorinoTorino Football Club, commonly referred to as simply Torino, is a professional Italian football club based in Turin, Piedmont, that was founded in 1906. The club has spent most of its history in the top tier in Italian football....
- Italian Second Division
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...
: 2006