Giorgos Lavaridis (Greek: Γιώργος Λαβαρίδης; born in 1947) is a Greek former professional footballer who played as a midfielder.[1]
 | |||
| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | Georgios Lavaridis | ||
| Date of birth | 15 October 1947 | ||
| Place of birth | Istanbul, Tyrkey | ||
| Height | 1.80 m (5 ft 11 in) | ||
| Position(s) | Midfielder, defender | ||
| Youth career | |||
| 1961–1964 | Galatasaray | ||
| 1964–1968 | AEK Athens | ||
| Senior career* | |||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) |
| 1968–1975 | AEK Athens | 133 | (6) |
| 1975–1977 | Panserraikos | ||
| Total | 133 | (6) | |
| International career | |||
| 1971 | Greece U21 | ||
| *Club domestic league appearances and goals | |||
Club career
editLavaridis started playing football in 1961 at Galatasaray, pushed by his father, "Giakis", at the age 14. He was given the nickname "Baby" (Greek: "Μπέμπης") by the local Greeks who watched him play in Istanbul, due to his young age. In 1964, Lavaridis moved to Greece and joined the academies of AEK Athens.[2] He was promoted to the first team in 1968 under Branko Stanković. With AEK he reached the quarter-finals of the European Cup in 1969.[3] In 1971 he was one of the key players in winning the championship.[4] He left AEK in 1975 when the then president of the club, Loukas Barlos decided to proceed with a renewal in the roster and then played in Panserraikos for 2 years before retiring as a footballer.[5]
International career
editLavaridis was a member of Greece U21, which in 1971 won the Balkan Youth Championship,[6]
Personal life
editLavaridis is married with two children. He was rumored to be ordained a Greek Orthodox priest,[7] but this was disputed. On 19 July 2022 he visited the offices of AEK Athens accompanied by his wife and daughter and donated to their new Museum his jersey from the early 70's and a photo frame with a photo of him in action from the friendly match against Nacional on 22 August 1973.[8] On 9 June 2024 he visited OPAP Arena [9] and the museum of AEK Athens and was photographed at the "plaque" dedicated to him outside the AEK Athens stadium.[10]
Honours
editAEK Athens
Greece U21
References
edit- ^ "Giorgos Lavaridis". football.aek.com (in Greek). Retrieved 11 June 2021.
- ^ "HISTORY". aekfc.gr. Retrieved 11 June 2021.
- ^ Καζαντζόγλου, Σταύρος (15 June 2019). "1968/69: Η πρώτη ελληνική ομάδα σε ευρωπαϊκή οκτάδα, η απογοήτευση εντός συνόρων". enwsi.gr.
- ^ "96 χρόνια ΑΕΚ!". kingsport.gr (in Greek). 13 April 2020. Retrieved 11 June 2021.
- ^ "Γιώργος Λαβαρίδης". aekpedia.com.
- ^ "Το Βαλκανικό Κύπελλο του 1971 για τις ελπίδες". 10 July 2015.
- ^ "69αρης ο Γιώργος Λαβαρίδης!". AEK-LIVE (in Greek). 15 October 2016. Retrieved 11 June 2021.
- ^ "Ο μυθικός Γιώργος Λαβαρίδης έδωσε ιστορική φανέλα για το μουσείο της ΑΕΚ!". 19 July 2022.
- ^ newsroom, sport-fm. "Επισκέφτηκε την OPAP Arena και το Μουσείο της ΑΕΚ ο Γιώργος Λαβαρίδης". sport-fm.gr (in Greek). Retrieved 6 July 2024.
{{cite web}}:|last=has generic name (help) - ^ "Γιώργος Λαβαρίδης: Επίσκεψη στην OPAP Arena και το Μουσείο της ΑΕΚ" (in Greek). 15 June 2024. Retrieved 6 July 2024.