Ntinos Pontikas (Greek: Ντίνος Ποντίκας; born 27 February 1982) is a Greek former footballer who played as a striker. He holds the record for the youngest player ever to score a hat-trick.[1][2]
| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | Konstantinos Pontikas | ||
| Date of birth | 27 February 1982 | ||
| Place of birth | Larissa, Greece | ||
| Height | 1.81 m (5 ft 11 in) | ||
| Position(s) | Striker | ||
Career
editPontikas started off with street football before having a brief spell at Toxotis Larissa's youth section in 1995 where Theofanis Gekas was also playing at the time. He subsequently joined Haravgi and was immediately promoted to the first team, scoring a hat-trick on his debut at the age of 14.[3] A few years later he was forced to quit football at a young age due to an injury.
Pontikas who was considered one of the most promising young strikers was also one of the fastest players of his generation being able to run 100 metres in less than 11 seconds.[4]
After his early retirement he briefly returned to football twice with local Greek clubs. During the 2021-22 season he featured in an English amateur division playing a full 90-minutes on his debut.[5][6]
Record
editOn 24 September 1996, Pontikas became the youngest player ever to score a hat-trick at 14 years and 198 days.[7][8][9] On his debut match as a starter with Haravgi he scored his team's all 3 goals in their away 4–3 defeat to Ampelokipoi, in the fifth tier of the Greek championship. Opponents Ampelokipoi squad featured 1988 Greek champion Giorgos Kolovos,[10] 1985 Cup winner and club captain Babis Ntosas,[11] (both as AEL players), and also future Greece international defender Vangelis Moras as an unused substitute.[12]
Pontikas recorded jaw-dropping scoring performances on two more occasions, but in unofficial games. The first was in 1995 when he scored 13 goals, aged 13, in an XI friendly and the second in 1997 with the youngster hitting the net 10 times in a youth match.[13] He also holds the national record for the youngest player to feature in a U-18 high school county league final, at 14 years and 9 months.[14]
See also
editReferences
edit- ^ "The most remarkable world soccer records". 90soccer. 29 June 2018. Retrieved 29 June 2018.
- ^ Uwakwe Benson (3 December 2022). "Hat-trick: a brief history". The Times.
- ^ "The magical feeling of a hat-trick: Pelé, Siri, Pontikas and Lee Wai Tong". ashflowersports.com. Retrieved 21 June 2021.
- ^ "Ntinos Pontikas, the Greek Freddy Adu". sportsnews.info. Archived from the original on 19 November 2021. Retrieved 6 March 2021.
- ^ "The beauty of the English Sunday League". 90soccer.com. 3 November 2021.
- ^ "2021-22 Sunday FC squad". TheFA.com.
- ^ "Pontikas and Pontikos: the Greeks who achieved world soccer records". hellenicnews. Retrieved 25 February 2020.
- ^ "What Is a Hat-Trick in Football and How Common Are They? - Records". footballcollective.org.uk. August 2022.
- ^ Ben Green (30 December 2022). "Pele's legendary career told in numbers - the record broken by Pontikas in 1996". www.squawka.com.
- ^ "Greece league squads 1987-88". RSSSSF.
- ^ "Greece league squads 1984-85".
- ^ "Ampelokipoi squad 1996-97". larissagoal.com. 27 June 2021.
- ^ "World records by Pontikos and Pontikas". National Herald (in Greek). 27 February 2021. Retrieved 26 June 2022.
- ^ "Lost soccer talents: 6 players who sparked too early". 23 June 2022.
External links
edit- RSSSF Greece 1996–97 on RSSSF
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