Takis Fyssas (Greek: Τάκης Φύσσας, born 12 June 1973) is a Greek former professional footballer who played as a left back. After his retirement he served as the sporting director of the Greece national team.

Takis Fyssas
Fyssas as a member of the Greek staff at Euro 2012
Personal information
Full name Panagiotis Fyssas
Date of birth (1973-06-12) 12 June 1973 (age 51)
Place of birth Athens, Greece
Height 6 ft 2 in (1.88 m)
Position(s) Left back
Team information
Current team
Greece (sporting director)
Youth career
Panionios
Senior career*
Years Team Apps (Gls)
1990–1998 Panionios 150 (9)
1998–2003 Panathinaikos 123 (6)
2003–2005 Benfica 30 (1)
2005–2007 Hearts 53 (1)
2007–2008 Panathinaikos 7 (0)
Total 363 (16)
International career
1999–2007 Greece 60 (4)
Medal record
Men's football
Representing  Greece
UEFA European Championship
Winner 2004
*Club domestic league appearances and goals

From 1999 to 2007, he earned 60 caps for the Greece national team. He was part of the team which won Euro 2004.

Club career

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Panionios

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Fyssas started his career in the Panionios youth academy, achieving his senior debut in the 1990–91 season. After eight seasons in Nea Smyrni, which included a Greek Cup triumph.

Panathinaikos

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He signed for Athens club Panathinaikos in 1998. The increased exposure Fyssas received playing at the Spiros Louis ensured a rapid elevation to the Greece national side and he made his debut against Finland in 1999. Fyssas also made his first UEFA Champions League appearance while with the Greens, in the 2000–01 season.

Benfica

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In December 2003, he moved to Lisbon with Benfica, where he was to stay for a season and a half, helping Benfica claim the 2003–04 Portuguese Cup and 2004–05 Primeira Liga. On 25 January 2004, he was on the bench for a 1–0 away win against Vitória de Guimarães, a game overshadowed by the sudden death of his teammate Miklós Fehér. He scored a goal on the final of Portuguese Cup that season, that gave them the victory against FC Porto.

Hearts

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After being allowed to leave Benfica in the summer of 2005, Fyssas made the surprise decision to move to Scotland with the Hearts, despite reported interest from England and Germany. He collected his fourth career winners medal in his first season with the Tynecastle side, when they defeated Gretna in the 2005–06 Scottish Cup final. His first and only Hearts goal came in a league game against Motherwell on 9 December 2006.[1] He became a popular member of the Hearts team and will always be remembered fondly for his celebrations after clinching a place in the UEFA Champions League. He left the Edinburgh club at the end of the 2006–07 season to move back to Panathinaikos.

Panathinaikos

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In his second Panathinaikos term, he played just a couple of games and he silently decided to retire from football.

International career

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Fyssas played 60 matches for Greece national team and he scored four goals. He was one of the key players for team that won the Euro 2004 championship in Portugal, a win that shocked the footballing world as Greece were considered 100–1 outsiders before the tournament started. He was subsequently selected in the Team of the Tournament.

After retirement

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Fyssas after his retirement entered into the staff of Panathinaikos Youth Departments serving as technical director. Then he was hired to the Greece national team, helping Otto Rehhagel for the 2010 FIFA World Cup and the new coach Fernando Santos after Rehhagel retired in 2010. He also served as sporting director of the Greece national team until 2024.[2]

In May 2019 Fyssas, was nominated as a candidate for Greece's New Democracy Party at the Greek legislative election, but he failed to get elected.

Career statistics

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Club

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Appearances and goals by club, season and competition[3][4]
Club Season League National Cup League Cup Europe Total
Division Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals
Panionios 1990–91 Alpha Ethniki 1 0
1991–92 0 0
1992–93 Beta Ethniki 3 0
1993–94 Alpha Ethniki 18 2
1994–95 28 0
1995–96 32 3
1996–97 Beta Ethniki 28 0
1997–98 Alpha Ethniki 29 1
1998–99 11 3
Total 150 9
Panathinaikos 1998–99 Alpha Ethniki 18 3
1999–00 24 0
2000–01 25 1
2001–02 20 0
2002–03 27 0
2003–04 9 2
Total 123 6
Benfica 2003–04 Primeira Liga 14 0
2004–05 16 0
Total 30 0
Heart of Midlothian 2005–06 Premier League 32 0
2006–07 21 1
Total 53 1
Panathinaikos 2007–08 Superleague Greece 7 0
Career total 363 16

International goals

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Scores and results list Greece's goal tally first, score column indicates score after each Fyssas goal.
List of international goals scored by Takis Fyssas
No. Date Venue Opponent Score Result Competition
1 13 February 2002 Kleanthis Vikelides Stadium, Thessaloniki, Greece   Sweden 1–1 2–2 Friendly
2 15 May 2002 Ethniko Stadium, Rhodes, Greece   Cyprus 1–1 3–1 Friendly
3 2–1
4 29 January 2003 GSZ Stadium, Larnaca, Cyprus   Cyprus 1–1 2–1 Friendly

Honours

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Panionios

Panathinaikos

Benfica

Hearts

Greece

References

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  1. ^ "Hearts 4–1 Motherwell". BBC. 9 December 2006. Retrieved 10 November 2009.
  2. ^ "Τέλος από την Εθνική ομάδα Φύσσας και Κωνσταντινίδης". voria. Retrieved 30 August 2024.
  3. ^ "パナギオティス・フィサス". www.world-soccer.org. Archived from the original on 31 August 2011. Retrieved 13 January 2022.
  4. ^ "Panagiotis FYSSAS(パナギオティス・フィッサス) @ LEVEL-K".
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