Mimis Domazos
Dimitris "Mimis" Domazos (Greek: Μίμης Δομάζος, born 22 January 1942) is a Greek former professional footballer who played as an attacking midfielder. His nickname was "The General".
 | |||
| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | Dimitrios Domazos | ||
| Date of birth | 22 January 1942 | ||
| Place of birth | Ambelokipi, Athens, Greece | ||
| Height | 1.68 m (5 ft 6 in) | ||
| Position(s) | Attacking midfielder | ||
| Youth career | |||
| 1953–1959 | Amina Ambelokipon | ||
| Senior career* | |||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) |
| 1959–1978 | Panathinaikos | 498 | (134) |
| 1978–1980 | AEK Athens | 34 | (5) |
| 1980 | Panathinaikos | 12 | (0) |
| Total | 544 | (139) | |
| National team‡ | |||
| 1959–1979 | Greece | 50 | (4) |
|
* Senior club appearances and goals counted for the domestic league only and correct as of 1980 ‡ National team caps and goals correct as of 1977 | |||
Mimis Domazos is considered by many to be one of the best footballers that Greece has ever produced. He was famed for his very good dribbling ability, his creative passes, especially long passes of pinpoint accuracy, and his leadership. He was Panathinaikos FC team captain for over 15 years. When he retired from playing, in 1980, Domazos was declared the longest-active footballer in the history of Greek football, having played for more than 21 years.
Career
Domazos was born on 22 January 1942 in Ambelokipi, Athens, just a few blocks away from the Apostolos Nikolaidis Stadium and began his playing career at the age of thirteen with a neighborhood team, Amyna Ampelokipon, whose field was across the street from the Apostolos Nikolaidis Stadium. Panathinaikos scouted his talent and offered him a professional contract. Domazos did not pass up the chance to play for his favourite team and in 1959 (when the first Greek National Championship took place) Panathinaikos signed him at the age of 17. He went on to become a living legend for Greek football and Panathinaikos. He played for Panathinaikos at 1971 European Cup Final. In 1978, after 19 years in Panathinaikos and due to an argument with his coach, he was transferred to AEK Athens. He returned to Panathinaikos in 1980 when the new team president, Yiorgos Vardinogiannis, asked him to end his illustrious career in the team that loved him so much.
International
His first match with the national team was on 2 December 1959 against Denmark in Apostolos Nikolaidis Stadium (Greece lost 1–3) and his last was on 11 November 1980 against Australia in the same field (3–3). [1][2] He was the National team captain during these years. In total he was capped 50 times and scored 4 goals.[3][4]
Personal life
Domazos was married to the late Vicky Moscholiou, a popular singer. The couple had two daughters. Since retirement he has been a businessman and often writes opinion columns for Greek sports newspapers. He owns a chain of five-a-side football clubs. His nephew, Christos Domazos (born 12 May 1991), currently plays in Rethymno football club, Division C.
Honours
- Panathinaikos
- Greek Championship (9): 1959–60, 1960–61, 1961–62, 1963–64, 1964–65, 1968–69, 1969–70, 1971–72, 1976–77
- Greek Cup (3): 1966–67, 1968–69, 1976–77
- Greek Super Cup (1): 1970
- Balkans Cup (1): 1977
- AEK Athens
- Greek Championship (1): 1978–79
Domazos was one of the final torchbearers for the Opening Ceremony of the 2004 Athens Olympic Games.
Other records
- Mimis Domazos in total participated in 536 official matches (502 with Panathinaikos and 34 with AEK Athens) which is a current record.[5]
- He scored a total of 139 goals in his career (134 with Panathinaikos and 5 with AEK) [6]
- 124 by shots
- 7 by free kicks
- 2 by header and
- 6 by penalty kicks
- He was the third-highest scorer of the Greek Championship in 1971 (21 goals) and the fourth-highest in 1962 (16 goals)
References
| Sporting positions | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by Giorgos Sideris |
Greece captain 1970–1979 |
Succeeded by Giorgos Koudas |