Stelios Serafidis

Stelios Serafidis (Greek: Στέλιος Σεραφείδης; born 6 August 1935) is a Greek former international footballer who played as a goalkeeper for AEK Athens. Serafidis is among the most reliable and consistent goalkeepers in the history of the club. Gifted with agility and excellent reflexes, he was famous for his high diving saves under tough conditions. Despite being short, he managed to become one of the top players in the 1950s and 1960s and he is considered as one of the top Greek goalkeepers of all time.[2][3]

Stelios Serafidis
Personal information
Full name Stylianos Serafidis
Date of birth (1935-08-06) 6 August 1935
Place of birth Gazi, Greece
Height 1.75 m (5 ft 9 in)[1]
Position(s) Goalkeeper
Youth career
1948–1950 Egaleo
1950–1951 Apollon Athens
1951–1953 AEK Athens
Senior career*
Years Team Apps (Gls)
1953–1972 AEK Athens 243 (0)
Total 243 (0)
National team
1963 Greece 1 (0)
Teams managed
1973–1995 AEK Athens (goalkeeping coach)
2012–2013 AEK Athens Academy (goalkeeping coach)
* Senior club appearances and goals counted for the domestic league only

Early life

Born on August 6, 1935 in Gazi of Athens from refugee parents of Pontus and raised in Aigaleo, Serafidis he had a particularly difficult childhood like most children of that time before, during and after World War II. Before playing football he did various small jobs to make a living. He worked as a water carrier, baker, porter, shoe polisher and peddler. His older brother Lampis, who was international striker of Apollon Athens, took him at the age of 14 to Rizoupoli and Apollon. He stayed there for a very short time and then transferred to AEK Athens.

Club career

After 2 years with the reserve team, followed by a year in the 2nd team of AEK and from 1954 Serafidis became the main goalkeeper of the team for almost 20 years, with almost 300 appearances in all competitions and many titles and distinctions. He was the main goalkeeper of AEK in the final of the Balkans Cup of 1967 against Fenerbahçe, where AEK won the silver medal.[4] He retired at the age of 37 as a legend of the club.[5]

International career

Serafidis was a permanent member of the national team, even though he had only one appearance in an official match against Poland in 1963. He didn't manage to make more appearances, because he was the back up keeper to Theodoridis and Ikonomopoulos.[6]

After football

After he retired, Serafidis went on to offer his services to AEK for a number of consecutive years as coach. He returned in 1973 as a goalkeeping coach and never left. For many years he worked with the roster's goalkeepers and later on he undertook similar duties for AEK Academy. Today, he is in his eighties and always close to AEK in home and away matches, whereas he is the president of AEK's Veteran Players Association.[7][8]

Honours

AEK Athens

See also

References
  1. Stelios Serafeidis
  2. "HISTORY". AEK F.C. Official Web Site. Retrieved 29 October 2020.
  3. "Ο Στέλιος Σεραφείδης αφηγείται τη ζωή του..." AEK-LIVE (in Greek). 24 January 2020. Retrieved 29 October 2020.
  4. "Στέλιος Σεραφείδης AEKPEDIA". www.kitrinomavro.gr. Retrieved 29 October 2020.
  5. "Η μεγάλη επιστροφή του Στέλιου Σεραφείδη - 10/10 08:47". aek365.org.
  6. "ΣΤΕΛΙΟΣ ΣΕΡΑΦΕΙΔΗΣ: 20 Χρόνια κάτω από τα δοκάρια της ΑΕΚ- 1952-1972". Εφημερίδα Κοινωνική.
  7. Team, ΤοΒΗΜΑ (17 April 2019). "Στέλιος Σεραφείδης : Στο πάνθεον της ιστορίας της ΑΕΚ". Ειδήσεις - νέα - Το Βήμα Online.
  8. ""Η ΑΕΚ αναγεννήθηκε από τις στάχτες της". Ο Στέλιος Σεραφείδης στο Sport-Retro.gr". 13 April 2018.
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