Yiannis Kalitzakis

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Yiannis Kalitzakis
Yiannis Kalitzakis

Yiannis Kalitzakis (Greek: Γιάννης Καλιτζάκης), born October 12, 1966, is a former Greek football player who was known by the nickname The Ninja

A very tough and strong defender who, although lacking skill on the ground, was feared by opposing strikers as his tackling was very aggressive and his heading skills were sublime, scoring 17 goals from corner kicks and free kicks. He joined Panathinaikos from Panelefsiniakos in the summer of 1986 and was sent on-loan to Diagoras Rhodes, where he scored one goal that season in a game that ended 1-1, damaging PAO's title hopes. He returned to PAO the next summer. He first made his mark in the 1987-88 season in an UEFA Cup game vs Juventus where he marked the great Ian Rush out of the game.

Kalitzakis continued his career with Panathinaikos through 1997. Following that, he played for AEK (1998 - 2000) and Ethnikos Asteras in 2001.

  • League games: 258
  • League goals: 14
  • Cup goals: 3
  • Games in Europe: 43
  • Goals in Europe :0
  • Games with National Team: 72
  • Goals with National Team: 0