Difference between revisions of "Giorgos Karagounis"

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[[Image:Karagounis-GRE-POR-1-0.jpg|thumb|300px|'''Giorgos Karagounis''' scores the first Greek goal against Portugal in the opening game of [[Euro 2004]]]]
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'''Giorgos Karagounis''' ([[Greek language|Greek]]: '''Γιώργος Καραγκούνης'''; born [[March 6]], [[1977]], in [[Pyrgos]], [[Greece]]) is a midfielder for SL Benfica and [[National Football Team|Greece]].  He scored the first goal in Greece's surprising win over Portugal in the [[Euro 2004|2004 European Football Championship]]
 
'''Giorgos Karagounis''' ([[Greek language|Greek]]: '''Γιώργος Καραγκούνης'''; born [[March 6]], [[1977]], in [[Pyrgos]], [[Greece]]) is a midfielder for SL Benfica and [[National Football Team|Greece]].  He scored the first goal in Greece's surprising win over Portugal in the [[Euro 2004|2004 European Football Championship]]
  

Revision as of 14:44, June 12, 2006

Giorgos Karagounis scores the first Greek goal against Portugal in the opening game of Euro 2004

Giorgos Karagounis (Greek: Γιώργος Καραγκούνης; born March 6, 1977, in Pyrgos, Greece) is a midfielder for SL Benfica and Greece. He scored the first goal in Greece's surprising win over Portugal in the 2004 European Football Championship

Karagounis's first professional team was Panathinaikos FC, but he joined Apollon Athens before playing a game with the senior team. After two successful years with Apollon, Karagounis came back to Panathinaikos in 1998. He would be a fixture in the senior team for the next five years. Although Panthinaikos did not win an Alpha Ethniki title during these years, the team was always a contender, and it had good runs in the UEFA Champions League and the UEFA Cup, and Karagounis scored some big goals for the team. In 2003, Karagounis headed to Italy to play for Inter. He did not play much, only getting two starts, but his performance in Euro 2004 might have improved his standing in the team for next year. He scored the first goal of this tournament (Euro 2004) against Portugal, helping Greece to win by 2-1. In 2005, he moved to Portugal to play for SL Benfica based at Estádio da Luz, precisely the same statium where he won the Euro 2004 final for Greece.

Karagounis captained Greece's entry to the 1998 UEFA Under-21 Championship, and the team came very close to winning, losing 1-0 to Spain in the final. After that, Karagounis soon became a regular on the national team. He has earned 52 caps so far in his career and he has scored 4 goals.