 Maniatis in 2012 | |||
| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | Giannis Maniatis | ||
| Date of birth | 12 October 1986 | ||
| Place of birth | Livadeia, Greece | ||
| Height | 1.78 m (5 ft 10 in) | ||
| Playing position | Defensive midfielder / Right back | ||
| Club information | |||
| Current club | Olympiacos | ||
| Number | 2 | ||
| Youth career | |||
| 2002–2003 | AO Thiva | ||
| Senior career* | |||
| Years | Team | Apps† | (Gls)† |
| 2003–2011 | Panionios | 164 | (8) |
| 2011– | Olympiacos | 70 | (5) |
| National team‡ | |||
| 2006–2007 | Greece U-21 | 14 | (1) |
| 2010– | Greece | 27 | (0) |
| * Senior club appearances and goals counted for the domestic league only and correct as of 1 December 2013.
† Appearances (Goals).
‡ National team caps and goals correct as of 19 November 2013 | |||
Ioannis "Giannis" Maniatis (Greek: Γιάννης Μανιάτης; born 12 October 1986) is a Greek footballer who plays for Olympiacos and the Greek national team. He plays as a defensive midfielder or right back.
Club career
Panionios
Maniatis was first spotted as a 16 year old playing for A.A.Arachova Parnassos in 2002. He quickly caught the eye of scouts, and was then snapped up by Panionios in late 2003. He made his debut for the 'Kyanerythri' in 2004 and has since become integral part of the first team.
He has attracted interest from the big Greek clubs, AEK, Olympiacos, and Panathinaikos. However on 22 June 2009, Maniatis ended speculation over his future by signing a new 4 year deal with Panionios.[1]
Olympiacos[edit]
In January 2011 Olympiacos won the race for Maniatis' signature, ahead of AEK Athens who showed a strong interest in the player. Maniatis had been acquired as a right-back, where he would be an alternate choice to the first choice in that position and captain of the team, Vasilis Torosidis, however later events would see Maniatis flourish in a new position. His versatility allowed him to play many games for his previous club Panionios as a defensive midfielder – a position Maniatis would cement himself in at Olympiacos. Olympiacos was plagued with injuries ahead of their UEFA Champions League encounter with Olympique de Marseille and coach Ernesto Valverde decided to field Maniatis as a defensive midfielder in a tough away game of great importance. Maniatis put in a man-of-the-match performance and has since established himself as a key first choice player in midfield for Olympiacos. Maniatis has proven to be more effective in midfield than in what was thought to be his best position at right-back. He has proven to be a revelation at Olympiacos where he has shown great tackling skills, superb stamina and a surprisingly good passing range with impressive vision. Initially being moved into a defensive midfield position, Maniatis now plays as a box-to-box midfielder playing alongside a more established defensive midfielder.
He scored his first goal at Olympiacos in a 4-0 home win against Levadiakos F.C. On 4 December 2012, he managed to score his first goal in the Champions League, in a 2-1 home win against Arsenal F.C. He also scored against Aris F.C. in a 2-1 home win.
International career
Greece U21
Maniatis made his debut for the Greece U-21 squad in 2006, up until his 22 birthday, he had 14 caps.
Greece
After his impressive performances at Panionios, Maniatis was called up to the Greek national football team on 11 August 2010 by Fernando Santos to face Serbia were he made his debut coming on as a substitute in Greece's 0–1 away win. Maniatis made his second cap for Greece in a UEFA Euro 2012 qualifier against Israel.
