 Sokratis with Greece in 2013 | |||
| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | Sokratis Papastathopoulos | ||
| Date of birth | 9 June 1988 | ||
| Place of birth | Kalamata, Greece | ||
| Height | 1.85 m (6 ft 1 in) | ||
| Playing position | Centre back / Right back | ||
| Club information | |||
| Current club | Borussia Dortmund | ||
| Number | 25 | ||
| Youth career | |||
| Apollon Petalidiou | |||
| AEK Athens | |||
| Senior career* | |||
| Years | Team | Apps† | (Gls)† |
| 2005-2008 | AEK Athens | 38 | (1) |
| 2006-2007 | → Niki Volos (loan) | 11 | (0) |
| 2008–2010 | Genoa | 51 | (2) |
| 2010–2011 | Milan | 5 | (0) |
| 2011–2012 | → Werder Bremen (loan) | 30 | (1) |
| 2012–2013 | Werder Bremen | 29 | (1) |
| 2013– | Borussia Dortmund | 10 | (1) |
| National team‡ | |||
| 2003–2005 | Greece U17 | 11 | (2) |
| 2005–2007 | Greece U19 | 13 | (2) |
| 2007–2010 | Greece U21 | 7 | (2) |
| 2008– | Greece | 46 | (0) |
| * Senior club appearances and goals counted for the domestic league only and correct as of 7 December 2013.
† Appearances (Goals).
‡ National team caps and goals correct as of 19 November 2013 | |||
Sokratis Papastathopoulos (Greek: Σωκράτης Παπασταθόπουλος, pronounced [soˈkratis papastaˈθopulos]; born 9 June 1988) is a Greek footballer who plays as a centre back for the German Bundesliga club Borussia Dortmund and the Greek national team. Since the surname Papastathopoulos cannot fit on his club shirt, his first name Sokratis is usually displayed instead; however, a common nickname for him is Papa.[1]
Club career
AEK Athens
Papastathopoulos joined AEK Athens from Apollon Petalidiou. On 26 October 2005, he made his debut for AEK Athens in a Greek Cup match against PAS Giannina scoring in the 7th minute of the game leading AEK Athens to a 3–0 win.
Niki Volou loan
In January 2006, he was loaned to Greek Second Division club Niki Volou for six months in order to gain first team football and gather valuable experience. He made a total of 15 appearances for Niki Volou.
AEK Athens return
During the 2006–07 Superleague Greece, Papastathopoulos managed to make 14 appearances whilst competing against the likes of Bruno Cirillo, Traianos Dellas and Vangelis Moras. In AEK Athens' 2006–07 UEFA Champions League campaign, Papastathopoulos managed to play in three out of the six group games. In these three games AEK Athens managed one win (the famous 1–0 victory over Milan), one draw (the 2–2 away draw with Anderlecht) and one loss (the 3–1 away defeat to Lille). During the 2007–08 Superleague Greece, he was a mainstay in AEK's defence, keeping out competition from Geraldo Alves.
Genoa
On 1 August 2008, Papastathopoulos agreed to transfer to Genoa, a Serie A team, for undisclosed fee.[2] He also played a club friendly against Genoa on the same day.[3]
He made his debut for Genoa on 27 September 2008 against Fiorentina, followed by a start against Ravenna Calcio in the Coppa Italia a few days later. His first goal for Genoa came on 5 October 2008 at home against Napoli. Genoa won the game 3–2, but Papastathopoulos was sent off in the 89th minute[4][5] During the 2009–10 season, he managed to play in most games and became somewhat of a fan favorite.
Milan
On 20 July 2010, it was confirmed on Milan's website that Papastathopoulos had joined the team, after Genoa and Milan reached an agreement to transfer Papastathopoulos to the club for €14 million, with the following payment schedule: Gianmarco Zigoni (half of registration rights valued €3.75M), Nnamdi Oduamadi (half rights valued €3.5M) and Rodney Strasser (half rights €2.25M) in co-ownership deal, plus €4.5 million cash.[6][7][8]
Genoa return
On 24 May 2011, Adriano Galliani and Enrico Preziosi formed a verbal agreement to solve the players ownerships (subject to player agreements) of Kevin-Prince Boateng, Alberto Paloschi, Marco Amelia and Giacomo Beretta. The deal entailed that Milan bought back Gianmarco Zigoni, Rodney Strasser and Nnamdi Oduamadi (all under original price),[9] while Genoa bought back Papastathopoulos for €13 million, which effectively made the de facto loan cost for Milan €1 million.[9][10][11]
Werder Bremen
On 21 July 2011, Papastathopoulos moved to Werder Bremen on another loan deal until the end of the 2011–12 season.[12][13][14]
Following good performances, it was decided on 16 April 2012 that Papastathopoulos would join Werder Bremen on a permanent basis, for €5 million.[15][16][17]
Borussia Dortmund
On 24 May 2013, the eve of the Champions League final featuring Bayern Munich and Borussia Dortmund, Sokratis completed a transfer to Borussia Dortmund until 2018.[18] Borussia Dortmund signed Sokratis for a reported €9.5 million[19] on a 5-year deal worth €2 million per season.[citation needed] Papastathopoulos spoke about his transfer saying "Money did not play a role in my decision to join Dortmund. My own future was all that mattered and I am convinced that I made the right decision."[19]
On 10 July 2013, Sokratis made his debut for Dortmund in a pre-season friendly away to FC Basel at St. Jakob-Park, along with his new teammates Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang and Henrikh Mkhitaryan. On 1 November 2013, Papastathopoulos scored his first goal for Dortmund in a 6-1 win against Stuttgart in the Bundesliga.[20]
International career
UEFA U-19 Championship 2007
At the 2007 UEFA European Under-19 Football Championship in Austria, Papastathopoulos was captain of the Greece national team but controversially missed out on the final against Spain due to a suspension. Papastathopoulos picked up his second yellow card of the tournament against Germany in the semi-final, following up on his first yellow card against Austria in the group stage. The Hellenic Football Federation tried to appeal the yellow card to UEFA but were rejected. The match referee of the Germany game, Kevin Blom, apologized to Papastathopoulos for giving him the yellow, as it was later shown on video that it was not a booking. Papastathopoulos was a key figure of Greece's defensive line and was sorely missed the final.
Senior squad
He was called up on 1 February 2008[21] and made his debut on 5 February 2008 in the 1–0 friendly victory against Czech Republic. The Greece squad for UEFA Euro 2008 was announced by Otto Rehhagel on 27 May 2008, and Papastathopoulos was the unfortunate player to be cut from the provisional squad of 24 to the final 23-man selection.[22]
He was recalled for a friendly against Slovakia on 10 August 2008, about a month after Euro 2008. From then, he has been a regular squad member for Greece. He featured in four 2010 FIFA World Cup qualifying matches and helped his country to qualify for the final tournament.
He became the first player to be sent off at UEFA Euro 2012 during the opening game of the tournament against co-hosts Poland, after receiving two yellow cards, following what pundits decried as two poor decisions by the refereeCarlos Velasco Carballo
