Sotirios Kyrgiakos

Sotirios Kyrgiakos (Σωτήριος Κυργιάκος, born 23 July 1979) is a Greek former professional footballer who played as a central defender.

Kyrgiakos made his first football steps with a local team, Thyella Megalochoriou.

It did not take long for him to be recognized.

At the start of the 1996–97 season he became a member of the Panathinaikos football academy.

He is well known as alani.

He lived and played football at the Paiania athletic complex, the club's training ground.

In the wake of the 1999–2000 season he became a member of Agios Nikolaos, a second division club and won the respect of president Lampros Maris whom Kyrgiakos considers as his second father.

The centre-back injuries at his parent club, Panathinaikos, just before the Third Qualifying round matches with Slavia Prague for the 2000–01 Champions League meant that he had to return to Paiania and become a regular member of the starting line-up.

He stayed with Agios Nikolaos for two years and in 2001 he took part in the pre-season camp at OFI Crete.

In the 2003–04 season, Kyrgiakos won with Panathinaikos the Greek League and Greek Cup against the eternal rival Olympiacos.

The following January, Kyrgiakos joined Rangers during the 2004–05 season with a view to a permanent deal.

With his new club, he won a second consecutive championship and also the Scottish League Cup, scoring two goals in the 5–1 win against Motherwell in the final.

He initially failed to agree terms with Rangers and held talks with Everton, Portsmouth and Schalke 04 and the Italian club Genoa before finally agreeing a one-year deal with Rangers.

He scored a famous winning goal against F.C. Porto in the UEFA Champions League that year, and ended the season with three goals after also scoring against Peterhead in the Scottish Cup and Dunfermline in the league.

He left the club by mutual consent in May 2006 after his contract ran out.

In June 2006, Kyrgiakos signed a two-year deal with Eintracht Frankfurt.

In his first season, he proved to be a fan favourite with some great performances and crucial goals which helped the team avoid relegation.

In his second season with the club, with more excellent performances he helped the team finish in ninth position.

On 1 July 2008, after his two-year deal expired, Kyrgiakos decided not to renew his contract with the German club, and so was released.

On 1 August 2008, Kyrgiakos agreed to sign for AEK Athens on a five-year deal.

Due to a number of injuries, Kyrgiakos only made 20 league appearances for AEK but he still established himself as one of the league's best defenders.

He played in the Greek Cup Final in 2009 as AEK played Olympiacos in one of the most thrilling games in the history of Greek football.

Kyrgiakos was on the losing side as Olympiacos won 15–14 on penalties following a 4–4 draw after extra time.

Kyrgiakos did not manage to complete the match though having picked up an injury in the second half of the match.

AEK were winning 2–1 at the time.

On 21 August 2009, it was announced that he had signed a two-year deal with the option of a further year for Liverpool.

The Greek international was handed the number 16 shirt.

Kyrgiakos scored his first goal for the club against Stoke City on 16 January 2010 in the 57th minute and also completed the full 90 minutes in a 1–1 draw alongside Martin Škrtel at the Britannia Stadium, later being named man of the match by various British sport sites for his performance in that match.

On 17 January 2010, former Liverpool striker and football pundit/journalist Stan Collymore wrote an article acknowledging Kyrgiakos' ability, stating that "Kyrgiakos may be keeping Rafa (Benítez) in a job...".

Collymore argued that "Sotirios Kyrgiakos could become an unlikely poster boy for the 'new Liverpool.'" He stated, "The big pony-tailed Greek put in a sterling performance at The Britannia and may typify the less football, more grit of the new Reds... And it is no-nonsense men such as Kyrgiakos who like to roll up their sleeves which can keep Rafa in a job right now."

Liverpool's very next game was a crunch-match against Tottenham Hotspur, who were perceived as one of the clubs rivalling Liverpool for fourth in the Premier League table.

Liverpool won 2–0 and Kyrgiakos put in another solid performance, one described by Sky Sports as "magnificent."

Kyrgiakos' fine form continued in the very next game as Liverpool kept a clean sheet in a 0–0 draw away at Wolverhampton Wanderers on 26 January 2010.

An esteemed British sports site rated him as Liverpool's best player that night, he was also voted man of the match in this game by the Liverpool fans on the club's official website.

Meanwhile, the legendary Liverpool striker Ian Rush also praised Kyrgiakos, stating that he is ready to fill the void left behind by Sami Hyypiä.

Kyrgiakos' performances had been so impressive that the British sports journalist, Steven Saunders, identified Kyrgiakos as "One To Watch" in the preview to Liverpool's home game against Bolton Wanderers on 30 January 2010.

Saunders stated Kyrgiakos' "physical presence in the heart of the defence has been key to a spirited resolve in recent matches. Teams are having to work hard to score against Liverpool, which hadn't always been the case before Kyrgiakos' sustained run in the side."

In the build-up to that match, Liverpool manager Rafael Benítez also took time to praise Kyrgiakos and make comparisons between Kyrgiakos' role for the club and Sami Hyypiä's role when he was at the club, suggesting that Kyrgiakos had established himself as an integral part of the Liverpool squad.

Kyrgiakos was voted man of the match against Bolton on 30 January 2010 by Liverpool fans for the third time in four games.

Kyrgiakos' brilliant performances during January 2010 saw him voted as Liverpool's Player of the Month by the club's fans.