0 users online

Giorgos Karagounis retires

last updated Saturday 27th September 2014, 10:09 AM


Fulham midfielderGiorgos Karagounis
Fulham midfielder
Giorgos Karagounis
More
Giorgos Karagounis
Stories
Giorgos Karagounis has brought the curtain down on his playing career after the 37-year-old midfielder announced plans to retire from playing and take up a role with the Greece national team.

The former Inter Milan midfielder, who also played for Benfica, was a key component of the Ethniki team that upset the odds to win the European Championship in 2004, beating Portugal, France and the Czech Republic en route to lifting the trophy in Lisbon.

Karagounis also helped the national team to progress to the quarter finals of the 2012 European Championships in Ukraine and Poland as well as playing a part in their march to the second round of the World Cup in Brazil last summer.

Without a club since his release by Fulham at the end of last season, it has now been revealed that the player is set to link up with national team coach Claudio Ranieri in an as yet unspecified role with the Piratiko.

Greece's most capped player of all time, Karagounis made 139 appearances for the national side, with the last of these coming in their penalty shootout defeat at the hands of Costa Rica in last summer's finals.

He was released by Fulham after playing 39 Premier League games for the Cottagers, scoring twice for the London club along the way.

A popular figure at former club Panathinaikos, Karagounis will hope to turn around Greece's current qualification campaign for Euro 2016 in France, which started badly with a home defeat at the hands of Romania.






















Source Jack Beresford at HITC Sport
Since 1998
"It's been updated!"