1. Georgios Karagkounis, known as Giorgos Karagounis, is a Greek former professional footballer who played as a midfielder.
37 Facts About Giorgos Karagounis
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At international level, Giorgos Karagounis represented Greece between 1999 and 2014.
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Giorgos Karagounis was a member of the UEFA Euro 2004 winning squad, and represented Greece at UEFA Euro 2008, the 2010 FIFA World Cup, UEFA Euro 2012 and the 2014 FIFA World Cup.
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Giorgos Karagounis started playing football in Ampelonas FC and then to Paniliakos FC Giorgos Karagounis was discovered by Juan Ramon Rocha in 1990 and encouraged his family to send him to the Panathinaikos academy.
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Giorgos Karagounis began his professional career in 1996 when he signed on loan for Apollon Smyrnis from Panathinaikos.
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In 2005, Giorgos Karagounis moved to Portugal to sign a three-year contract with Benfica, who are based at the Estadio da Luz, the stadium where he won the Euro 2004 final with Greece.
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Giorgos Karagounis scored a couple of memorable long-range goals while in Portugal, against Shakhtar Donetsk, and a free kick against Desportivo das Aves.
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Giorgos Karagounis quickly re-established himself in the team again, scoring key goals, especially in Europe.
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Giorgos Karagounis established himself as the captain of the national team.
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On 3 September 2009, Giorgos Karagounis extended his stay until 2012 and stated he wanted to end his career at the club.
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On 11 September 2012, Giorgos Karagounis left Panathinaikos to join English Premier League side Fulham on a free transfer.
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Giorgos Karagounis became the eighth Greek player from the Euro 2004-winning side to play in the Premier League, after Nikos Dabizas, Stelios Giannakopoulos, Vassilios Lakis, Theodoros Zagorakis, Angelos Basinas and Kostas Chalkias.
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Giorgos Karagounis made his debut for the club in the Premier League on 29 September 2012, against Manchester City at Craven Cottage, coming on in the 81st minute to replace Chris Baird.
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However, Giorgos Karagounis declared his interest to return to Fulham through his agent Paschalis Tountouris.
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On 9 July 2013, Giorgos Karagounis signed a new one-year deal to rejoin Fulham.
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Giorgos Karagounis was one of nine players released by Fulham in the summer of 2014, and retired from football after the 2014 FIFA World Cup.
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Giorgos Karagounis made his first full international appearance against El Salvador in 1999 and went on to appear in 2002 FIFA World Cup qualification.
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Giorgos Karagounis was a key player for Greece and famously scored the first goal of the tournament against Portugal, a stunning long-range shot that shocked the hosts and gave Greece the confidence they needed to win the game and progress in the tournament.
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On 8 October 2010, against Latvia, Giorgos Karagounis reached 100 international appearances, equaling the record of his former Greece teammate Angelos Basinas.
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On 12 October 2010, Giorgos Karagounis made his 101st appearance, becoming the second-most capped player in Greek footballing history, behind Theodoros Zagorakis, and scoring his seventh goal in the victory against the Israel national team.
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On 7 October 2011, Giorgos Karagounis was awarded by Zagorakis and Basinas for reaching 111 appearances with Greece.
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On 16 June 2012, Giorgos Karagounis started the final match of Group A against Russia, making him Greece's joint-most capped player with 120 caps, together with Theodoros Zagorakis.
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Giorgos Karagounis scored the only goal of the match, at the stroke of half-time.
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Giorgos Karagounis was adamant he had earned a penalty, but the referee was not impressed and booked him for simulation.
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Giorgos Karagounis received his second yellow card of the tournament, forcing him to miss the quarter-finals.
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On 12 October 2012, Giorgos Karagounis played in the second half in the match against Bosnia and Herzegovina in 2014 FIFA World Cup qualification, making the 121st appearance for his country.
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Giorgos Karagounis scored a free-kick goal against the Liechtenstein national football team.
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Giorgos Karagounis played another inspiring and energetic role throughout the qualifying campaign and helped lead to its third World Cup finals appearance.
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Giorgos Karagounis played the entire 120 minutes of the match between Costa Rica and Greece for the World Cup 2014, consisting of 90 minutes of regular time and 30 minutes of extra time.
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Giorgos Karagounis retired from international football after Greece's World Cup elimination in a penalty shootout loss to Costa Rica.
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Giorgos Karagounis left as the nation's most capped player with 139 appearances over 15 years since making his debut in 1999.
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Giorgos Karagounis was largely known for his tough, gritty play on the field.
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Giorgos Karagounis gained many comparisons to "The General", Mimis Domazos.
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Giorgos Karagounis was known for his dribbling, and creative passing, especially the accuracy of his long passes.
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Giorgos Karagounis was described as a "dogged worker in the midfield and a deliverer of fine set plays".
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Giorgos Karagounis's dribbling was noted as one of his strengths, with Karagounis able to win his own free kicks as well as provide a sometimes-laboured attack with bursts of energy.
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Giorgos Karagounis possessed a shooting ability from distance and combined his varied attacking talents with an aggression in midfield that made him able to win the ball back, as well as produce with it at his feet.