Ioannis Samaras

Ioannis Samaras

Personal information
Date of birth	(1961-05-03) 3 May 1961
Place of birth	Melbourne, Australia
Position(s)	Midfielder
Team information
Current team	Panathinaikos (General Manager)
Senior career*
Years	Team	Apps	(Gls)
1980–1984	Vyzas F.C.
1984–1989	OFI Crete	114	(27)
1989–1991	Panathinaikos FC	48	(15)
1991–1996	OFI Crete	103	(6)
International career
1986–1990	Greece	16	(1)
Managerial career
2000–2002	OFI Crete
2012–	Panathinaikos (General Manager)
*Club domestic league appearances and goals

Ioannis Samaras (Greek: Ἰωάννης Σαμαράς) (born 3 May 1961) is an Australian-born Greek former footballer who played as a midfielder during the 1980s and 1990s and currently works as youth academy technical director and general manager at Greek club Panathinaikos.

Samaras was born in Melbourne, Australia, to Greek parents. His father, Georgios, was a co-founder of South Melbourne FC, an Australian soccer club with strong ties to the Greek community. He moved to Greece at the age of thirteen. His son, also named Georgios, is a footballer currently a member of Rayo OKC. Samaras is a common member of the Greek squad. Greek national team.

He began his football career in 1980 with Vyzas F.C., but before long he had attracted the attention of several bigger teams and he signed for OFI Crete in the summer of 1984. He went on to play over 100 matches for Crete before he left for Panathinaikos FC in January 1989. In 1991, Samaras returned to Crete, playing 103 games and retiring in 1996.

Samaras earned 16 caps for the Greek national team between 1986 and 1990. He scored one goal, on his eighth cap, in a 4-2 friendly win over Norway.

He was appointed on 26 July 2010 as the new Technical Manager for the Panathinaikos F.C. academies, replacing Nikos Kovis.

External links

• Ioannis Samaras at National-Football-Teams.com