Georgios Samaras

At 39 years old, Georgios Samaras has this physical status:

Georgios Samaras (born 21 February 1985) is a Greek former professional footballer who competed as a winger or a striker, most recently for Turkish club Samsunspor. Samaras began his career at OFI Crete before heading to Heerenveen in 2001.

He made his first appearance on the club two years ago, but after a further three seasons with the club, he moved to Premier League Manchester City for a £6 million fee in 2006.

Samaras fell out of favour with the first team after Sven-Göran Eriksson took over as manager.

He was loaned out to Celtic, a Scottish Premier League team, and moved to a permanent basis in the summer. Samaras played for Celtic in the Scottish league championships in 2008, 2012, 2013, and 2014, totaling 74 goals in 249 competitive games.

He left the club at the end of his deal in 2014 and returned to the Premier League with West Bromwich Albion, where he appeared barely and had an unsuccessful loan to Al-Hilal in Saudi Arabia.

In March 2016, he joined Rayo OKC, the North American Soccer League's expansion team, and when they folded down after one season, he signed for Real Zaragoza. Samaras chose Greece over Australia because his father, Ioannis Samaras, was born in Melbourne, but rather than represent his country of birth, Greece.

He made his debut in 2006 and went on to become a regular over the next eight years, earning 81 caps and scoring 9 goals.

He represented his country at Euro 2008, the 2010 World Cup, Euro 2012, and the 2014 World Cup.

Early life

Samaras was born in Heraklion, the Greek island of Crete's capital, to a Melbourne born father who returned to Greece before Georgios' birth. Georgios, a grandfather of Arnaia and also one of the foundings of South Melbourne FC, was from Arnaya.

Marco van Basten, his new footballer, was on his rise to prominence. Samaras, as well as his father, Ioannis Samaras, often permitted him to sleep until the early hours of the morning so he could watch his hero Michael Jordan.

Samaras joined his boyhood heroes, OFI Crete, in 1994, when he was ten years old. His father was playing for them at the time and then retired in 1996. He became Academy chief manager six months later, a post he held until 2000, when he first became boss. Samaras attributes his father's contributions to his football career in a big way. Samaras trained every day of his childhood, and he also had to spend a lot of time behind the scenes at OFI due to his popularity. In 2001, Samaras left for Heerenveen, an Eivisie club.

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Club career

Samaras joined the Heerenveen team in the 2002–03 season but he was only 18 years old. In his first four appearances, he scored three goals, none of which were from the bench. Heerenveen was compelled to initiate a three-year contract extension clause as a result of his employment.

Samaras' first goal of the 2003–04 season came on October 25th, a surprising 2–1 loss to NEC Nijmegen. Heerenveen defeated ADO Den Haag 2–0 on December 3rd, with Samaras scoring. His next goal came ten days later when he scored an equalizer to win a draw 1–1 against RBC Roosendaal. He scored on December 20th as Heerenveen defeated Roda JC 2–1.

Samaras' first goal of the 2004-05 season came on September 11th, defeating De Graafschap 2–0. He then scored a last-minute winner on October 3rd as Heerenveen earns all three points against ADO Den Haag. Samaras scored one of Heerenveen's goals on Sunday against Feyenoord, a title-chasing team, who then went down and lost a 2–2 draw. He scored on January 22nd, as Heerenveen, who were doing very well in the Economisie, defeated Den Bosch 2–1. Samaras scored an equalizer against RKC Waalwijk on March 12th, but Heerenveen conceded a late penalty and lost by a 2–1 loss. Samaras scored on Saturday to help Heerenveen beat Ajax by a dramatic 2–1 margin. Samaras scored the equalizer when Heerenveen came from behind to defeat Vitesse Arnhem 3-1. Heerenveen has risen to fifth place in the table after this victory. Samaras was defeated 7–1 by relegation candidates RBC Roosendaal, as well as Klaas-Jan Huntelaar, who earned a hat-trick in their next match. Heerenveen continued to finish the season in a European position.

Sevilla was reported to be interested in Samaras as a replacement for Jlio Baptista at the start of the 2005-06 season. Although Arsenal was still looking at him after losing out on a trade with Baptista, several news outlets announced that Arsenal had already signed Samaras and that he would join at the end of the season. Ioannis Samaras, the player's uncle, said that this was untrue and that his son wanted to stay at the club for another year. Samaras scored on the first day of the season on August 20th when he aided Heerenveen to a 5-4 victory over Roda JC. In September, he sustained a minor leg injury, which barred him from participating in Heerenveen's UEFA Cup match against Bank Ostrava. But Heerenveen defeated NEC Nijmegen 2–1. He returned to action on September 23rd, scoring as Heerenveen defeated NEC Nijmegen 2–1. Samaras scored on December 14th as Heerenveen came from behind to defeat Levski Sofia 2–1 in the UEFA Cup. Heerenveen defeated Ajax 4–2 on December 30, Samaras scored twice twice. Arsenal and Manchester City expressed an interest in signing the striker in January 2006. Samaras tried to be released from his employment after Heerenveen turned down a bid from Manchester City. However, the Dutch arbitration commission found that he had no reason to terminate his employment. Samaras scored 25 goals in 88 appearances for Heerenveen.

Samaras sold for £6 million in Manchester City on January 30, 2006, a record for a Greek player. He was given the number 20 shirt. In a 3–0 home victory over Newcastle United, Samaras made his debut for City on February 1st as a 65th-minute replacement for Cole. In the home match against Charlton Athletic, he scored his first goal for the club. Samaras won by 2–1 home over Aston Villa to advance to the quarterfinals of the League Cup next month. This was his fourth appearance in six appearances. Samaras scored one more goal this season in a 2–1 loss to Tottenham Hotspur.

Samaras' first goal of the 2006-07 season came on September 20th, but the City lost 2–1 in the League Cup to League One side Chesterfield. Manchester City defeated West Ham United 2–0, four days later, Samaras scored twice. City had won just three of their previous 16 games, and the club, as well as Samaras, had been getting a lot of flak from fans. Samaras came back as a halftime replacement and scored twice as they defeated Everton 2–1.

According to the Daily Mirror, Manchester City was suffering so badly because they didn't have any quality strikers. The £6 million spent on Samaras seemed to be "very bad company," the team later said, particularly compared to the £2.5 million Blackburn Rovers' investment on Benni McCarthy. Samaras was also described as "fish out of water" as he tried to adapt to England's new style of play. Defender Richard Dunne said on March 10 that he thinks the reason why City were failing so badly was because their international players, including Samaras, were giving the team a bad time by not working hard enough. Samaras replied to his criticism by saying that it was Pearce's fault that he wasn't playing well because the boss wasn't giving him a regular run of games. He also said that he felt a lot of criticism stemmed from his high transfer fee, saying that it is normal for expensive players to be chastised more than others who do not play well. Samaras also said that he had been through tougher times than this, and that his self-confidence would not be shaken, and that his ambition was to become a Champions League player.

Pearce was reportedly surplus to requirements by the new boss after a spending spree. Despite Europe's curiosity, Samarakos' agent Paul Koutsoliakos said that his client wanted to remain in the Premier League and demonstrate his skills. Samaras was linked to a £2.5 million transfer to Middlesbrough at the end of the transfer window, but instead stayed at City. Eriksson said that although he was initially dissatisfied with Samaras, he believes the player has improved and adapted his style of play a lot during pre-season and that he now feels secure keeping him at the club. During the previous season, Samaras had been heavily mocked and even booed by City fans, and Eriksson said he wished it would not happen again, and that he sympathized why Samaras had to play under those circumstances. Samaras was behind the likes of Valeri Bojinov and Rolando Bianchi in the pecking order, and was allowed into the squad for the first time on September 25th, when he was selected for a League Cup match against Norwich City. He started the game and scored a last-minute winner to propel Manchester City into the quarter-finals.

Eriksson had, among other things, sold Samaras to try and raise funds for the club by the time the January transfer window opened. Birmingham City had been hunting for several weeks and had been considered a £2.5 million bid, but the club later pulled out of the agreement with a week remaining, despite Manchester City's assessment of the player. Rangers, Middlesbrough, Espanyol, Bolton Wanderers, and Charlton Wanderers had expressed an interest in signing him, but Celtic were unaware of his move.

Samaras struggled to get a regular seat in the first team for the two years he was at Manchester City. He scored 12 goals in 63 appearances for the Eastlands club, mainly as a replacement.

Samaras signed for Celtic in a six-month loan contract on January 29, 2008, with the club having the option to buy him at the end of his loan term. He said he wanted to move because he had to play first team football in order to be in the Greece squad for Euro 2008. He also said that being drawn to the fact that he would regularly participate in European competition with Celtic was attracted.

Samaras was given the number 9 shirt and made his debut in the Scottish Cup over Kilmarnock on February 4th. After coming on as a replacement, he scored the game's final goal. This was his first ever Champions League match as he came on as a replacement in Celtic's 3–2 loss to Barcelona on February 20. In a 2–1 victory over Inverness Caledonian Thistle to help Celtic keep up the heat on league leaders Rangers, he was the winner a week later. He then scored in Celtic's next game, a 2–0 win over Hibernian, after being brought on as a replacement. Samaras' next goal came on March 23rd, when he came on as a replacement and rounded off the scoring in a 3–0 victory over Gretna. Celtic defeated Aberdeen 1–0, and the league moved to the top of the standings for the first time in 2008. He scored the only goal of the game on April 19th. Samaras appeared as a replacement and claimed the champion again on May 3rd. Celtic defeated Motherwell 21-0, putting an end to Celtic's late charge for the league title. Celtic defeated Dundee United 1–0 on the last day of the season on May 22. Samaras came as a late replacement and claimed his first winners' medal after the match.

Samaras' appearance in the second half of the season was crucial in Celtic winning the trophy, as he scored several key goals that kept Celtic's faltering championship hopes alive. His signing was also credited with the revival of Hesselink's previously poor Jan Vennegoor.

Samaras left Manchester City on July 8, 2008, ending his successful loan tenure and signing a three-year deal with Celtic. Despite the fact that the fee was not disclosed, it was estimated that it was between £1 million and £3 million. Samaras' first goals of the 2008-09 season were unveiled on August 23rd. Celtic defeated Falkirk 3–0, with He scoring twice. Celtic defeated Motherwell 4–2 on September 13th, with David scoring two goals in another two years. Celtic defeated Kilmarnock 3–1 in their next match, and he scored twice more. Celtic defeated Livingston 4–0 and advanced to the League Cup quarter-finals, with He then scored two goals. He was named SPL Player of the Month in September, and at this time he was also the top scorer with seven goals.

After a fruitful procedure, Samaras sustained a knee cartilage injury in mid-October, he was supposed to be out for a month. This meant he would miss crucial Champions League games against Manchester United and Aalborg. He returned earlier than expected and was back in training on September 9th after missing seven games. Samaras returned to action on November 12th, playing as a replacement in a 3–0 victory over Kilmarnock. He started against Aalborg on November 25th, but Celtic lost 2–1. Celtic Celtic was defeated by this loss, who saw them finish in last place in their division.

On January 4, he scored twice against Dundee United in his first goals of the new year. However, this was not enough for a victory, and the match ended 2–2. Even though he did not start in the League Cup Final due to poor form, he did come on as a substitute as Celtic defeated Rangers 2–0 and retained the trophy. Celtic defeated Hamilton Academical 4–0 on April 4th, Samaras scored twice twice. Celtic lost the title on the last day of the season. Samaras scored 17 goals, 15 of whom were in the SPL, with 15 of them coming from the SPL. Kris Boyd and teammate Scott McDonald were the third top scorer behind him, with third ranks going into fourth.

Gordon Strachan, the Celtic manager, was fired at the end of the season and was replaced by Tony Mowbray. Samaras scored in injury time in Celtic's Champions League third qualifying round tie against Dynamo Moscow on August 5th. Celtic won the tie, 2–1 on aggregate, and helped them to their first European away win in six years. Celtic then joined Arsenal in the English Premier League, but lost 5–1 on aggregate and then fell into the Europa League. Samaras scored in Celtic's 3–2 win over Motherwell on December 13th, his fifth goal in the club's previous four matches. In Celtic's 2–1 loss to Hearts on December 19, he scored. Celtic Four points behind Rangers going into Christmas, which would have put them four points down. Samaras' position on the left of midfield had primarily been played from February to midfield.

Celtic had a dismal season, culminating in a humiliating 2–0 loss to lower league Ross County in the Scottish Cup semi-finals. Samaras had a chance to equalize in that match when the score was just 1–0 to County, and he was one of several players chastised by caretaker boss Neil Lennon. Samaras finished the season with 10 league goals and 12 in all competitions.

Samaras started the 2010–11 season with a strong display against FC Utrecht, scoring his first goal and finishing to make it 2–0 in a Europa League tie, taking Celtic ahead of Celtic in the second leg. In a 6–0 victory over Inverness Caledonian Thistle in the League Cup on September 22, 2010, he scored a hat-trick. However, the goals were then stalemed, with Samaras struggling to score again in 2010.

He then gave a match-winning display against Rangers at Ibrox on January 2nd. In a 2–0 win, he was selected as a lone striker and scored both Celtic goals. His first goal came from latching onto a Joe Ledley pass before rounding Rangers goalkeeper Allan McGregor and slotting home from a wide angle. His second came after he won a penalty that he converted to win the game. He was named this week as the Best Player of the Week Award by Goal.com. Samaras got off to a good start in the following game, a Scottish Cup tie against Berwick Rangers, but they didn't recover to 90 minutes after suffering a hamstring injury. Samaras had a good showing against Rangers in the SPL on February 20, helping to set up Gary Hooper's second goal and causing confusion for the opposition throughout the game.

Samaras captained Celtic for the first time in a 2–1 Scottish Cup win over Inverness Caledonian Thistle at the Caledonian Stadium on March 16th. Two days later, he signed a new contract to keep him at Parkhead until the summer of 2014. Celtic defeated Rangers 0–0 in the final Old Firm league game of the season on April 24, 2011, with Samaras missing a penalty kick late in the second half. Rangers were just one point behind Celtic in the league's final league game of the season, with Celtic tying Celtic's second goal in the game). Samaras did win silverware a week later in Celtic's 3–0 victory over Motherwell in the Scottish Cup Final, but it came at the end of the season with silverware.

Samaras took on Rennes in a Europa League match at Celtic Park on November 3, 2011 on Sunday. Celtic defeated the match 3–1 with Samaras getting two assists. During the game, he was lauded for his high work-rate and determination. Samaras started their next match against Motherwell in the SPL, setting up another goal for Anthony Stokes, but Celtic went on to win the match 2–1. In a 5–0 victory over St Mirren, Samaras scored his first goal of the 2011-12 season. "He got his goal, which we've been waiting for a long time," boss Neil Lennon said. His performance was amazing. He is a natural performer, and all we are looking for is consistency. He has shown everyone today what he can do when he is in full throttle. The rest of the book was inspired by his novel. Palermo, Celtic's 1–1 draw against Italian league leaders Udinese, sparked an interest in Samaras. He had been playing as a left midfielder in recent weeks, and the Daily Record said that his good form since returning to the team had helped to re-ignite Celtic's season. Celtic defeated Kilmarnock 2–1. Samaras started as a striker and scored twice twice as Celtic defeated Kilmarnock 2–1.

Samaras scored his 50th Celtic goal in the second leg of the Champions League third qualifying round on August 8th. Samaras scored himself in the Champions League's first leg against Helsingborgs on August 21. In a 2–3 victory over Spartak Moscow in the Champions League group stage, he was a late winner. Samaras became the first Celtic player to score in five consecutive away games in Europe, with headed goals against Barcelona and Benfica adding to his goals against Spartak Moscow, Helsingborgs, and HJK Helsinki. Samaras has also been credited with assisting Celtic in qualifying from the group stage, with Hooper's opening goal against Spartak at Parkhead and then winning the foul that Commons converted to clinch the victory required that night.

Samaras won by 2–0 on Boxing Day 2012 after being aided by an overhead kick. Samaras was out of place as Aberdeen led Celtic 3-1 at Celtic Park in March 2013, but his overhead kick brought the game to a halt as he made it 4–3 in the 94th minute.

Samaras captained Celtic on several occasions, including the first league match against Aberdeen and also in Celtic's last-16 Champions League match against Juventus on the road. Celtic won their second straight league title and then defeated Hibs 3–0 in the Scottish Cup Final on Sunday, Samaras finishing the season with more silverware. Samaras did not begin, but was subbed on later in the game, replacing Kris Commons in the 76th minute.

Samaras started the 2013-14 season with a goal against Cliftonville in the Champions League second qualifying round, and made it two goals in two matches in a 2–0 win. Celtic won the match 5–0 on aggregate. Celtic knocked out Elfsborg in the next round before taking on Shakhter Karagandy in the final qualifying round. They rejoked in the return match at Parkhead after losing 2–0 from the first leg in Kazakhstan. Samaras scored early in the second half, adding to Commons' goal just before halftime to tie the tie on aggregate. The club won aggregately despite James Forrest's last-minute goal, and the team will now advance to the group stages. Samaras participated in all six group games, but only scored once against Barcelona, who lost 6–1 on Saturday. He continued to play in domestic games for Celtic, but he was often used as a substitute. He had a hat-trick against Kilmarnock in a 5–2 victory on September 28. Samaras' final appearance for the club on 11 May 2014, a 3–1 victory over Dundee United, with three other league goals after that, as well as a goal from a penalty kick.

Samaras also confirmed that Celtic would not give him a new contract until the end of the season, leaving him as a free agent.

Samaras completed a free transfer to West Bromwich Albion on a two-year deal on August 22, 2014. He struggled to secure a regular spot in the team and by January 2015, he had only made eight substitute appearances, none without scoring.

Samaras joined Saudi side Al-Hilal on loan for the remainder of the season, with the possibility to hire him permanently at the end of his loan term. He appeared in the Saudi Crown Prince Cup Final eight days later against Al-Ahli, but his team lost 2–1. In a 4–1 victory over Al-Jeel, his next goal came in the first round of the Kings Cup on March 10, 2015.

Samaras sustained a hip injury in his career on March 20, 2015, his most serious injury in his career that required him to be out of action for nearly three months. Samaras was dissatisfied with life in the Middle East and did not want to continue his work at the Saudi club until his deal came to an end at the end of the season. Sporting Lisbon, Portugal, was also interested in signing him, according to the Portuguese club Sporting Lisbon.

Samaras' deal with West Brom was terminated by mutual consent on July 17, 2015.

Samaras had agreed to work with Sampdoria in August 2015, but the club was dissatisfied with the club's inability with the medical findings. He spent time in New York to recover from a back injury, and in November 2015, he was linked with a transfer to the New York Cosmos, but no move came true.

Samaras signed for a North American Soccer League team, joining Rayo OKC on March 10, 2016. In their first match, Robbie Findley was on his debut in his first appearance, replacing Robbie Findley for the final 12 minutes of a goalless home draw against FC Edmonton on April 2nd. In a 1–0 loss to the Soccer Bowl champions the Cosmos, he was the last of three of the team's players sent off on May 28. Samaras' first goal for the franchise came in his 9th match on July, leading to a 3–0 victory over the same opponent at the Miller Stadium.

Samaras became a free agent in early 2017 after Rayo OKC ceased operations after just one season, and Samaras' next move was expected to Spain, where he was destined to sign for Real Zaragoza. He was unveiled at a press conference on February 8 and given the number 5 shirt.

Samaras and TFF First League club Samsunspor agreed to terms on August 6, 2017. In a 4–2 away loss against Ümraniyespor on December 24, he scored his first goal for the club, even after the first half. It was his first goal since August 7, 2016, when he scored in a 1–1 draw against the New York Cosmos.

International career

Samaras was eligible to compete for Australia's national team. Ioannis, the father of Melbourne, was born in Melbourne but by the age of 13, he had a fruitful football career, playing for OFI Crete, Panathinaikos, and Greece. In addition, his grandfather (also Georgios) was one of the founding members of South Melbourne FC. Although Samaras considered playing for Australia, he was never approached by Football Federation Australia and chose to play for the country of his birth.

In a friendly game against Belarus in which he scored the sole goal of the game, he made his debut for Greece just a week after his 21st birthday on February 28, 2006. He appeared in Greece's Euro 2008 qualifiers and was a member of the struggling Greek team in the finals, making only one appearance as a second-half replacement in the country's first UEFA Group D game against Sweden.

Samaras' fourth international goal was a critical one, after scoring the winning goal in a 2010 World Cup qualifier against Israel in front of his hometown crowd in Heraklion. In a World Cup qualifier against Latvia on October 10, 2009, he scored his fifth international goal with an overhead kick. Samaras also played against Ukraine in a World Cup Qualifying play-off, setting up the sole purpose of the tie, passing to Dimitris Salpingidis who slotted home to win Greece and a spot in the 2010 World Cup Finals games.

Georgios Samaras was selected in the 23-man Greece squad for the World Cup on June 1, 2010. He was rated as Greece's second best player by ESPN.com, only second behind talisman Giorgos Karagounis. He appeared in all three group matches. Despite Greece's 2–1 victory over Nigeria, they were unable to advance to the knockout stage due to 2–0 losses to both South Korea and Argentina. Samaras scored his sixth international goal in a friendly against Austria in Vienna on November 17, 2010 with Greece winning the match 2–1. Samaras scored Greece's second goal.

Samaras went on to score a crucial goal against Greece against Croatia on October 7, 2011, a volley from the edge of the box with his left foot. The match ended 2–0, and as a result, Greece qualified for the Euro 2012 qualification. Samaras appeared in all three of Greece's group games at Euro 2012, helping the team finish second in Group A and advance to the quarterfinals. He then played in the quarter-finals against Germany, scoring early in the second half to tie the game level at 1-1, but Germany went on to win 4–2 and knock Greece out.

Samaras was selected in Greece's squad for the 2014 FIFA World Cup. Samaras played in Greece's first goal and scored the winning goal from a penalty kick in the 90th minute, giving the team a 2–1 win over the Ivory Coast and qualifying Greece for the first time in the nation's history.

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