Dimitris Papadopoulos

Dimitris Papadopoulos

Papadopoulos playing for Dinamo Zagreb in 2009
Personal information
Full name	Dimitrios Papadopoulos
Date of birth	(1981-10-20) 20 October 1981 (age 35)
Place of birth	Gagarin, Uzbek SSR, Soviet Union
Height	1.79 m (5 ft 10 1⁄2 in)
Playing position	Striker
Club information
Current team	Panetolikos
Number	11
Youth career
1989–1999	Akratitos
Senior career*
Years	Team	Apps	(Gls)
1999–2001	Akratitos	57	(20)
2001–2003	Burnley	39	(3)
2003–2008	Panathinaikos	126	(50)
2008–2009	Lecce	14	(1)
2009–2010	Dinamo Zagreb	13	(2)
2010–2012	Celta Vigo	25	(1)
2012	→ Levadiakos (loan)	10	(0)
2012–2013	Panthrakikos	25	(11)
2013–2014	Atromitos	35	(14)
2014–2015	PAOK	24	(7)
2015–2016	Asteras Tripoli	12	(1)
2016–2017	Atromitos	20	(1)
2017–	Panetolikos	9	(1)
National team‡
2004	Greece U23	3	(1)
2002–2013	Greece	22	(2)
* Senior club appearances and goals counted for the domestic league only and correct as of 17 December 2016. ‡ National team caps and goals correct as of 5 March 2014

Dimitrios "Dimitris" Papadopoulos (Greek: Δημήτρης Παπαδόπουλος; born 20 October 1981, in Gagarin, Uzbekistan) is a Greek professional footballer who plays for Super League club Panetolikos. He was also a member of the Greek national team as a striker.

He started his career from the youth academies of Greek minnows Akratitos, and made his debut in 1999, contributing to the team's promotion to Alfa Ethniki in 2001 for the first time in its history.

Shortly after, Papadopoulos was transferred to Burnley in England, for a transfer fee reported to be €500,000. He stayed at the club for two seasons. In July 2003, Burnley sold Papadopoulos to Panathinaikos for a reported €200,000 including a sell-on clause in which Burnley could profit from future transfers.

Papadopoulos starred in his very first season with Panathinaikos becoming its top scorer with 17 goals in 26 games and winning the double with the club. It was the first championship in almost 10 years of Olympiacos domination in the Greek championship.

He was subsequently voted best footballer of that year in the league and was awarded a place in the Euro 2004 Greek squad that went on to win the tournament. He played in the game against Russia and had a contribution in the Greece goal that determined its qualification to the next round. He also took part in the Greek Olympic Football team during the Olympic Games of Athens 2004 in the very same summer.

An integral part of the Panathinaikos offence, he signed a three-year extension with the team in the summer of 2006 and his stellar performances were one of the reasons that the team's board let fellow starter Michalis Konstantinou leave the team.