Pantelis Kapetanos

Pantelis Kapetanos (; born 8 June 1983) is a Greek professional football manager and former player.

Club career

Early career Kapetanos started his in football career at Kozani. There he was spotted by the manager of Iraklis, Eugène Gerards, and thus in 2002 he was transferred to the club of Thessaloniki. He was distinguished for his strength in the air, but at the same time he was also a heavy player, without particular technical qualities and a big weakness at finishing. At Iraklis, he made quite good appearances that earned him a call to Greece U21. On 19 January 2006 Kapetanos was trasferred to AEK Athens for a fee of €400,000. Gerards, who was the techical director of the club, was involved in this transfer.

AEK Athens Kapetanos did not manage to meet the expectations that were created with his acquisition, as his presence at AEK was indulgently mediocre and was combined with a steady decreasing course in both performance and appearances. Even though he began his spell as a starter, in his second season he gradually lost his place in the starting line-up to Leonidas Kampantais. On 18 March 2007 in an away match against Kerkyra, he delivered a memorable performance as, after scoring the winner, he also missed a huge double chance. At the 58th minute of the match, he unintentionally chipped the opposing goalkeeper with a volley, with the ball taking a strange course and bouncing on the goal line before returning to him. He then attempted a second volley, which was deflected by the goalkeeper. In the following season his few appearances with the club made him also compete with the youth team in order not to be completely out of the form.

Steaua București On 8 July 2008 Kapetanos was released from AEK and he joined Steaua București on a free transfer in a one-year contract. In his first season at Steaua, Kapetanos was the club's top scorer with Bogdan Stancu, scoring 11 goals. The Steaua board extended his contract for two years, and he finished the 2009–10 season as the club's leading scorer in Liga I, with 15 goals, and in all competitions, with 19 goals. In January 2011 his contract with Steaua was terminated, as the management did not intend to pay his high salary.

CFR Cluj Although Steaua allowed Kapetanos to leave on a free transfer, they did not want to allow him to sign for another Liga I club. He joined CFR Cluj in January 2011, signing a three years and a half contract.

Due to the fact that he previously had to undergo surgery to fix a meniscus tear, he was sidelined for his first months at CFR Cluj. Kapetanos had a much better 2011–12 season, scoring 12 goals to help CFR Cluj claim their third title in five years.

On 14 July 2012, Kapetanos scored a late goal in extra time to help his team reach the Penalty shoot-out against Dinamo București in the 2012 Romanian Supercup. CFR Cluj lost at the penalty kicks and the trophy went to Dinamo.

Second spell in Steaua București On 3 September 2013, Steaua București announced that they have reached agreement with CFR Cluj for the transfer of Pantelis Kapetanos.

Skoda Xanthi On 11 July 2014, after six years, Kapetanos returned to Greece by joining Skoda Xanthi on a two-year contract, as a free agent.

Kapetanos as a reserved for the Greek Football Cup final, pulled one goal back for Skoda Xanthi in the 87th minute from close range.

Veria After being released on a free transfer from Xanthi, Kapetanos signed a one-year contract to Veria. After Veria's relegation he left the club.

After spending 6 months in Veria, Kapetanos left Veria in January 2017. In July 2018, there were rumors for his transfer to Iraklis.

International career Kapetanos was called up by Greece for the first time ahead of its international friendly against Senegal. He was included in the squad for the 2010 FIFA World Cup, and made his World Cup debut in a group stage match against South Korea.

Career statistics Club

International

Personal life He is the elder brother of Kostas Kapetanos He is married to fellow Greek, Fotini Dougali and they have three children together. His older child, Giannis, is also a footballer, who plays as a striker for Super League Greece 2 club Panargiakos.

Honours

CFR Cluj Liga I: 2011–12

Steaua București Liga I: 2013–14