Pavlos Papaioannou

Pavlos Papaioannou (; born 19 March 1959) is a Greek-Brazilian former professional footballer.

Club career Papaioannou started his football career in 1979 at Rodos, where his performances, attracted the interest of major Greek clubs. On 9 July 1983, he was transferred to AEK Athens for 10 million drachmas.

Papaioannou was quickly established as a key member of the squad. He initially played as a right back, but was later established as a defensive midfielder. He stood out for his good physical condition, his continuous running and his contribution mainly in the blocking part, while also participating in the offensive. On 18 September 1985 he scored an important goal against Real Madrid in the 1–0 win for the UEFA Cup. His best period in the team was his last two years, when he was paired with Refik Šabanadžović in the midfield and was liberated increasing his performance. At AEK he won 3 Championships, 1 Super Cup and 1 League Cup, while he also served as their captain in several occasions.

In the summer of 1993 when the management decided not to renew his contract and on 13 July he signed for Kalamata, alongside his teammates Christos Vasilopoulos and Lampros Georgiadis. On the following season he returned to Rhodes to end his career in 1996, as a player-manager of the amateur club, Aris Archangelos. After the end of his playing career, Papaioannou enacted with coaching.

International career Papaioannou was eligible to play for Greece through his father and Brazil through his mother and place of birth. He was eventually capped 10 times by Greece. When he made his debut, he officially became the first Greek with a mixture of Brazilian descent to play for the Greece.

Personal life Papaioannou was born in Brazil, from a Greek father and a Brazilian mother. His daughter, Ramona is a 60m. sprinter, competing for AEK Athens. She is a Cyprus international.

Career statistics

Club

International

Honours

AEK Athens Alpha Ethniki: 1988–89, 1991–92, 1992–93 Greek Super Cup: 1989 Greek League Cup: 1990