Tryfon Tzanetis

Tryfon Tzanetis was a Greek footballer and later a manager. He was best known as an important figure of AEK Athens during the 1930s and 1940s, partnering Kleanthis Maropoulos in AEK's offense. Tzanetis also served AEK from the position of the manager during the 1950s and 1960s.

Early life Tzanetis was born in 1918 in Smyrna to Naxian parents. After the Asia Minor disaster, his family moved to Athens and installed at the district of Nea Ionia.

Club career

Early years Tzanetis started playing football at his local club of AE Kalogreza. In the following season, he became a member of the first team at PO Olympiacos Nea Ionia, earning the distinction of being the youngest player on the roster. He stayed at the club for one year. In 1933, he moved to Ermis Nea Ionia and after one year, he signed to Eleftheroupoli.

AEK Athens In 1935, people of AEK Athens scouted him and he signed a sport's card with the club. He started from the reserve team of the club and later he was promoted to the men's team alongside Maropoulos and participated in an official match. Over the following years, he established himself as a regular member of the first team at AEK Athens.

He was a member to the great team of the yellow-blacks in the late 30s, having teammates, such as Kleanthis Maropoulos, Spyros Sklavounos and Spyros Kontoulis. He started his career as a striker, but later in his career he became a central defender, when the manager, Jack Beby relocated him, in the WM system that he applied since he came to Greece in 1948. His presence was imposing. He was insightful, extremely fast, creative and team and in addition to being an aggressive midfielder, he was also distinguished by his inhibitions. With AEK he won 4 times the FCA Championship, 2 consecutive Panhellenic Championships and 3 Greek Cups, including the first domestic double by a Greek club in 1939. He retired in 1951 and replaced Jack Beby after his sudden withdrawal from the bench of the club.

International career He wore once the jersey of Greece on 25 May 1949, against Italy B in a 2–3 defeat, with Tzanetis coming from the bench on the 46th minute.

Managerial career In 1951 after his playing days were over, Tzanetis took up coaching Egaleo in the first division of Athens for a season before returning to AEK Athens.

He assumed the position of the manager of AEK in many periods during the 50s and the 60s (1951, 1957, 1961 and 1965), winning the Greek Cup in 1966.

Tzanetis also coached Apollon Athens which was the last club of his career. He was also a selector of the Greece military national football team, where he won the World Military Cup in 1962. From 1960 to 1964 (in two different periods) he was the manager of Greece with a record of 5 wins, 1 draw and 5 losses.

After football Tzanetis had a wife named Lela and two kids, Manolis and Mary. He identified on the pitch and in life with Kleanthis Maropoulos, with whom he remained friends and partners in a sporting goods store in the center of Athens, until the end of the latter's life, in 1991. Seven years later, Tzanetis died.

Honours

As a player

AEK Athens Panhellenic Championship: 1938–39, 1939–40 Greek Cup: 1938–39, 1948–49, 1949–50 Athens FCA Championship: 1940, 1946, 1947, 1950

As a manager

AEK Athens Greek Cup: 1965–66

Greece military World Military Cup: 1962