Local leading goal scorer:

Thanasis Markou, who plays for Romanos in Elia, having scored 39 goals, was the leading goal scorer in the A2 EPSI league. The 23-year-old originates from Athens, and started playing football as a child and, at the age of 16 he joined the Ergotelis Academy. In the summer of 2009 he started playing for Romanos, where he is very happy and very popular with the fans. Next season Romanos is promoted, so it will be more difficult, but Thanasis is sure that the team will do well. His mother and father support his athletic endeavors, and his father is a big football fan who attends all of his son’s matches. Thanasis is studying accounting at the TEI in Iraklion and works in a gas station, but he still manages to find some spare time for clubbing, watching movies and traveling. However, with his training five times a week, those spare moments are few and far between, and he is always mindful of his health and the importance of staying in shape. Congratulations, Thanasis, on an excellent season and all your fans wish you the best of luck in A1 category this coming season.

Farewell to a great goalkeeper:

Olympiakos goalkeeper Antonios Nikopolidis has announced his retirement from playing league football. This legendary 39-year-old kept goal for Greece’s brilliant UEFA Euro 2004 triumph in Portugal in which he kept six clean sheets. In his career, Nikopolidis has won ten Greek Championships; five with Panathinaikos and five later with Olympiakos. He retired from international football after Euro 2008, having won a record 90 caps. He was given the nickname of “Greek George Clooney” as he bears a resemblance to the Hollywood star. He is now expected to work with the Olympiakos Club in another capacity.

O.F.I. Football Club:

Hundreds of OFI fans staged a rally in the centre of Iraklion asking for the club to be promoted to the Greek Super League. OFI was in the playoffs and was against Panserraikos from Serres in the last round, and Panserraikos only needed a draw for promotion. The protests, which were to no avail, were because OFI had a goal disallowed for offside, but television replays showed that it should have stood. The score was 1-1 and Panserraikos has been promoted to the Super league.