Kyriakos Papadopoulos

Kyriakos Papadopoulos (Greek: Κυριάκος Παπαδόπουλος; born 23 February 1992) is a Greek professional footballer who plays as a centre back for Prva HNL club Lokomotiva.

Kyriakos Papadopoulos
Papadopoulos with Leverkusen in 2014.
Personal information
Full name Kyriakos Papadopoulos
Date of birth (1992-02-23) 23 February 1992
Place of birth Katerini, Greece
Height 1.83 m (6 ft 0 in)[1]
Position(s) Centre back / Defensive midfielder
Club information
Current team
 Lokomotiva
Number 14
Youth career
2000–2007 Svoronos Katerinis
2007–2010 Olympiacos
Senior career*
Years Team Apps (Gls)
2007–2010 Olympiacos 13 (1)
2010–2015 Schalke 04 61 (3)
2014–2015 → Bayer Leverkusen (loan) 14 (2)
2015–2017 Bayer Leverkusen 16 (0)
2016–2017 → RB Leipzig (loan) 1 (0)
2017 → Hamburger SV (loan) 15 (2)
2017–2020 Hamburger SV 47 (3)
2020– Lokomotiva 4 (1)
National team‡
2008–2009 Greece U17 6 (1)
2009–2010 Greece U19 15 (1)
2010–2011 Greece U21 7 (2)
2011– Greece 29 (4)
* Senior club appearances and goals counted for the domestic league only and correct as of 21:24, 13 December 2020 (UTC)
‡ National team caps and goals correct as of 22:34, 27 March 2018 (UTC)

Having made his first league appearances for Olympiacos at the age of 15, Papadopoulos moved to Germany in 2010 to join Schalke 04 and scored on his senior debut for Greece the following year, aged 19. However, his career progress in the Bundesliga was hampered by a succession of injuries over several seasons.

Club career

Olympiacos

Born in Katerini, Papadopoulos was playing for hometown club Svoronos Katerinis in July 2007 when he was invited on trial to train with the RCD Espanyol youth team during pre-season, with a view to giving the player a role in the youth team. Papadopoulos, however, performed well enough for the club's management staff to fast-track him to the reserve team, offering him a contract immediately.[2]

Olympiacos scouts were also aware of the prodigy's talents, however, and the former manager of Olympiacos, George Louvaris, was quick to secure a deal with Papadopoulos' father Nikos, thus bringing him to Piraeus. He immediately featured in several of Olympiacos' pre-season friendlies, three league games and three Greek Cup games.

The 2007–08 season was promising for Papadopoulos. He made his competitive debut for Olympiacos in the Greek Superleague as a substitute during a 3–1 win over Atromitos on 2 December 2007,[3] thus becoming the youngest player to ever play in the Greek league at the age of 15 years and 283 days.[4] He also made the substitutes bench in the UEFA Champions League against Real Madrid and Lazio, and featured in several Greek Cup games. If Papadopoulos had featured in any Champions League games, he would have broken the record for the youngest player to ever compete in the competition by nearly two years.

In September 2008, Papadopoulos signed a new contract with Olympiacos, which included a £4.6 million release clause, over three years. On 2 November 2008, he made his first league appearance of the 2008–09 season for Olympiacos at home to Ergotelis in a 2–0 home win.

Schalke 04
Papadopoulos training at Schalke 04 in 2010.

On 23 June 2010, German club Schalke 04 announced that they had signed Papadopoulos on a four-year deal, keeping him until 2014.[5] On 21 August 2010, Papadopoulos made his Bundesliga debut for the club in a 2–1 loss against Hamburger SV. On 25 August 2011, in the qualification round of the UEFA Europa League, he scored his first goal for Schalke in a 6–1 win over HJK Helsinki.[6] On 1 December, in a group stage game in the Europa League, Papadopoulos scored the opening goal in a 2–1 win over Steaua București. On 17 December, Papadopoulos scored his first goal in the Bundesliga in a 5–0 win over Werder Bremen and scored the next game on 21 January 2012 in a 3–1 win over VfB Stuttgart. Since joining Schalke from Olympiacos, Papadopoulos has played in over 70 matches in all competitions, scoring five goals and has ultimately gathered respect and praise from all over Europe due to his tenacious and skillful defending considering his young age.

Papadopoulos with Schalke 04 in 2011.

Ahead of the 2012–13 season, Italian club Milan were interested in signing Papadopoulos. After showing interest, Schalke accused Milan of making an illegal approach for Papadopoulos without the club knowing.[7] Also interested were Russian giants Zenit Saint Petersburg, but when their £16 million bid for Papadopoulos was accepted by Schalke, Papadopoulos rejected the move, opting to stay in Germany.[8] In September 2012, Papadopoulos signed a new contract with Schalke that will keep him at the club until 2016.[9] On matchday two of the 2012–13 season, Papadopoulos scored his first goal of the season, and third in the Bundesliga, in a 3–1 win over FC Augsburg. A virus, however, would later kept him out of play for a number of games, and he would later undergo surgery in an attempt to correct a knee injury he suffered in a 3–1 loss away at Hamburger SV in November 2012.

After a very difficult year for the defender marred by injury (383 days to be exact), Papadopoulos returned to action in a home game against SC Freiburg in December 2013.[10] Just a few weeks after his return to action, however, Papadopoulos suffered a new shoulder injury and could have been forced to undergo surgery.[11] The news came as another blow, as his recurring knee problems restricted him to just four appearances in the 2013–14 season. The injury also forced him to miss the 2014 World Cup with Greece.[12][13]

Loan to Bayer Leverkusen

On 3 August 2014, Bayer Leverkusen signed Papadopoulos on a season-long loan deal. He told Leverkusen's official website, "I am very happy that it worked out with the change. Bayer 04 is a club just like Schalke with major international ambitions. Unfortunately I was injured more often in the past season. But now I'm back fit and highly motivated to achieve with Leverkusen both my personal goals as well as the club's."[14][15][16]

On 3 November 2014, Leverkusen announced that Papadopoulos had been ruled out for the remainder of 2014 with a shoulder injury. The centre-back suffered the injury in the final training session ahead of his side's UEFA Champions League away match with Zenit Saint Petersburg; he underwent surgery. "That's just bitter for Papa," Leverkusen coach Roger Schmidt told reporters ahead of Leverkusen's trip to Russia.[17] Following his injury, the club announced that Papadopoulos underwent successful surgery on the following Monday in Herne.[18]

On 8 March 2015, Papadopoulos scored his first Bundesliga goal for Bayer Leverkusen against SC Paderborn.[19] His injury misery continued after, on 25 April 2015, he dislocated his right shoulder in a league match away against 1. FC Köln. Leverkusen officials reported that Papadopoulos would return to the training after three months.[20][21]

Bayer Leverkusen

On 7 June 2015, Bayer Leverkusen opted to make Papadopoulos' loan from Schalke 04 permanent on a €6.5 million transfer fee, with the player signing a five-year contract.[22] On 29 September 2015, Papadopoulos scored his first goal in the 2015–16 season in the first half of a Champions League encounter against Barcelona: Hakan Çalhanoğlu, swung in a corner that hit right underneath Barça goalkeeper Marc-André ter Stegen's crossbar; Papadopoulos headed in the rebound from close range.[23] Papadopoulos suffered a lot of injuries during the season facing a tear in a joint capsule that kept him two weeks out of training, as well as a right calf tendon in the 0–0 Europa League draw with Villarreal that kept him out of the club till the end of the season.[24]

Loan to RB Leipzig

On 31 August 2016, Papadopoulos joined RB Leipzig on a €1.5 million season-long loan deal,[25] linking up once again with Leipzig's director of sport Ralf Rangnick, who was his coach when they won the DFB Pokal together with Schalke in 2011. On 21 September 2016, he made his debut with the club as a substitute in a 1–1 Bundesliga match against Borussia Mönchengladbach. On 24 November 2016, Papadopoulos underwent a successful routine surgery to overcome a chronic knee problem. and started a rehabilitation program, with his return to action estimated at approximately three weeks.[26]

Hamburger SV

On 13 January 2017, after a frustrating first half of the campaign with RB Leipzig and due to their acquisition of defender Dayot Upamecano from Salzburg during the winter transfer window, Papadopoulos moved to Hamburger SV. The HSV manager Markus Gisdol knew the defender from their time together at Schalke 04.[27] On 21 January 2017, he made his debut with the club as a starter in a 1–0 away loss to VfL Wolfsburg. On 3 February 2017 Papadopoulos scored a headed goal from a set piece against Bayer Leverkusen, giving Hamburg a 1–0 victory over his parent club. A week later, HSV celebrated back-to-back Bundesliga wins for only the second time this season as Papadopoulos scored against his last club in a 3–0 away win at RB Leipzig.

On 18 February 2017, in his fourth Bundesliga game with Hamburg, he was substituted in the first half due to a shoulder injury.[28] On 1 March 2017, Papadopoulos returned in the DFB Cup against Borussia Mönchengladbach. On 18 March 2017, in a 0–0 away draw against Eintracht Frankfurt, he reached 100 appearances in the Bundesliga wearing the jersey of four clubs.

On 21 June 2017, having narrowly avoided relegation the previous season, Hamburger SV signed Papadopoulos on a permanent three-year deal from Bayer Leverkusen on a €6.5 million transfer fee, with the Dinosaurs to offer another €3 million in the form of a target bonus, for the next three years.[29][30] On 9 August 2017, despite having been with the club for only six months, he was named vice-captain for the 2017–18 season.[31] On 12 December 2017, he scored his first goal for the season in a 2–1 home loss against Eintracht Frankfurt.[32]

On 23 July 2018, according to the Hamburger Morgenpost, Papadopoulos was suffering from a knee cartilage injury which required immediate surgical treatment. The rehabilitation period was estimated at six months, meaning he would will be able to compete again around Christmas, missing at least the first half of the 2018–19 2. Bundesliga season.[33][34] On 30 March 2019, he returned to the squad as a substitute in the bench, in an away 0–0 game against VfL Bochum after a difficult recovery process (154 days to be exact) from his cartilage damage and three days later he made his debut with the first team as a starter in a 2–0 away win DFB Pokal game against Paderborn.[35]

Lokomotiva

On 27 October 2020, the Croatian football club based in Zagreb NK Lokomotiva officially announced the signing of Greek international for an undisclosed fee.[36][37]

International career

Papadopoulos was called for the under-19 Greek national team to participate in the Elite round of the 2007 UEFA European Under-19 Football Championship. He participated in all three group games against Moldova, Netherlands and Russia, helping Greece finish top and qualify for the finals. Papadopoulos later featured at the heart of the Greek defence in the finals tournament and was partners with teammate Konstantinos Lambropoulos. He was instrumental in keeping a clean sheet against the Czech Republic, as well as strong performances against England and Italy. His performances attracted attention from scouts of elite teams such as Manchester United, Arsenal and Chelsea.[38]

The teams were impressed with the defender's maturity in a competition in which he was the youngest player by 13 months. Despite being the youngest player in the tournament, he was also one of the ten most talented players in Europe as considered by UEFA in their UEFA Under-19 Team of the Tournament.[39]

Having finished an excellent year with Schalke, on 4 June 2011, then-Greece head coach Fernando Santos called Papadopoulos up for the first time to the senior squad for a match against Malta. Due to an Avraam Papadopoulos injury and Sokratis Papastathopoulos' inability to play, he took their place in the squad in the centre of defence next to Vangelis Moras. Not only did he have an excellent game, but he also scored the second goal of his team. On 6 September 2011, he scored his second international goal against Latvia in UEFA Euro 2012 qualification.

Papadopoulos was a member of Greece's 23-man squad for the finals of UEFA Euro 2012, starting in the team's second and third group games, as well as the quarter-final loss to Germany.

On 17 April 2015, Papadopoulos was recalled by new Greece manager Sergio Markarian, as part of a selection overhaul, to participate in the nation's European Championship qualifier away at Hungary.[40]

At the beginning of World Cup 2018 qualifying campaign, Kyriakos Papapdopoulos was selected by German coach Michael Skibbe. Against Cyprus, he came on as substitute of Kostas Stafylidis after 71 min. He played all the third game in Estonia, but he was sent off after 79 minutes during the clash against Bosnia-Herzegovina and then miss the important game by the Belgian's Red Devils for the fifth game.

International goals

#DateVenueOpponentScoreResultCompetition
1.4 June 2011Karaiskakis Stadium, Piraeus, Greece Malta2–03–1UEFA Euro 2012 qualifying
2.6 September 2011Skonto Stadium, Riga, Latvia Latvia1–11–1UEFA Euro 2012 qualifying
3.31 May 2012Kufstein Arena, Kufstein, Austria Armenia0–10–1Friendly
4.15 August 2012Ullevaal Stadion, Oslo Norway Norway0–22–3Friendly

Career statistics

Club
As of match played on 1 September 2019.[41][42][43]
Club Season League Cup[lower-alpha 1] Europe[lower-alpha 2] Others[lower-alpha 3] Total
DivisionAppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoals
Olympiacos 2007–08 Super League 303000—60
2008–09 300000—30
2009–10 4010202090
Total 100402020180
Schalke 04 2010–11 Bundesliga 1805070—300
2011–12 2923113210465
2012–13 1012140—162
2013–14 400010—50
Total 61310225210977
Bayer Leverkusen 2014–15 Bundesliga 1422141—204
2015–16 16040111—311
Total 3026115200515
RB Leipzig 2016–17 Bundesliga 1000——10
Hamburger SV 2016–17 Bundesliga 15220——172
2017–18 29110——301
2018–19 2. Bundesliga 1010——20
2019–20 2000——20
Total 473400000513
Career total 14982434243021815
  1. Includes appearances in the Greek Cup and DFB-Pokal.
  2. Includes appearances in the UEFA Champions League and UEFA Europa League.
  3. Includes appearances in the Superleague Greece play-offs and DFL-Supercup.

International
Greece national team
YearAppsGoals
201162
2012102
201540
201640
201730
201710
Total294

Records
  • Youngest ever player to play in the Greek League at 15 years and 283 days.
  • UEFA U19 Team of the Tournament

Honours

Olympiacos'

Schalke 04

References
  1. "Kyriakos Papadopoulos" (in German). FC Schalke 04. Archived from the original on 2 August 2012. Retrieved 5 August 2012.
  2. "Liverpool transfer target Kyriakos Papadopoulos: 10 facts and video highlights". TalkSport. 27 January 2011. Retrieved 18 July 2018.
  3. "Atromitos 1 - 3 Olympiakos". ESPN Soccernet. 2 December 2007.
  4. "Are Liverpool prepared for the crazy world of Kyriakos Papadopoulos?". The Guardian. 4 June 2013. Retrieved 5 June 2013.
  5. "Papadopoulos joins Schalke". Sky Sports. 24 June 2010. Retrieved 22 July 2012.
  6. "Kyriakos Papadopoulos wechselt zu den Knappen" (in German). FC Schalke 04. 23 June 2010. Archived from the original on 3 September 2011. Retrieved 5 August 2012.
  7. "Schalke accuse AC Milan of illegal approach for Papadopoulos". Goal.com. 18 July 2012. Retrieved 22 July 2012.
  8. "Papadopoulos rejects Zenit". Sky Sports. 31 August 2012. Retrieved 20 October 2012.
  9. "Manchester United target signs new Schalke deal". TalkSport. 28 September 2012. Retrieved 20 October 2012.
  10. Κυριάκος Παπαδόπουλος: "Να επιστρέψω στην Εθνική" (in Greek). contra.gr. 26 January 2014.
  11. "Papadopoulos injured". transfermarketweb.com. 24 April 2014.
  12. Δύσκολα θα προλάβει το Μουντιάλ ο Παπαδόπουλος (in Greek). sport24.gr. 2 May 2014.
  13. Σοκ για την Εθνική: Χάνει το Μουντιάλ ο Κυριάκος Παπαδόπουλος (in Greek). news.gr. 2 May 2014.
  14. "Papadopoulos loaned to Leverkusen". sportal.com.au. 3 August 2014.
  15. "Kyriakos Papadopoulos vor dem Wechsel zu Bayer Leverkusen" (in German). goal.com. 2 August 2014.
  16. "Kyriakos Papadopoulos al Bayer Leverkusen" (in Italian). gazzetta.it. 3 August 2014.
  17. "Shoulder injury rules Leverkusen's Kyriakos Papadopoulos out for 2014". espnfc.com. 3 November 2014.
  18. "Bayer Leverkusen's Kyriakos Papadopoulos has shoulder surgery". allsports.com.gh. 4 November 2014.
  19. "Kyriakos Papadopoulos". uk.soccerway.com.
  20. Τρεις μήνες εκτός ο Κυριάκος! (in Greek). gazzetta.gr.
  21. Κυριάκος Παπαδόπουλος: Ο πιο άτυχος Έλληνας ποδοσφαιριστής (in Greek). gazzetta.gr.
  22. Αγόρασε Παπαδόπουλο η Λεβερκούζεν (in Greek). novasports.gr. 7 June 2015.
  23. "Barcelona 0-1 Bayer Leverkusen (1st Half)". www.sportsmole.co.uk. 29 September 2015.
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  25. "Leihe: Kyriakos Papadopoulos verstärkt die rbl-defensive!" [Kyriakos Papadopoulos bolster the defense of RBL] (in German). RB Leipzig. 31 August 2016. Retrieved 31 August 2016.
  26. Στα πιτς για τρεις εβδομάδες ο Κυριάκος Παπαδόπουλος (in Greek). novasports.gr. 24 November 2016. Retrieved 24 November 2016.
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  28. "Papadopoulos verletzt vom Platz" [Papadopoulos injured on the field] (in German). sport1.de. 18 February 2017. Retrieved 18 February 2017.
  29. "Hamburg sign Kyriakos Papadopoulos from Bayer Leverkusen". espnfc.com. 21 June 2017. Retrieved 2 July 2017.
  30. Επίσημο: Στο Αμβούργο μέχρι το 2020 ο Παπαδόπουλος [Official: In Hamburg until 2020, Papadopoulos] (in Greek). sport24.gr. 28 June 2017. Retrieved 5 July 2017.
  31. Αρχηγός στο Αμβούργο ο Παπαδόπουλος [Papadopoulos a chief in Hamburg] (in Greek). sport24.gr. 9 August 2017. Retrieved 9 August 2017.
  32. "HSV kassiert Pleite gegen Frankfurt" [HSV threw it all away against Frankfurt] (in German). sport1.de. 13 December 2017.
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  34. "Schwere knieverletzung: Drama um Papadopoulos! Mehrere Monate Pause für HSV-Griechen" [Bad knee injury: Drama around Papadopoulos! HSV's Greek will miss several months] (in German). 21 July 2018.
  35. "Paderborn vs Hamburger SV 0-2" (in German). kicker.de. 2 April 2019.
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