Giannis Pathiakakis

Giannis Pathiakakis

Giannis Pathiakakis with AEK Athens
Personal information
Full name	Ioannis Pathiakakis
Date of birth	(1953-06-15)15 June 1953
Place of birth	Athens,Greece
Date of death	8 February 2002(2002-02-08)(aged 48)
Position(s)	Midfielder
Senior career*
Years	Team	Apps	(Gls)
1971–1977	Apollon Athens
1977–1978	PAOK	18	(2)
1978–1980	Panionios	59	(22)
1980–1983	Apollon Athens	48	(5)
1983–1985	Ethnikos Piraeus	10	(1)
1985–1986	Korinthos	1	(0)
Managerial career
1986–1987	AO Melissia (player-coach)
	A.E. Messolonghi
	Pannafpliakos
	Ethnikos Piraeus
1994–1996	Apollon Athens
1996–1997	Athinaikos
1997	Ethnikos Piraeus
1999–2000	Akratitos
2000–2001	AEK Athens
2002	Akratitos
*Club domestic league appearances and goals

Giannis Pathiakakis(Greek:Γιάννης Παθιακάκης;15 June 1953 – 8 February 2002) was a Greek professionalfootballerwho played as amidfielderand a latermanager.After his death the stadium ofAkratitoswas namedYiannis Pathiakakis Stadiumin his honour.

Club career

Pathiakakis started his football career inApollon Athens,where he played from 1971 to 1977. He then played for one year inPAOKand in 1978 he was transferred toNea Smyrni,inPanionios.In the three years he played in Panionios he was particularly productive. He was a key contributor to the progress of the Nea Smyrni club to winning theGreek Cupin 1979. He scored in both matches againstArisin the quarter-finals, as well as againstOlympiacosin the semi-finals. In the final he scored the second of his team's three goals in a 3–1 win overAEK Athens.He also scored a goal the following season in a historic 4–0 win overTwentein the first round of theUEFA Cup Winners' Cup.

He left Panionios in 1980 his career playing for Apollon Athens,Ethnikos Piraeusand theKorinthos.

Managerial career

Pathiakakis started as a coach at AO Melissia, where he was also a football player and then worked atA.E. Messolongi,PannafpliakosandEthnikos Piraeus.

In 1994 he sat on the benchApollon Athensand associated his name with the most successful period in the club's history. Under his guidance, Apollon created a young team with excellent footballers who, with the help of some experienced players, play quality football.Demis Nikolaidis,Theofilos Karasavvidis,Bledar Kolaand the older onesAntonis Minou,Frank Klopas,Tasos Mitropoulosgive personality to the team. In his first season, he led them to 4th place and earned a place to theUEFA Cupof the following year, while in 1996 he reached the Cup final of the, where he was defeated 7–1 byAEK Athens.

A short stint atAthinaikosfollowed and he then took charge ofAkratitos,which he promoted from thefourthto thesecond division.

In January 2000 he took charge of AEK Athens replacingLjubiša Tumbaković.In the end of the season he won the Cup beatingIonikosby 3–0.and the following season, he led the club to the round of 16 of the UEFA Cup excludingBayer Leverkusen.However, the elimination in the Cup byOlympiacoswith the embarrassing 6–1 led to his dismissal.

He was sidelined for a year until February 2002 when he was re-hired by Akratitos. But before he could really take over, he died during training of a heart attack.

Death

Pathiakakis died of a heart attack five days after his return to Akratitos. He cooled down at the Ano Liosion stadium during training on February 8, 2002 at the age of 49. Four years earlier he had suffered another heart attack at the same stadium and had undergone a double bypass, but despite doctors' advice to avoid excitement, he chose to continue "living dangerously" as a coach. At the same time, he did not stop smoking.

Everything happened so fast that no one had time to react. The training session was almost over and Pathiakakis was playing a bet with goalkeeperGintaras Staučė,shooting him from outside the area. He had won the first game and when theLithuaniangoalkeeper asked for a rematch, the coach suddenly fell down. They rushed to him for first aid but the fatality soon occurred before the ambulance arrived. At the hospital, he was pronounced dead from an acutemyocardial infarction.

The management of Akratitos decided to name the stadium "Yiannis Pathiakakis Stadium" as a sign of memory to the coach who sealed the association with his death, which from the local categories of Athens and raised it to the second division.

The football club A.O. Yiannis Pathiakakis fromDionysosbears his name.

Honours

As a player

Panionios

• Greek Cup:1978–79

As a manager

Akratitos

• Delta Ethniki:1998–99 (1st Group)
• Greek Football Amateur Cup:1997–98
• Athens Cup:1996–97

AEK Athens

• Greek Cup:1999–2000