Kyriakidis: “Kanellakis is a paternal figure, housekeeping is a characteristic of the Tsirigotis family”

For his course in Ionian spoke on its official website Amateur of group o Elias Kyriakidis.

The veteran ace of the “blue and whites” referred, among other things, with the best words to both the legendary factor of the Ionian, Nikos Kanellakis, whom he described as a paternal figure for footballers, as well as in Tsirigotis family, who has been leading the club in recent years, excluding her housekeeping and love of organization.

At the same time, she spoke about the position she holds in her academies AEK.

In detail, the interview of Elias Kyriakidis at ionikos.gr:



The Ionian Amateur through the official site www.ionikos.gr conducts a series of interviews with people who with their presence determined and determine the present and the past of the association.

People that each of his posts offered so that in 2021 Ionikos is among the top clubs in all of Greece, experiencing, on a competitive level, the best period of its history.

This week we are hosting the veteran football player of Ionikos, Ilias Kyriakidis. Elias, with his presence in our club, embodies in the most characteristic way our dream for the amateur Ionian. His first contact with Ionikos was from the basketball department from where after a short time he switched to football. There he started a great career during which he honored the team from where he started by hanging his shoes in Nice, where it all started! However, this was not the final because he started his coaching career with Ionikos.

Today, Elias Kyriakidis, apart from all the above, has never ceased to be an excellent friend and advisor to the team.

1) Elias, first of all, how did you start your career and how did you find yourself in the 1st team of Ionikos?



1. My first contact and participation in a team sport was with the Ionian basketball team and then with the football team in the mid-1990s. Olympic Weightlifting Center but also at the clay stadium of Ano Neapoli (Karabini-Terma Kosti Palamas). My first coaches were Messrs. Stavridis Minas, Errikos Antonis and then Anastasiou Thanasis. The love we received as young athletes of Ionikos was huge and personally “marked” me positively forever. My competitive presence in the team, the performance in Mixed Piraeus, my school performance and finally my appearances in the newly formed Youth Championship of the then First National were the vehicles to carry out my first training sessions at the end of the 2000-2001 season with a coach Mr. Oleg Blokhin and next to the “football heroes” on Sunday. In June 2002, while still a student, I signed my first professional contract under the chairmanship of Nikos Kanellakis. The demands were high on a daily basis because as is well known for many consecutive years Ionikos starred in the first division and was a timeless tough opponent for all teams.

2) What was Nikos Kanellakis for you and how do you see the successes of the Tsirigotis family and of course the return to the Super League?



THE Nikos Kanellakis he was a paternal figure for the players of the Association, a predictable entity for the opponents, a trusted friend for his social environment and of course a living example of inspiration for anyone who wants to succeed even when the facts of his life create obstacles.

THE Tsirigotis family characterized by the values ​​of the average people of our neighborhoods. After all, without sobriety, courage, faith and solidarity, the team would not have progressed (three promotions in three years, etc.) in such demanding times. What I perceive as an observer is that their dominant characteristic is their housekeeping and love of organization. As long as they are leading as administrative and financial leaders (Giannis, Takis, Thodoris) and at the same time the fan world gathers, then the future plans that are planned will be successfully implemented.

3) What was your most pleasant and what was your most unpleasant moment in Ionikos?



Even the seemingly insignificant daily moment for me was special. I have great memories from games, training, business trips as all of the above largely shaped my personality. Obviously there were dark moments caused by inappropriate staffing of the group of people, but the greatness of the pleasant periods was such that already any troubled memories have been erased. I enjoyed every moment and struggled every day to return the love of the world.

4) How do you judge the effort of the Rangers to manage in order to save the Team as well as the leader of the effort Stelios Paleochoritis?

It was the last move not to devalue the history of the Ionian. The Rangers they acted as a shield and at the same time as a generative force of hope and faith that unlimited love for the team can be the most effective tool of rebirth! THE Stelios Paleochoritis is already an emblematic figure as he is the personification of popular wisdom and the forerunner of this last movement.

5) How did you move to the Ionian academies as a coach and how did you feel?



The proposal came from the then administration of Ionikos, which consisted of members of the Rangers. This honorable proposal was a challenge for me. As the leader of the men’s team but mainly as a player who emerged from the womb of Ionian Nicaea, the responsibilities were many and for these reasons I had to work outside my personal comfort zone.

I started training through the EPO Schools, through seminars, personal contacts with people in football and other counseling and learning resources. The collaborators in administration, secretariat, cleaning, the parents / guardians, the fellow coaches and of course the children as real protagonists showed a wonderful culture of cooperation as a result, we achieve not only football progress but mainly pedagogical and educational development which was enhanced by many educational activities, alternative social / sports activities culminating in an excellent closing ceremony (of the 2016-2017 season). In the faces of all the children I saw little Elias…

6) Two players that you think were the most important to have passed through Ionikos?



Your question offers me a special opportunity to highlight the extremely friendly atmosphere created by veteran football players of the Ionian (play consistently almost every Monday in the respective league). The yeast of the older ones with that of the younger generation of veterans has created an excellent blend. This is a very nice group of people who are joined by Ionikos and them they keep alive the flame of the memories of the past decades.

I had the honor to coexist with top footballers in the history of the Club (either as a member of the Academies participating in training or as a professional footballer and their teammate) and I would be unfair to also great footballers of different decades choosing only two (2) favorites. Everyone has placed their own little stone.

7) How do you feel that you are now in a very important position such as the one in the academies of AEK?

The Network Management of PAE AEK Academies has a multidimensional role and requires administrative and coaching knowledge and skills. My main mission is the training of coaches, parents / guardians, actors and consequently footballers. The four (4) operating axes are

· The Educational Program (Central Seminars, Training visits etc.)

· The Organization of the Academies

· The creation of Tournaments (local, regional and Central) and

· The Detection of footballers through continuous evaluation (common evaluation forms etc.)

My cooperation with all the other managements and all the employees in PAE is excellent as we all strive for the best possible result.

8) What are your dreams and plans for the future? Where would you like to go?



I am interested in maintaining the same attitude towards my personal training and education and to continue to bridge the skills with the respective responsibilities of my associates.

9) Finally, how do you see the evolution of A.O. Ionian? Are you informed about the developments? Do you watch other sports?

The effort made by the management of the amateur is touching and the results of the effort so far are extremely impressive! My information concerns several sports as the site http://www.ionikos.gr is not only elegant but also constantly updated. Recently, I even read the very interesting interviews of the Mayor Mr. Ioakeimidis George and the Administrative Leader of the Ionian football Mr. Tsirigotis Giannis.

The special offer of the board and the other members also lies in the fact that all departments are approached with the same seriousness and in addition the communication approach concerns all the departments involved. The amateur belongs to his base and it elevates him as never before.