The team announcement
Athens Kallithea announce the signing of Togo National Team captain Alaixys Romao on a free transfer following the expiry of his contract with relegated Super League 1 side Ionikos.
The tough centre-back has made 313 total Ligue 1 appearances with Grenoble, Lorient, Marseille, and Reims and 82 total Super League 1 appearances with Olympiakos and Ionikos – culminating in winning the Greek league with Olympiakos in the 2016 season/ 17 – and, in addition, counts a total of 27 UEFA Champions League and UEFA Europa League appearances in his career between Marseille and Olympiakos.
At 39, Romao has shown remarkable durability in the latter part of his career. Last season, he was widely regarded as one of the toughest midfielders in Super League 1, ranking among the top 20 players in minutes played (2,233), steals (71), and fouls won (47).
Romao was born in the Paris suburb of L’Hay-les-Roses and began his professional career in Toulouse. After an apprenticeship at third-tier Louhans-Cuiseaux, Romao rose to prominence at Grenoble, where he helped the club return to Ligue 1 for the first time since 1963.
Romao spent three seasons at Grenoble followed by two-and-a-half seasons at Lorient before earning a move to French football giants Marseille, where he played for three-and-a-half seasons and made 127 appearances in all competitions, including 10 in the Champions League. and the Europa League.
In August 2016, Romao came to Greece with Olympiakos. There he made a total of 60 appearances with six goals for the Reds over two seasons, won the Greek league, competed in the Champions League group stage, reached the last 16 of the Europa League, and captained the team on several occasions.
After leaving Olympiakos, Romao captained newly promoted Stade Reims in Ligue 1 for two seasons, leading the team to an 8th place finish in the 2018/19 table, followed by a historic sixth place finish in 2019/20, which ensured the team their first European qualification since 1963.
Romao remained in France for one more season with Guingamp in Ligue 2 before returning to Greece with newly-promoted side Ionikos in Super League 1. Romao contributed to an impressive seventh-place finish in the club’s return to the top flight this season 2021/22, before finally being relegated from the top flight in the 2022/23 season. Romao captained the team and made a total of 61 appearances over the past two seasons in Super League 1.
Internationally, Romeo is capped 77 times with the Togo men’s national team, including appearances at the 2006 FIFA World Cup and the Africa Cup of Nations in 2006, 2013, and 2017. Earlier this month, Romao played 90 minutes in a 2-0 win over Eswatini in the 2023 Africa Cup of Nations qualifiers.
Welcome, Alaixys.
Source: Sport Fm
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