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| Version | User | Scope of changes |
|---|---|---|
| Jun 11 2008, 11:40 AM EDT | auldbhoy | 11 words added |
| May 18 2008, 3:31 AM EDT | auldbhoy | 3 words added, 1 word deleted |
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PersonalDate of Birth: 21/02/1985
Birthplace: Heraklion, Greece
Nationality: Greek
International Caps: 12
International Goals: 3
Squad Number: 9
KDS Honours
- 27-Feb-08 MOTM 07-08 Celtic 2 v 1 ICT SPL
Playing Career
Georgios Samaras began his playing career in Holland with Heerenveen, one of several top class players to make their breakthrough with the Friesland club - following in the footsteps of Ruud van Nistelrooy, Klaas-Jan Huntelaar and Jon Dahl Tomasson.
Samaras played 59 games in all competitions for the club, scoring 33 goals over the space of 3 seasons. In January 2006, he moved to Manchester City in a deal worth £5.25m where he scored 8 goals in 28 games, mainly as a substitute. When Stuart Pearce, the manager who signed Samaras, was replaced with Sven-Goran Eriksson, Samaras found first-team opportunities at a premium despite scoring both goals in the Carling Cup win against Norwich City. Following speculation about his future, Samaras signed for Celtic in January 2008 on a 6-month loan, with Celtic having the option to make the deal permanent. Samaras cited the chance to play first team football and try to win his place back in the Greek national squad for the European Championships in 2008 as the main driving factors behind his move.
Samaras made his debut in the Scottish Cup fifth round tie against Kilmarnock, coming on as a substitute to score the fifth and final goal in a 5-1 rout. Collecting the ball on the right touchline, Samaras beat two players as he cut inside and bent a neat left-footed finish beyond Combe. His first goal at Celtic Park came in the 2-1 win against Inverness Caledonian Thistle, heading Aiden McGeady's cross firmly past Caley keeper Michael Fraser.
Samaras comes from a family with a lot of footballing heritage; his grandfather helped found Australianclub South Melbourne, and his father had a successful career in Greece with Panathinaikos. Interestingly, Samaras also qualifies for Australia through his father, who was born and raised in the country before he moved to Greece as a 13 year old.
Pictures
