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Kostas Eleftherakis (Greek: Κώστας Ελευθεράκης, born 18 July 1950) is a retired Greek association football midfielder. His nickname was "the deer" (to elafi).[1]
He started his career in 1964–65, playing for Beta Ethniki side Fostiras.[2] He later joined Panathinaikos in 1968. At age 21 he played for Panathinaikos at 1971 European Cup Final in Wembley Stadium against Ajax Amsterdam. He scored 2 goals during that campaign to reach the final.
Following that game, Real Madrid and Everton expressed interest in acquiring him. Real Madrid would offer an inconceivable (for the time) 35 million drachmas for Kostas Eleftherakis. But Costas Aslanidis (Secretary General of Athletics, appointed by the Greek military junta of 1967-1974) would stand in the way. The same happened when Everton made an offer through Billy Bingham who coached Greece in the early 1970s.
He was invited to play for the World XI.
An injury he sustained in May 1977 would force him to stay away from the game for six months. He would never regain his form completely after that. Five years later he retired from football, but not before he won another Greek league title with AEK in 1980–81.[3] He ended his career playing again at Fostiras.[4]
He played a total of 331 games in the Greek A Division, 308 of which with Panathinaikos, and scored 88 goals.
Eleftherakis made 34 appearances for the Greece national football team from 1969 to 1977.[5]
References
"Kostas Eleftherakis" (in Greek). pao.gr. Retrieved 18 May 2012.
Fount. (22 November 1965). "Atromitos - Fostiras 1-3, match report". Athlitiki Echo (in Greek).
"Greece 1980/81". RSSSF. Retrieved 2009-04-13.
Pagiotelis, Giorgos (14 February 1982). "Το στατιστικό περισκόπιο (The statistical periscope)". Athlitiki Echo (in Greek).
"Greece – Record International Players". RSSSF. Retrieved 2009-04-13.
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