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Vassilios "Akis" Zikos (Greek: Ανδρέας Βασίλης "Άκης" Ζήκος; born 1 June 1974) is a retired Greek international football player who played as a defensive midfielder. He was a strong and industrious player, known for his tackling and positioning skills.

Club career

Skoda Xanthi

He started his professional career in 1993 with Skoda Xanthi for whom he spent 4 seasons in the Greek Super League.[1]
AEK Athens

Between 1998 and 2002 he was an integral part of AEK Athens, winning the Greek Cup in two occasions, 2000 and 2002.
Monaco

In the summer of 2002 he was signed by Monaco where he played for four seasons in Ligue 1.[2] He also proved his talent with the club on the European stage. In 2003 he won the French League Cup and in 2004 AS Monaco (always under Didier Deschamps) made it to the UEFA Champions League Final where they lost to José Mourinho's FC Porto in Arena Auf Schalke, Gelsenkirchen. Despite their heavy loss (3-0 for FC Porto), Akis Zikos was recognized one of the best players on the pitch that day. His appearance in the final made Zikos the first Greek to play in a UEFA Champions League final.
Return to Greece

In 2006, after 4 full successful years in France, Akis Zikos decided to return to his home country to play for his favorite team, AEK Athens. Zikos, in an injury plagued year for AEK Athens, helped the team to finish in second place and achieve a Champions League 3rd qualification round berth. He retired from football on 20 April 2008 on the final game of the regular season.
International career

He won 18 caps for Greece, but fell out of favor when coach Otto Rehhagel took over the team.
Honours

AEK Athens

Greek Cup: 2000, 2002

Monaco

French League Cup: 2003

References

"Stats Centre: Akis Zikos Facts". Guardian.co.uk. Retrieved 2009-08-25.
Andreas Zikos French league stats at LFP.fr (French)[dead link]

External links

Akis Zikos at National-Football-Teams.com

Greek footballers

Ancient Greece

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