Traianos Dellas ( el, Τραϊανός Δέλλας; born 31 January 1976) is a

Greek Greek may refer to: Greece Anything of, from, or related to Greece, a country in Southern Europe: *Greeks, an ethnic group. *Greek language, a branch of the Indo-European language family. **Proto-Greek language, the assumed last common ancestor ...

football

manager Management (or managing) is the administration of an organization, whether it is a business, a nonprofit organization, or a government body. It is the art and science of managing resources of the business. Management includes the activities ...

and former professional footballer, who played as a

centre back In the sport of association football, a defender is an outfield position whose primary role is to stop attacks during the game and prevent the opposition from scoring. Centre-backs are usually positioned in pairs, with one full-back on either ...

. He was an integral part of Greece's

Euro 2004 The 2004 UEFA European Football Championship, commonly referred to as Euro 2004, was the 12th edition of the UEFA European Championship, a quadrennial football competition contested by the men's national teams of UEFA member associations. The ...

winning squad, during which he became the only player to score a

silver goal The golden goal or golden point is a rule used in association football, lacrosse, field hockey, and ice hockey to decide the winner of a match (typically a knock-out match) in which scores are equal at the end of normal time. It is a type of sud ...

in an international football match. He last managed Super League club Panetolikos.

Club career

Aris

Dellas started playing football in 1993 at

Aris Aris or ARIS may refer to: People * Aris (surname) Given name * Aris Alexandrou, Greek writer * Aris Brimanis, ice hockey player * Aris Christofellis, Greek male soprano * Aris Gavelas, Greek sprinter * Aris Howard, Former President of the Jama ...

for two years, where he helped the club of

Thessaloniki Thessaloniki (; el, Θεσσαλονίκη, , also known as Thessalonica (), Saloniki, or Salonica (), is the second-largest city in Greece, with over one million inhabitants in its metropolitan area, and the capital of the geographic region of ...

to qualify for the

1994–95 UEFA Cup The 1994–95 UEFA Cup was won by Parma on aggregate over Juventus. Internazionale were the defending champions with a wild card, but were knocked out in the first round by Aston Villa. New format Twenty-two national champions were demoted to ...

. He played alongside Fanis Katergiannakis, with whom they won

with

Greece Greece,, or , romanized: ', officially the Hellenic Republic, is a country in Southeast Europe. It is situated on the southern tip of the Balkans, and is located at the crossroads of Europe, Asia, and Africa. Greece shares land borders ...

Portugal Portugal, officially the Portuguese Republic ( pt, República Portuguesa, links=yes ), is a country whose mainland is located on the Iberian Peninsula of Southwestern Europe, and whose territory also includes the Atlantic archipelagos of ...

Panserraikos

In the summer of 1994 Dellas was loaned to Panserraikos for two seasons, where he played as regular.

Sheffield United

Dellas returned to Aris again before joining

Sheffield United Sheffield United Football Club is a professional football club in Sheffield, South Yorkshire, England, which compete in the . They are nicknamed "the Blades" due to Sheffield's history of cutlery production. The team have played home games at ...

England England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Wales to its west and Scotland to its north. The Irish Sea lies northwest and the Celtic Sea to the southwest. It is separated from continental Europe b ...

. Dellas is best remembered by Sheffield United fans for a game against

Tranmere Rovers Tranmere Rovers Football Club is a professional association football club based in Birkenhead, Merseyside, England. The team compete in , the fourth tier of the English football league system. Founded in 1884 as Belmont Football Club, they ado ...

in March 1999. With United 2–0 down, Dellas came on as a substitute and scored twice as they won 3–2. His other goal with " the Blades" was an amazing 30-yard strike in a home game against

Portsmouth Portsmouth ( ) is a port and city in the ceremonial county of Hampshire in southern England. The city of Portsmouth has been a unitary authority since 1 April 1997 and is administered by Portsmouth City Council. Portsmouth is the most dens ...

which was also a late winner.

AEK Athens

In 1999 Dellas returned to

to sing for

AEK Athens A.E.K ( el, AEK , formally Αθλητική Ένωσις Κωνσταντινουπόλεως; Athlitikí Énosis Konstantinoupόleos, ''Athletic Union of Constantinople''), known as A.E.K, is a major Greek multi-sport club based in Nea Filadel ...

in a recommendation of Vasilis Dimitriadis. He won the

Greek Cup The Greek Football Cup ( el, Κύπελλο Ελλάδος Ποδοσφαίρου), commonly known as the Greek Cup or Kypello Elladas is a Greek football competition, run by the Hellenic Football Federation. The Greek Cup is the second most ...

in 2000 playing alongside players such as

Demis Nikolaidis Themistoklis "Demis" Nikolaidis ( el, Ντέμης Νικολαΐδης; born 17 September 1973) is a Greek former professional footballer who played as a striker. He was the forty second president of AEK Athens, and is considered one of the fi ...

and

Vasilios Tsiartas Vasilios Tsiartas ( el, Βασίλειος Τσιάρτας; born 12 November 1972) is a Greek former professional footballer who played as an attacking midfielder. Although he was famed for his lackadaisical playing style, his ability was neve ...

. Dellas had a fairly good presence for two years in the team, but the intense competition that existed in the positions of central defenders and his lack of speed resulted in 2001 with the then presindent, Makis Psomiadis and the coach, Fernando Santos, considering the huge number of center backs in the roster, to release him.

Perugia

After this departure from AEK, Dellas signed for the Italian club,

Perugia Perugia (, , ; lat, Perusia) is the capital city of Umbria in central Italy, crossed by the River Tiber, and of the province of Perugia. The city is located about north of Rome and southeast of Florence. It covers a high hilltop and pa ...

. However, Dellas was dropped from Perugia's first team after a disagreement over his contract and he did not make a single appearance in the last six months of the season, playing only eight matches overall.

Roma

After leaving the club Dellas caught the attention of

Serie A The Serie A (), also called Serie A TIM for national sponsorship with TIM, is a professional league competition for football clubs located at the top of the Italian football league system and the winner is awarded the Scudetto and the Cop ...

club Roma and he joined the team on a free transfer in 2002. After finally establishing himself as a starter following the move of coach Fabio Capello to Juventus, Dellas's performances were outstanding. He earned the peculiar honour of being one of three players alongside

Francesco Totti Francesco Totti (; born 27 September 1976) is an Italian former professional footballer who played solely for Roma and the Italy national team. He is often referred to as ''Er Bimbo de Oro'' (The Golden Boy), ''L'Ottavo Re di Roma'' (The Eig ...

and Vincenzo Montella who were not consistently booed by the fans during training and games during Roma's disastrous 2004–05 season. After failing to renew his contract with the club, Dellas became a free agent. He would eventually miss nearly 8 months of football due to back and hernia injuries and thus, expected offers from the big clubs of Europe failed to materialize.

Return to AEK Athens

In the summer of 2005 Dellas decided to return to AEK, where his former teammate and good friend

was the president. He renewed his contract in June 2007 for a further two years and became team captain. Here Dellas played alongside players like

Rivaldo Rivaldo Vítor Borba Ferreira (born 19 April 1972), known simply as Rivaldo (), is a Brazilian former footballer who played mainly as an attacking midfielder but also as a second striker, and on occasion deployed as a wide midfielder or as a ...

, Pantelis Kafes and the talented Sokratis Papastathopoulos. In AEK came very close of winning the league, but the opportunity was lost due to the "Valner affair" and the title went to

Olympiacos Olympiacós Sýndesmos Filáthlon Peiraiós ( el, Ολυμπιακός Σύνδεσμος Φιλάθλων Πειραιώς, Olympic Club of Fans of Piraeus) is a major multi-sport club based in Piraeus, Greece. Olympiacos is parent to a number ...

. On 23 July 2008, Dellas and AEK agreed to terminate his contract by mutual consent after failing to agree on a new contract.

Anorthosis

On 24 July 2008 agreed to sign a two-year deal with Cypriot football club

Anorthosis Famagusta Anorthosis Famagusta ( el, Ανόρθωση Αμμοχώστου, translit=Anorthosi Ammochostou), commonly known as Anorthosis in English or Anorthosi in Greek, is a Cypriot football club, part of the Anorthosis Famagusta multi-sport club fo ...

. Dellas helped the team to qualify for the

UEFA Champions League The UEFA Champions League (abbreviated as UCL, or sometimes, UEFA CL) is an annual club football competition organised by the Union of European Football Associations (UEFA) and contested by top-division European clubs, deciding the competi ...

in the season 2008–09, in the same group with his rival club when he was at AEK, Panathinaikos and

Inter Milan Football Club Internazionale Milano, commonly referred to as Internazionale () or simply Inter, and colloquially known as Inter Milan in English-speaking countries, is an Italian professional football club based in Milan, Lombardy. Inter is ...

of José Mourinho.

Third spell at AEK Athens

On 5 June 2010, Dellas agreed to sign with AEK Athens again, this time for one year, possibly intending to end his career at the team he supports.

Nikos Liberopoulos Nikolaos "Nikos" Liberopoulos ( el, Νίκος Λυμπερόπουλος; born on 4 August 1975) is a retired Greek former professional international footballer who played as a forward. He is famous for his aim-to-goal shot, his innate in-pla ...

also returned at the club and alongside Dellas formed their leading duo. On 12 December 2010, Dellas scored his first goal in the Greek championship after two years' absence, against AEL. On 16 March 2011 he scored in the semi-final of the cup against PAOK and sent AEK to the final of the tournament. On 30 April 2011, Dellas won with AEK his second Cup. He played at AEK for one more season when on 26 May 2012, Dellas announced his retirement from professional football.

International career

Dellas earned his first cap for

in April 2001 in a 2–2 draw with

Croatia , image_flag = Flag of Croatia.svg , image_coat = Coat of arms of Croatia.svg , anthem = "Lijepa naša domovino"("Our Beautiful Homeland") , image_map = , map_caption = , capit ...

. Dellas had an exceptional tournament at

, partnering again with his former teammate at AEK, Michalis Kapsis in the centre of what became an almost impenetrable Greek defence, leading to him being voted onto the tournament all-star squad. During the semi-finals, he scored the only

ever in the last minute of first half of extra time against the

Czech Republic The Czech Republic, or simply Czechia, is a landlocked country in Central Europe. Historically known as Bohemia, it is bordered by Austria to the south, Germany to the west, Poland to the northeast, and Slovakia to the southeast. The ...

, allowing Greece to progress to the final. This was his only goal for the Greek squad.
The coach of Greece called him 'the Colossus of Rhodes' in respect of his performances in the tournament and the moniker is now widely used in the press. After Euro 2004, Dellas continued to be the heart of the Greek defense, but missed nearly eight months in 2005 due to injury. His absence was seen as a major factor in Greece's failed 2006 FIFA World Cup qualifying campaign. Two years later, Dellas helped Greece qualify for

Euro 2008 The 2008 UEFA European Football Championship, commonly referred to as UEFA Euro 2008 or simply Euro 2008, was the 13th UEFA European Championship, a quadrennial football tournament contested by the member nations of UEFA (the Union of Europea ...

but could not find his form of 2004 as Greece exited the

group stage A tournament is a competition involving at least three competitors, all participating in a sport or game. More specifically, the term may be used in either of two overlapping senses: # One or more competitions held at a single venue and concen ...

without any points and having scored just one goal. He was also part of the

2010 FIFA World Cup qualifying Qualifying for the 2010 FIFA World Cup was a series of tournaments organised by the six FIFA confederations. Each confederation — the AFC (Asia), CAF (Africa), CONCACAF (North, Central America and Caribbean), CONMEBOL (South America), OFC (O ...

campaign but was not called up after the victory over

Israel Israel (; he, יִשְׂרָאֵל, ; ar, إِسْرَائِيل, ), officially the State of Israel ( he, מְדִינַת יִשְׂרָאֵל, label=none, translit=Medīnat Yīsrāʾēl; ), is a country in Western Asia. It is situated ...

on 1 April 2009. Subsequently, he was not included in the provisional squad for the

2010 FIFA World Cup , image = 2010 FIFA World Cup.svg , size = 200px , caption = ''Ke Nako. (Tswana and Sotho for "It's time") Celebrate Africa's Humanity'It's time. Celebrate Africa's Humanity'' (English)''Dis tyd. Vier Afrika se mensd ...

Managerial career

On 4 April 2013, Dellas was appointed as

's new coach, replacing

Ewald Lienen Ewald Lienen (born 28 November 1953) is a German football manager and former player. He is the current technical director of FC St. Pauli. Playing career Lienen began his professional career at Arminia Bielefeld of the 2. Bundesliga North in 1 ...

, with

Akis Zikos Andreas Vasilios "Akis" Zikos ( gr, Ανδρέας Βασίλειος "Άκης" Ζήκος; born 1 June 1974) is a Greek former professional footballer who played as a defensive midfielder. He was a strong and industrious player, known for his ...

being appointed as assistant manager. Following AEK's relegation from the Super League, Dellas remained at the club's wheel in Greece's third division, instead of the second tier in order to clear the team's debts. He successfully led the team back in the Super League in 2015. On 20 October 2015, Dellas resigned, after a 4–0 loss to

. On 7 November 2015, he signed a contract with club Atromitos. On 12 January 2018, he signed a contract with Panetolikos. He resigned on 19 April 2019. On 10 November 2020, Panetolikos announced his return as the manager of the club in a need of gaining points for avoiding relegation. His second tenure ended officially on 5 June 2021, after the club thanking him for having successfully avoided relegation for the club, which was achieved thanks to an away goal in a (2–1) defeat, and a late goal victory at home (1–0) in the 2nd leg of the

relegation play-offs In sports leagues, promotion and relegation is a process where teams are transferred between multiple divisions based on their performance for the completed season. Leagues that use promotion and relegation systems are often called open leagues. ...

Personal life

Dellas married Greek model Gogo Mastrokosta on 11 September 2008. They have one daughter.

Career statistics

International

:''Scores and results list Greece's goal tally first, score column indicates score after each Dellas goal''.

Managerial

Honours

As a player

AEK Athens *

: 1999–2000,

2010–11 1 (one, unit, unity) is a number representing a single or the only entity. 1 is also a numerical digit and represents a single unit of counting or measurement. For example, a line segment of ''unit length'' is a line segment of length 1. ...

Greece *

UEFA European Championship The UEFA European Football Championship, less formally the European Championship and informally the Euro, is the primary association football tournament organised by the Union of European Football Associations ( UEFA). The competition is conte ...

: 2004 Individual *

Team of the Tournament: 2004 *Nova Awards Best

Greek Superleague The Super League Greece 1 ( el, Ελληνική Σούπερ Λιγκ 1), or Super League 1, is the highest professional association football league in Greece. The league was formed on 16 July 2006 and replaced ''Alpha Ethniki'' at the top of ...

Team: 2010–11

As a manager

AEK Athens * Football League 2: 2013–2014 (Group 6) * Football League: 2014–15

References

External links

*
Official website
{{DEFAULTSORT:Dellas, Traianos 1976 births Living people Footballers from Thessaloniki Greek Macedonians Greek football managers Greek footballers Greece international footballers Greece under-21 international footballers Association football central defenders Anorthosis Famagusta F.C. players AEK Athens F.C. players Aris Thessaloniki F.C. players Panserraikos F.C. players A.C. Perugia Calcio players A.S. Roma players Sheffield United F.C. players Serie A players Super League Greece players Cypriot First Division players English Football League players UEFA Euro 2004 players UEFA Euro 2008 players UEFA European Championship-winning players AEK Athens F.C. managers Atromitos F.C. managers Panetolikos F.C. managers Greek expatriate footballers Greek expatriate sportspeople in Cyprus Expatriate footballers in Cyprus Greek expatriate sportspeople in Italy Expatriate footballers in Italy Greek expatriate sportspeople in England Expatriate footballers in England