Evagoras Christofi (;born 28 June 1961) is a former Cypriot

footballer A football player or footballer is a sportsperson who plays one of the different types of football. The main types of football are association football, American football, Canadian football, Australian rules football, Gaelic football, rugby lea ...

, widely regarded as one of the most important players in the history of

AC Omonia Nicosia Athletic Club Omonia Nicosia (; ''Athlitikós Sýllogos Omónoia Lefkosías''), commonly known as Omonia Nicosia, or simply Omonia (also transliterated as Omonoia), is a Cypriot professional multi-sport club, established on 4 June 1948 in Nico ...

, one of Cyprus' most successful football clubs. He played primarily as a defender, but his versatility allowed him to start his career as a

forward Forward is a relative direction, the opposite of backward. Forward may also refer to: People *Forward (surname) Sports * Forward (association football) * Forward (basketball), including: ** Point forward ** Power forward (basketball) ** Smal ...

before transitioning into a libero, a role he excelled in both defensively and offensively.

Early Career and Club Success

Evagoras Christofi joined

Omonia Nicosia Athletic Club Omonia Nicosia (; ''Athlitikós Sýllogos Omónoia Lefkosías''), commonly known as Omonia Nicosia, or simply Omonia (also transliterated as Omonoia), is a Cypriot professional multi-sport club, established on 4 June 1948 in Nico ...

in 1979 at the age of 17, and he remained with the club until 1996, with a brief three-year break between 1982 and 1985. During that time, he was in

New York New York most commonly refers to: * New York (state), a state in the northeastern United States * New York City, the most populous city in the United States, located in the state of New York New York may also refer to: Places United Kingdom * ...

for studies. Christofi's contribution to Omonia was immense, helping the club win a total of 18 titles, including: ● 5 league championships
● 6 Cypriot Cups
● 7 Super Cups (Shields)
He made 463 appearances for the club and scored 108 goals, a rare accomplishment for a defender. Christofi is remembered by Omonia fans for his leadership on the field and his exceptional ability to score, especially through headers due to his strong leaping ability. His versatility and skills made him one of the top defenders worldwide in terms of goal-scoring.

Notable Moments

One of the most memorable moments of Christofi's career came during the 1992-1993 season when he scored the opening goal in Omonia's 2-0 victory over

Apollon Limassol Apollon Limassol FC (, ''Apollon Lemesou'') is a Cypriot sports club, based in Limassol. It has football, basketball and volleyball teams. Founded in 1954, Apollon FC currently plays in the Cypriot First Division and has won the championship tit ...

. This victory helped secure the championship for Omonia, returning the club to the top of Cypriot football after a four-year drought.

International Career

Christofi also had a notable international career with the

Cyprus National Football Team The Cyprus national football team (, ) represents Cyprus in men's international Association football, football and is controlled by the Cyprus Football Association. The team's home ground is the AEK Arena – Georgios Karapatakis, AEK Arena in L ...

, earning 25 caps and scoring 1 goal for his country. His performances at both the club and international levels earned him recognition, and in 1987, he was named Footballer of the Year by the Cyprus Sports Writers' Association (EAK).

References

1961 births Living people Cypriot men's footballers AC Omonia players Men's association football defenders Cypriot First Division players Cyprus men's international footballers {{Cyprus-footy-bio-stub