Manolis Moniakis ( el, Μανώλης Μονιάκης; born 9 November 1988) is a Greek professional

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 ...

, who plays as a

left 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 s ...

for O.F.Arkalochoriou in the Heraklion FCA A1 Championship, a regional league in the fifth tier of the

Greek football league system The Greek football league system includes four levels in which teams can possibly make it to the Super League 1, Greece's highest division of football. Cup eligibility Greek Football Professional Cup: Levels 1 to 2 Greek Football Amateur Cup: ...

Club career

Born in

Heraklion Heraklion or Iraklion ( ; el, Ηράκλειο, , ) is the largest city and the administrative capital of the island of Crete and capital of Heraklion regional unit. It is the fourth largest city in Greece with a population of 211,370 (Urban ...

, Moniakis began playing football in the Ergotelis Youth Academy. Considered among the greatest

Cretan Crete ( el, Κρήτη, translit=, Modern: , Ancient: ) is the largest and most populous of the Greek islands, the 88th largest island in the world and the fifth largest island in the Mediterranean Sea, after Sicily, Sardinia, Cyprus, and ...

talents in his generation, and having already received call-ups for the Greek national U–19 team, Moniakis sparked controversy in November 2006, when he left the club as soon as he turned 18 to sign his first professional contract with

Ergotelis The Gymnastics Club «Ergotelis» Heraklion Crete ( el, Γυμναστικός Σύλλογος «O Εργοτέλης» Ηρακλείου Κρήτης, Γ.Σ. Εργοτέλης), commonly known simply as Ergotelis ( el, Εργοτέλης), ...

' local arch rival OFI. He played for the senior side of OFI from January 2007 until December 2010, featuring in 32

Super League The Super League (officially known as the Betfred Super League due to sponsorship from Betfred and legally known as Super League Europe), is the top-level of the British rugby league system. At present the league consists of twelve teams, of ...

games. However, he tested positive for

cocaine Cocaine (from , from , ultimately from Quechua: ''kúka'') is a central nervous system (CNS) stimulant mainly used recreationally for its euphoric effects. It is primarily obtained from the leaves of two Coca species native to South Am ...

in March 2009, and received a six-month suspension. After his return to action, Moniakis capitalized on his performances with OFI, earning a transfer 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 ...

.Yπογράφει στον Ολυμπιακό ο Μονιάκης (Moniakis signs with Olympiacos)
Athletic Radio 104.2 (Greek) He signed a four-year contract with the club in January 2011, and was immediately loaned out to fellow Super League side

Kerkyra Corfu (, ) or Kerkyra ( el, Κέρκυρα, Kérkyra, , ; ; la, Corcyra.) is a Greek island in the Ionian Sea, of the Ionian Islands, and, including its small satellite islands, forms the margin of the northwestern frontier of Greece. The i ...

for six months. His stay with the

Piraeus Piraeus ( ; el, Πειραιάς ; grc, Πειραιεύς ) is a port city within the Athens urban area ("Greater Athens"), in the Attica region of Greece. It is located southwest of Athens' city centre, along the east coast of the Sar ...

-club was short-lived however, and at the start of 2011-12 season, Moniakis returned to OFI. He played for the Cretans until March 2015, when OFI announced that they were withdrawing from the Super League as the administration failed to meet the club's pressing financial obligations. In July 2015, Moniakis signed a contract with

Greek Football League The Football League ( el, Φούτμπολ Λιγκ) was the second highest professional football league in Greece since its inception in 1962 as ''Beta Ethniki'' and until 2019. It then served as a third tier after the creation of the Super Lea ...

side

AEL AEL may refer to: * Acute eosinophilic leukemia, a form of leukemia * Airport Express (MTR), a railway line serving Hong Kong International Airport in Hong Kong * AEL (motorcycle), an early-20th century motorcycle maker in Coventry, England * Afric ...

, for an undisclosed fee. He was one of the key players, helping the club earn promotion to the Super League. He left the club on mutual consent on 5 May 2017. In July the same year, Moniakis made his second comeback to his former club OFI, at the time playing in the Football League, signing a two-year contract. After winning the Division title in

2018 File:2018 Events Collage.png, From top left, clockwise: The 2018 Winter Olympics opening ceremony in PyeongChang, South Korea; Protests erupt following the Assassination of Jamal Khashoggi; March for Our Lives protests take place across the United ...

, Moniakis was waived by the club, and subsequently signed with recently relegated

Rethymno Rethymno ( el, Ρέθυμνο, , also ''Rethimno'', ''Rethymnon'', ''Réthymnon'', and ''Rhíthymnos'') is a city in Greece on the island of Crete. It is the capital of Rethymno regional unit, and has a population of more than 30,000 inhabitants ...

FCA A Division club Mylopotamos. After helping the club swiftly return to the

Gamma Ethniki The Gamma Ethniki ( el, Γ΄ Εθνική Ερασιτεχνική Κατηγορία, C National Amateur Division) is the third highest football league in Greece. History The Gamma Ethniki began in 1965 as an amateur championship, while in 198 ...

, Moniakis returned to

in July 2019 to sign with Heraklion FCA A1 Division club Almyros Gazi.

International career

Moniakis played for the Greece Under-19 and Greece Under-21 national football teams between 2006 and 2008.

Honours

Club

AEL

Football League The English Football League (EFL) is a league of professional football clubs from England and Wales. Founded in 1888 as the Football League, the league is the oldest such competition in the world. It was the top-level football league in Engla ...

: Winner: 2015–16

OFI

: Winner: 2017–18

References

External links

Profile at epae.orgGuardian's Stats Centre
{{DEFAULTSORT:Moniakis, Manolis 1988 births Living people Footballers from Heraklion Greek footballers Association football defenders Athlitiki Enosi Larissa F.C. players A.O. Kerkyra players OFI Crete F.C. players Olympiacos F.C. players