Kostas Vasiliou (Greek: Κώστας Βασιλείου; 1914 – 1 May 2003), was a Cypriot footballer who played as a forward and later a manager.

Kostas Vasiliou
Kostas Vasiliou with AEK Athens
Personal information
Full name Konstantinos Vasiliou
Date of birth 1914
Place of birth Limassol, Cyprus[1]
Date of death 1 May 2003(2003-05-01) (aged 88–89)
Place of death Limassol, Cyprus[2]
Position(s) Forward
Senior career*
Years Team Apps (Gls)
1934–1935 EPA Larnaca
1935–1936 APOEL
1936–1945 AEK Athens 4 (4)
1945–1947 APOEL
1947–1948 AEL Limassol (player-coach)
1949–1950 Anorthosis Famagusta (player-coach)
International career
1944 Greece 3 (3)
Managerial career
1951–1953 Anorthosis Famagusta
1953–1955 Nea Salamina
1961–1962 Nea Salamina
1964–1965 Nea Salamina
*Club domestic league appearances and goals

Career edit

 
Players of AEK Athens and PAOK before the 1939 Cup final
 
Vasiliou (left) with Chatzistavridis, Tzanetis, Maropoulos and Kitidis in 1940

Vasiliou started his football career at EPA Larnaca in 1934.[3] In 1935 he continued at APOEL with which he won the championship of the 1935–36 season.[3]

In 1936 he was transferred to AEK Athens. He was the first Cypriot to play for the club.[4] With AEK he won the Panhellenic Championship and the Greek Cup in 1939, as well as the Panhellenic Championship 1940.[3][4][5] During his stay in Greece, Vasiliou participated in three friendly matches with the Greek national team.[3][5]

He returned to Cyprus in 1945 and joined APOEL until 1947.[3][5] He won the championship and the Cypriot Cup in 1947.[3][5] In the period 1947–48 he took over as a player-coach of AEL Limassol with which he won the Cup 1947–48.[3][5] In the period 1949–50 he took over as a player-coach at Anorthosis Famagusta, leading them to the conquest of the league for the first time in their history.[3] He again managed Anorthosis from 1951 to 1953.[3][5] He then took over as coach of Nea Salamina in the 1954–55 season, leading the team to win the Cypriot Second Division and to be promoted to the first division for the first time in their history.[3]

Personal life edit

Vasiliou was the first husband of the famous Greek actress, Rena Vlahopoulou,[3][4][5] whom he met at Corfu in 1938 and married a year later. The couple broke up in 1943.[6] He was a photographer by profession.[3][5] His great-grandson, Nikos Englezou was also a footballer who played for AEK Athens from 2011 to 2013.[7][8][9] Vasiliou died on 1 May 2003.

Honours edit

As a player edit

APOEL

AEK Athens

Individual

  • Panhellenic Championship top scorer: 1938–39

Player-coach edit

AEL Limassol

Anorthosis Famagusta

Coach edit

Nea Salamina

References edit

  1. ^ "Κώστας Βασιλείου: Ο Κύπριος που παντρεύτηκε η Ρένα Βλαχοπούλου!". clubnewsonline.com. 28 January 2020.
  2. ^ "Στους ουρανούς ο Κώστας Βασιλείου". contra.gr. 2 May 2003. Archived from the original on 12 August 2016.
  3. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l Μελετίου 2011, p. 75
  4. ^ a b c "Οι "κουμπάροι" της ΑΕΚ!". Archived from the original on 12 August 2016.
  5. ^ a b c d e f g h "Ρετρό: Κύπριοι με καριέρα στην Ελλάδα » Σύγχρονη Άποψη". magazine.apopsi.com.cy. Archived from the original on 12 August 2016.
  6. ^ "Βιογραφίες – Ρένα Βλαχοπούλου". Archived from the original on 12 August 2016.
  7. ^ "Φάκελος "ξενιτεμένοι": Νίκος Εγγλέζου, ο μικρός μεγάλωσε". balla.com.cy. Archived from the original on 25 June 2012.
  8. ^ "Εγγλέζου στη Sportday: "Έφτασε η στιγμή μας…"". sport-fm.com.cy. 30 May 2016. Archived from the original on 2016-08-12. Retrieved 2016-08-12.
  9. ^ "Εκεί που έπαιζε ο προπάππους μου". 26 December 2012. Archived from the original on 12 August 2016.

Works cited edit

  • Μελετίου, Γιώργος (2011). Κυπριακό ποδόσφαιρο 1900-1960. Λευκωσία: Power Publishing. p. 75. ISBN 978-9963-688-87-6.