Stelios Serafidis

Stelios Serafidis (Greek: Στέλιος Σεραφείδης; 6 August 1935 – 4 January 2022) was a Greek professional footballer who played as a goalkeeper for AEK Athens. Serafidis was among the most reliable and consistent goalkeepers in the history of the club. Gifted with agility and excellent reflexes, he was famous for his high diving saves under tough conditions. Despite his small stature, he managed to become one of their top players in the 1950s and 1960s and he is considered as one of the top Greek goalkeepers of the era.^[2][3] He later served the club in various coaching and managerial roles.

Born on 6 August 1935 in Gazi, Athens, to refugee parents from Pontus and raised in Aigaleo, Serafidis had a particularly difficult childhood like most children of that time before, during and after World War II. Before playing football he did various small jobs to make a living. He worked as a water carrier, baker, porter, shoe polisher and peddler. His older brother Lambis, who was an international striker at Apollon Athens, brought him to the club at the age of 14. He stayed there for a short period and then, at the age of 16, was transferred to the academies of AEK Athens.

After two years with the reserve team, followed by a year in the second team of AEK and from 1954 onwards, Serafidis became the club's first-choice goalkeeper.^[4] Throughout his career he won three league titles and three Cups. He was the main goalkeeper of AEK in the final of the Balkans Cup of 1967 against Fenerbahçe, where AEK Athens finished as runners-up.^[5] On 27 October 1968 in the derby at Karaiskakis Stadium against Olympiacos, at the 85th minute and while they were ahead by 3–2, Serafidis kicked the striker of the "red and whites", Giorgos Sideris, after the latter had previously kicked him in the knee while he was catching the ball from a cross. This action resulted in his dismissal and the manager, Branko Stanković did not proceed in a substitution, sending the forward and the club's star player, Mimis Papaioannou to replace Serafidis under the goalposts for the remaining 5 minutes. Papaioannou responded well in the position keeping the posts intact, even making two saves.^[6] He was part of the squad that reached the quarter-finals of the European Cup in 1969.^[7] He retired in the summer of 1972, at the age of 37.^[8]

Serafidis was a permanent member of the Greece national team, even though he had only one appearance in an official match in the 4–0 away defeat against Poland on 20 May 1963.^[9] He did not manage to make more appearances, because he was the back up choice to Theodoridis and Ikonomopoulos.^[10]

After he retired, Serafidis went on to offer his services to AEK in various roles for a number of seasons. In 1973 he returned to the club as a goalkeeping coach of the first team for over 2 decades, as well as manager of their reserve and youth team whenever required. He worked for many years with the club's goalkeepers and later on he undertook similar duties for their academy. In 1983 he served as the assistant manager to John Barnwell.^[5]

Although he was in his eighties, Serafidis remained close to AEK in both home and away matches and he also served as president of the club's Veterans Association.^[11][12] His name is commemorated on one of the four pillars of the new stadium of AEK Athens, the Agia Sophia Stadium, alongside other important figures of the club's history such as Kostas Nestoridis, Mimis Papaioannou and Thomas Mavros. Furthermore, the name "Serafidion" was given to the training ground of AEK Athens in his honour.^[13]

Serafidis died after a long battle with cancer on 4 January 2022, at the age of 86.^[14][15]

AEK Athens

• Alpha Ethniki: 1962–63, 1967–68, 1970–71
• Greek Cup: 1955–56, 1963–64, 1965–66

• List of one-club men in association football

• Stelios Serafidis at Soccerway.com
• Stelios Serafidis at WorldFootball.net
• Stelios Serafidis at National-Football-Teams.com
• Stelios Serafidis at EU-Football.info