View text source at Wikipedia

Giorgos Giakoumakis

Not to be confused with the Greek naval officer Georgios Giakoumakis.

Giorgos Giakoumakis
Giakoumakis with VVV-Venlo in 2021
Personal information
Full name Georgios Giakoumakis[1]
Date of birth (1994-12-09) 9 December 1994 (age 30)[1]
Place of birth Heraklion, Greece
Height 1.85 m (6 ft 1 in)[1]
Position(s) Striker
Team information
Current team
 Cruz Azul
Number 11
Youth career
2009–2011 Atsalenios
Senior career*
Years Team Apps (Gls)
2011–2012 Atsalenios 23 (8)
2012–2017 Platanias 59 (14)
2014 → Episkopi (loan) 11 (2)
2017–2020 AEK Athens 30 (1)
2019 → OFI (loan) 10 (2)
2020 → Górnik Zabrze (loan) 12 (3)
2020–2021 VVV-Venlo 30 (26)
2021–2023 Celtic 40 (19)
2023–2024 Atlanta United 38 (22)
2024– Cruz Azul 17 (7)
International career‡
2015 Greece U21 3 (0)
2020– Greece 22 (4)
*Club domestic league appearances and goals, correct as of 22:30, 15 December 2024 (UTC)
‡ National team caps and goals, correct as of 26 March 2024

Georgios Giakoumakis (Greek: Γιώργος Γιακουμάκης;[2] born 9 December 1994) is a Greek professional footballer who plays as a striker for Liga MX club Cruz Azul and the Greece national team.

Club career

[edit]

Early career

[edit]

Giakoumakis started his career at Atsalenios. In 2012, he signed for Platanias and he debuted for the club in a 3–2 win against Skoda Xanthi, coming in as a substitute in the 78th minute.[3] In January 2014 he signed for Episkopi on loan until the end of the season and he made a total of 11 appearances and scoring two goals. He returned to Platanias, starting playing more often in the 2014–15 season and on 26 April 2015, he scored his first Superleague goal, in a 2–0 home win Panetolikos.[4]

AEK Athens

[edit]

On 26 June 2017, Giakoumakis joined AEK Athens on a four-year contract.[5] On 20 December, he scored his first goal with the club in a 4–0 away Greek Cup win against Panetolikos.[6] On 4 February, he scored as a late substitute in stoppage time in 2–1 away win game against champions Olympiacos. It was his first goal in Super League with AEK.[7]

He scored his first goal for the 2018–19 season, in a 2–1 home win against Lamia for the Greek Cup, taking advantage of Lucas Boyé's excellent solo effort.[8]

Loans to OFI and Górnik Zabrze

[edit]

On 24 January 2019, after a year-and-a-half in AEK Athens, Giakoumakis signed a six months contract with OFI in the club's effort to avoid relegation, with an undisclosed purchase option for the summer of 2019.[9] On 17 March 2019, he scored his first goal with the club in a crucial 2–0 home win over fellow strugglers Levadiakos to climb above their SuperLeague rivals, however both clubs still sit in the relegation zone.[10]

On 3 March 2020, he was loaned out to Ekstraklasa club Górnik Zabrze for the remainder of the current football season.[11] On 30 May 2020, Giakoumakis scored the winning goal for Górnik Zabrze against ŁKS Łódź sealing a vital 1–0 away win for his club.[12] On 23 June 2020, Giakoumakis scored his third goal for Górnik Zabrze in the Ekstraklasa, while teammate Stavros Vasilantonopoulos registered his second marker for the club in the same match. The Greek striker connected with a low pass across the box, neatly turning the ball beyond the goalkeeper into the far right corner, sealing a 3–1 away win against ŁKS Łódź.[13]

VVV-Venlo

[edit]

On 11 August 2020, Giakoumakis moved to VVV-Venlo. He signed a two-year contract with an option for an additional year with the Dutch club, while AEK Athens received a transfer fee of €600,000.[14] On 12 September, in his first game for VVV, Giakoumakis led his new club to win against FC Emmen by scoring a hat trick in the 2020–21 Eredivisie opener. The Greek forward scored all his goals in the second half, overturning the score, as the hosts were leading up to that point with 2–0.[15]

On 14 January 2021, Giakoumakis scored all four goals in a 4–1 away victory at ADO Den Haag.[16] Two weeks later, on 28 January 2021, he again scored all four goals in a 4–1 victory: this time at home to Vitesse,[17] and joined former Ajax striker Luis Suárez as the only players in the 21st century to have twice scored four goals in a single Eredivisie game.[18] He was voted Eredivisie Player of the Month for January,[19] having scored the most goals in Netherlands in a calendar month since 1985, and the second-most to Marco Van Basten's 12 with Ajax.[20]

On 14 March, VVV-Venlo may have suffered its seventh consecutive defeat in the Eredivisie, however Giakoumakis with the goal he scored against Fortuna Sittard in an 3–1 home loss, made history as he caught Hans Sleven, who in the 1958–59 season had scored 24 goals in one year, rising to the fifth place of the scorers of all times for the club.[21] On 13 May, Giakoumakis scored in VVV-Venlo's defeat in a crucial match against champions Ajax. After a reasonably good start to the competition, the club was unable to win the last fourteen matches in the league and was relegated while Giakoumakis became top scorer of Eredivisie.[22]

Celtic

[edit]

During the summer window, Giakoumakis was wanted by various clubs, with German club Werder Bremen agreeing a transfer fee with Venlo. On 31 August 2021, the last day of the summer transfer window, he signed for Scottish Premiership club Celtic on a five-year contract for a fee of £2.5 million.[23] A month later, he made his debut as a substitute in a 4–0 home loss against Bayer Leverkusen in the UEFA Europa League. On 23 October, Giakoumakis scored his first goal for Celtic, opening the scoring in a 2–0 league win against St Johnstone.[24] On 22 January 2022, Giakoumakis started for the first time in three months and rewarded Ange Postecoglou with a goal in a 2–1 away win over Alloa Athletic in the fourth round of the Scottish Cup.[25] On 26 January, he scored in a vital 2–1 away win against Heart of Midlothian.[26]

On 20 February, Giakoumakis scored a hat-trick in a 3–2 win against Dundee.[27][28] On 14 March, Giakoumakis scored twice to help beat Dundee United and book their place in the semi-finals of the Scottish Cup.[29] On 19 March, he scored his second hat-trick in five games as Celtic beat in-form Ross County 4–0 to move six points clear of Rangers at the top of the table.[30] His efforts in March earned him the SPFL Player of The Month award.[31] On 11 May, Giakoumakis scored in a 1–1 draw at Dundee United which secured the 2021–22 Scottish Premiership title for Celtic.[32] On the final day of the season, Giakoumakis scored a double after coming off the bench against Motherwell to become the joint top goalscorer in the league. This was despite playing in only 21 games, which was 16 fewer than Regan Charles-Cook who also scored 13.[33] His performances that season led to him becoming a popular player amongst the Celtic support, who made a chant in his honour based on German band Nena's single 99 Luftballons.[34]

On 8 October, Giakoumakis scored a dramatic 95th-minute winner in a 2–1 victory at St Johnstone; only a few minutes after the home side had equalised via Alex Mitchell.[35] He would go on to make appearances in the UEFA Champions League for Celtic, starting in their opening group stage match against Real Madrid.[36] He scored in a 1–1 draw at home against Shakhtar Donetsk on 25 October.[37]

In December, media reports emerged claiming that Giakoumakis was unhappy with terms offered to him by Celtic in contract negotiations. He was linked with a move to Saudi Arabia.[38] Giakoumakis later became linked to both Atlanta United FC and Urawa Red Diamonds in January, with multiple reports indicating Atlanta offering a transfer fee of £4.3 million.[39][40] Celtic confirmed his transfer on 8 February 2023.[41]

Atlanta United

[edit]

On 5 March 2023, Giakoumakis made his MLS debut, playing in Atlanta's 1–1 draw with Toronto FC.[42] On 8 November 2023, in Atlanta's 4–2 win over Columbus Crew, the Greek striker became the first player in club history to contribute to three goals in a single MLS Cup Playoffs match.[43] On 28 November 2023, Giakoumakis was included in the selection of the Best XI presented by Continental Tire, which recognizes the league’s top players at each position as determined by members of the media, MLS players and MLS club technical staffs.[44] On 9 March 2024, Giakoumakis scored his first hat-trick for the club in a 4–1 win over New England Revolution.[45] He tallied 24 goals and seven assists in 43 matches across all competitions for Atlanta.[46]

Cruz Azul

[edit]

On 16 June 2024, Giakoumakis joined Mexican club Cruz Azul for an undisclosed fee.[46]

International career

[edit]

Greece

[edit]

On 11 November 2020, Giakoumakis scored on his debut for the Greece national team against Cyprus in a 2–1 victory.[47] On 12 June 2022, Giakoumakis scored again for Greece against Kosovo in the UEFA Nations League.[48]

Personal life

[edit]

Giakoumakis who was born in Heraklion, Crete,[49][50] is of Romani origins,[51] and comes from a family that has produced footballers in three generations.[50]

Career statistics

[edit]

Club

[edit]
As of match played 7 December 2024
Appearances and goals by club, season and competition
Club Season League National cup[a] League cup[b] Continental Total
Division Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals
Platanias 2012–13[1] Super League Greece 9 0 3 0 — — 12 0
2013–14[1] Super League Greece 5 0 0 0 — — 5 0
2014–15[1] Super League Greece 9 1 1 0 — — 10 1
2015–16[1] Super League Greece 10 2 0 0 — — 10 2
2016–17[1] Super League Greece 26 11 4 1 — — 30 12
Total 59 14 8 1 — — 67 15
Episkopi (loan) 2013–14[1] Football League Greece 11 2 — — — 11 2
AEK Athens 2017–18[52] Super League Greece 11 1 6 1 — 4[c] 0 21 2
2018–19[52] Super League Greece 6 0 2 1 — 3[d] 0 11 1
2019–20[52] Super League Greece 13 0 1 0 — 2[e] 0 16 0
Total 30 1 9 2 — 9 0 48 3
OFI (loan) 2018–19[52] Super League Greece 10 2 0 0 — — 10 2
Górnik Zabrze (loan) 2019–20[52] Ekstraklasa 12 3 — — — 12 3
VVV-Venlo 2020–21[52] Eredivisie 30 26 3 3 — — 33 29
Celtic 2021–22[52] Scottish Premiership 21 13 3 4 0 0 5[f] 0 29 17
2022–23[52] Scottish Premiership 19 6 0 0 3 2 6[d] 1 28 9
Total 40 19 3 4 3 2 11 1 57 26
Atlanta United FC 2023[52] MLS 27 17 0 0 — 5[g] 2 32 19
2024[52] MLS 11 5 0 0 — 0 0 11 5
Total 38 22 0 0 — 5 2 43 24
Cruz Azul 2024–25[52] Liga MX 16 7 — 4 0 0 0 20 7
Career total 246 96 23 10 7 2 25 3 301 111
  1. ^ Includes Greek Football Cup, KNVB Cup, Scottish Cup
  2. ^ Includes Scottish League Cup, Leagues Cup
  3. ^ One appearance in UEFA Champions League, three appearances in UEFA Europa League
  4. ^ a b Appearances in UEFA Champions League
  5. ^ Appearances in UEFA Europa League
  6. ^ Three appearances in UEFA Europa League, two appearances in UEFA Europa Conference League
  7. ^ Two appearances in Leagues Cup, three appearances and two goals in MLS Cup Playoffs

International

[edit]
As of match played 26 March 2024[53]
Appearances and goals by national team and year
National team Year Apps Goals
Greece 2020 3 1
2021 3 0
2022 5 1
2023 9 2
2024 2 0
Total 22 4
As of match played 17 November 2023
Scores and results list Greece's goal tally first, score column indicates score after each Giakoumakis goal.[53]
List of international goals scored by Giorgos Giakoumakis
No. Date Venue Opponent Score Result Competition
1 11 November 2020 Georgios Kamaras Stadium, Athens, Greece  Cyprus 2–0 2–1 Friendly
2 12 June 2022 Panthessaliko Stadium, Volos, Greece  Kosovo 1–0 2–0 2022–23 UEFA Nations League C
3 13 October 2023 Aviva Stadium, Dublin, Republic of Ireland  Republic of Ireland 1–0 2–0 UEFA Euro 2024 qualification
4 17 November 2023 Georgios Kamaras Stadium, Athens, Greece  New Zealand 2–0 2–0 Friendly

Honours

[edit]

AEK Athens

Celtic

Individual

References

[edit]
  1. ^ a b c d e f g h i "G. Giakoumakis: Summary". Soccerway. Perform Group. Retrieved 27 April 2022.
  2. ^ "Γιώργος Γιακουμάκης" [Giorgos Giakoumakis]. www.epo.gr (in Greek). Hellenic Football Federation. Retrieved 18 April 2022.
  3. ^ "Γιακουμάκης Γιώργος". Archived from the original on 26 December 2016. Retrieved 26 December 2016.
  4. ^ "Greek footballer Giorgos Giakoumakis named 'the world's best goal scorer' for January 2021". Greek City Times.
  5. ^ "Στην ΑΕΚ και επίσημα ο Γιακουμάκης". www.sport24.gr. 26 June 2017.
  6. ^ "Παναιτωλικός-ΑΕΚ 0-4". www.gazetta.gr. 20 December 2017.
  7. ^ "Ολυμπιακός - ΑΕΚ Live" (in Greek). www.sport24.gr. 4 February 2018.
  8. ^ "ΑΕΚ - Λαμία 2-1: Έβαλε Μπογέ, έκανε την ανατροπή". www.sport24.gr. 12 October 2018.
  9. ^ "ΟΦΗ: Γιακουμάκης και επίσημα στους Κρητικούς με οψιόν αγοράς". www.sport24.gr. 24 January 2019.
  10. ^ "ΟΦΗ - Λεβαδειακός 2-0: Φιλί ζωής για τους Κρητικούς". www.sport24.gr. 17 March 2019.
  11. ^ "Greckie Posiłki! Dwóch Piłkarzy AEK-U Wypożyczonych Do Górnika". Górnik Zabrze Official Site (in Polish). Online. Retrieved 3 March 2020.
  12. ^ "ŁKS Łódź - Górnik Zabrze 0-1". www.sofascore.com. 30 May 2020.
  13. ^ "Skrót Meczu ŁKS Łódż – Górnik Zabrze 1:3". lkslodz.pl. 23 June 2020.
  14. ^ "Επίσημο: Στη Φένλο ο Γιακουμάκης". www.sport24.gr. 11 August 2020.
  15. ^ "Γιακουμάκης: Έκανε χατ-τρικ στο ντεμπούτο του με τη Φένλο". www.sport24.gr. 13 September 2020.
  16. ^ "Giakoumakis knalt VVV-Venlo met vierklapper voorbij ADO". 1Limburg. Retrieved 5 February 2021.
  17. ^ "VVV-spits Giakoumakis velt Vitesse met vier doelpunten". NOS. Retrieved 5 February 2021.
  18. ^ "Griekse wonderspits Giakoumakis pijnigt Vitesse met vier treffers". Algemeens Dagblad. DPG Media. Retrieved 5 February 2021.
  19. ^ "VVV striker Giakoumakis named Player of the Month in the Eredivisie | NOW". Retrieved 4 February 2021.
  20. ^ "Παίκτης του μήνα ο Γιακουμάκης" [Player of the month Giakoumakis]. www.amna.gr (in Greek). Retrieved 4 February 2021.
  21. ^ "Γιακουμάκης: Ισοφάρισε ρεκόρ από το 1959, πέμπτος σκόρερ στην ιστορία της Φένλο!". gazzetta.gr. Retrieved 14 March 2021.
  22. ^ "Doek valt voor VVV na nederlaag tegen tien Ajacieden en winst concurrenten". nos.nl. Retrieved 13 May 2021.
  23. ^ "Celtic complete the signing of Giorgos Giakoumakis". The Athletic. 31 August 2021. Retrieved 31 August 2021.
  24. ^ "Celtic 2-0 St Johnstone: Giorgos Giakoumakis nets first Hoops goal". www.skysports.com. 23 October 2021. Retrieved 24 October 2021.
  25. ^ "Celtic beat Alloa Athletic 2-1 to progress in Scottish Cup". news.stv.tv. 22 January 2022.
  26. ^ "Χαρτς - Σέλτικ: Γκολάρα με τακουνάκι ο Γιακουμάκης που πήρε μπροστά". www.sport24.gr. 26 January 2022.
  27. ^ "Γιακουμάκης: Ήρωας για τη Σέλτικ, χάρισε τη νίκη κόντρα στη Νταντί με χατ τρικ!". 20 February 2022.
  28. ^ "Celtic vs Dundee 3-2". 20 February 2022.
  29. ^ "Dundee Utd 0-3 Celtic: Big talking points as it's no Jota no problem with Hoops through to Scottish Cup semi-final". 14 March 2022.
  30. ^ "Giorgos Giakoumakis hits hat-trick as Celtic thrash Ross County". www.theguardian.com. 19 March 2022.
  31. ^ "Giorgos Giakoumakis is Premiership Player of the Month for March". celticfc.com. 7 April 2022. Retrieved 25 April 2022.
  32. ^ "Celtic clinch league title after draw at Dundee Utd". BBC Sport. Retrieved 2 January 2023.
  33. ^ "Scottish Top Scorers". BBC Sport. Retrieved 15 May 2022.
  34. ^ "Video: New Giakoumakis Song, 'Our Number 7 Gift From God' | The Celtic Star". Retrieved 3 January 2023.
  35. ^ "St Johnstone 1-2 Celtic: Giorgos Giakoumakis scores dramatic late winner at McDiarmid Park". Sky Sports. Retrieved 3 January 2023.
  36. ^ "Champions League (Sky Sports)". Sky Sports. Retrieved 3 January 2023.
  37. ^ "Celtic 1-1 Shakhtar Donetsk: Mykhailo Mudryk's stunner ends Hoops European campaign". Sky Sports. Retrieved 2 January 2023.
  38. ^ "Giakoumakis 'could be offered Saudi Arabia deal'". BBC Sport. Retrieved 3 January 2023.
  39. ^ Joseph, Anthony. "Update: Atlanta United's late bid for Celtic striker Giorgos Giakoumakis is understood to be worth up to £4.3m. The two clubs are still in negotiations". Retrieved 31 January 2023 – via Twitter.
  40. ^ Patrick, Joe (30 January 2023). "Reports: Atlanta United on the brink of two key incoming transfers". Dirty South Soccer. Retrieved 31 January 2023.
  41. ^ Celtic Football Club. "Giorgos Giakoumakis has joined Atlanta United on a permanent transfer". Retrieved 8 February 2023 – via Twitter.
  42. ^ "Ο Γιακουμάκης ντεμπούταρε, αποθεώθηκε και σκόραρε, όμως το γκολ του ακυρώθηκε μάλλον άδικα". gazzetta.gr (in Greek). Retrieved 7 March 2023.
  43. ^ "Giorgos Giakoumakis, Thiago Almada named to MLS Best XI for 2023". www.atlutd.com (in Greek). Retrieved 28 November 2023.
  44. ^ "Giorgos Giakoumakis becomes first Atlanta United player to record three goal contributions in an MLS Cup Playoff match". www.atlutd.com (in Greek). Retrieved 8 November 2023.
  45. ^ McAfee, Sandy (9 March 2024). "Giorgos Giakoumakis hat trick drives Atlanta United to 4-1 victory in home opener". Atlanta United FC. Retrieved 12 May 2024.
  46. ^ a b "Atlanta United Transfers Giorgos Giakoumakis to Cruz Azul". Atlanta United Football Club. 16 June 2024.
  47. ^ "Ελλάδα - Κύπρος 2-1: Καλή για ένα ημίχρονο, άνοιξαν λογαριασμό οι Τζόλης - Γιακουμάκης". www.sport24.gr. 11 November 2020.
  48. ^ UEFA.com. "Greece-Kosovo | Match info | UEFA Nations League 2023". UEFA.com. Retrieved 1 January 2023.
  49. ^ Smith, Rory (30 April 2021). "When the Goals Come Out of Nowhere". The New York Times.
  50. ^ a b "Οικογενεια Γιακουμακη: Τρεις γενιές στον χώρο του ποδοσφαίρου" [The Family of Giakoumakis: Three Generations in Football]. Patris.gr (in Greek). 13 March 2019. Archived from the original on 21 March 2022. Retrieved 21 March 2022.
  51. ^ "Romani people in Greece". RomaTimes.news. 25 July 2019. Archived from the original on 14 May 2021. Retrieved 21 March 2022.
  52. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k "Giorgos Giakoumakis » Club matches". worldfootball.net. Retrieved 5 October 2022.
  53. ^ a b "Giorgos Giakoumakis". National Football Teams. Benjamin Strack-Zimmermann. Retrieved 27 April 2022.
  54. ^ "Πρωτάθλημα 2018 – Οι τίτλοι της A.E.K." [2018 Championship – The Titles of AEK]. AEKFC.gr (in Greek). AEK F.C. Official Web Site. Archived from the original on 11 June 2023. Retrieved 11 June 2023.
  55. ^ "ΑΕΚ: Οι 7 από το πρωτάθλημα του 2018 και πού βρίσκονται οι άλλοι 27" [The 7 of the 2018 championship and where are the other 27 now]. Sport24.gr (in Greek). Sport24. 6 September 2021. Archived from the original on 11 June 2023. Retrieved 11 June 2023.
  56. ^ "Dundee United 1–1 Celtic: Ange Postecoglou's side reclaim league title". BBC Sport. 11 May 2022. Retrieved 12 May 2022.
  57. ^ "Hibernian 1- 2 Celtic". BBC Sport. 11 May 2022. Retrieved 12 May 2022.
  58. ^ "Giakoumakis named Eredivisie player of the month". Eredivisie. 4 February 2021. Archived from the original on 26 February 2021. Retrieved 5 February 2021.
  59. ^ Cassidy, Peter (7 April 2022). "Celtic's Giakoumakis named Premiership player of the month for March". STV News. Retrieved 10 January 2023.
  60. ^ "Top scorers Scottish Cup 2022". BeSoccer. Retrieved 10 January 2023.
  61. ^ "Κορυφαίος Έλληνας ο Μασούρας, ξένος ο Ελ Αραμπί, προπονητής ο Μαρτίνς στα βραβεία ΠΣΑΠΠ 2021". sport24 (in Greek). Retrieved 28 January 2023.
  62. ^ "Atlanta United's Giorgos Giakoumakis named 2023 MLS Newcomer of the Year". Major League Soccer. 2 November 2023. Retrieved 2 November 2023.
  63. ^ "2023 MLS Best XI presented by Continental Tire". Major League Soccer. 28 November 2023. Retrieved 28 November 2023.
[edit]
Wikimedia Commons has media related to Giorgos Giakoumakis.