Christos Dimopoulos

Christos Dimopoulos
Personal information
Date of birth	6 September 1959 (age 67)
Place of birth	Xylokera, Elis, Greece
Height	1.80 m (5 ft 11 in)
Position	Forward
Youth career
1973–1977	Hephaestus Vounargou
1977–1978	Aias Gastounis
Senior career*
Years	Team
1978–1980	Panetolikos
1980–1985	PAOK
1985–1990	Panathinaikos
1990–1993	Athinaikos
1993–1994	Kalamata
Total
International career
1982–1985	Greece
	* Club domestic league appearances and goals

Christos Dimopoulos (Greek: Χρήστος Δημόπουλος, born 6 September 1959) is a retired Greek footballer who played as a forward for PAOK and Panathinaikos His nickname was "Fonias" (Greek: Φονιάς, meaning "The Killer") of Greek football. Alongside his brothers, Thanasis Dimopoulos and Spyros, he holds the world record for the highest number of siblings scoring on the same day on 2 February 1992 in the Greek first division.^[1]

Career

Dimopoulos was born in Xylokera, Elis. He took his first steps in football at Hephaestus Vounargou and Aias Gastounis. In 1978, he was acquired by Panetolikos who participated in the second-tier Beta Ethniki. His manager during his second season at the club was Giannis Giakoumis, a former PAOK footballer who suggested to the then PAOK president Giorgos Pantelakis the signing of Dimopoulos.

In 1980, he was transerred to PAOK and played for five seasons, winning the 1985 league title and netting 67 goals in all competitions. In 1982, PAOK fans gave Dimopoulos the nickname "Fonias" (Greek: Φονιάς, meaning "The Killer"), due to his incredible goalscoring record against AEK Athens during that calendar year. In just four matches against AEK—consisting of one Alpha Ethniki match, two Greek Cup ties, and one friendly match—Dimopoulos scored a staggering 11 goals in total. At the end of the 1984–85 campaign, Dimopoulos was PAOK's top goalscorer of that season scoring 17 goals. On 22 June, 10-man (Vasilakos was sent-off early in the first half) PAOK lost 4–1^[2] to Larissa in the Greek Cup final held at the Olympic Stadium of Athens and wasted the opportunity to win a first domestic Double. Dimopoulos did not participate as he left the team at Athens airport when they arrived from Thessaloniki for the game. He went to the headquarters of Motor Oil (company of Panathinaikos president Vardinogiannis) in order to seal his transfer to Panathinaikos as his five-year contract with PAOK was expiring.^[3]

Dimopoulos therefore joined Panathinaikos in 1985 and played for five seasons, winning two league titles (1985–86, 1989–90), three Greek Cups (1985–86, 1987–88, 1988–89) and one Super Cup (1988). He later moved to Athinaikos for three seasons in the top-tier Alpha Ethniki, Kalamata for one season in the Beta Ethniki and finished his career playing for PAE Pyrgos at the Fourth Division during the 1994–95 season.

The 1991 Karaiskakis Stadium pitch invasion

On 10 February 1991, during an Alpha Ethniki match between Olympiacos and Athinaikos at Karaiskakis Stadium, Dimopoulos became the central figure in one of Greek football's most infamous pitch invasions. Olympiacos had taken a comfortable 2–0 lead, but Athinaikos staged a dramatic comeback late in the second half. Dimopoulos scored in the 72nd minute to make it 2–1, and Tzalakostas equalized to 2–2 in the 76th minute. In the 88th minute, with the tension heavily escalated, a foul called against Olympiacos triggered a mass pitch invasion by furious home fans. A group of supporters entered the pitch and began chasing Dimopoulos, who was targeted due to his past as a prominent player for Olympiacos' fierce rivals, Panathinaikos and PAOK. Dimopoulos had to sprint across the field and successfully escaped into the dressing rooms unharmed. The match was permanently abandoned, and the incident gained further notoriety due to a controversial statement by Olympiacos president Argyris Saliarelis, who claimed the invading fans were not hooligans but rather "scientists and educated citizens".^[4]^[5]

International career

Dimopoulos had 10 caps for the Greece national football team, between 1982 and 1985.^[6]

Honours

PAOK

Alpha Ethniki: 1984–85

Panathinaikos

Alpha Ethniki (2): 1985–86, 1989–90
Greek Cup (3): 1985–86, 1987–88, 1988–89
Greek Super Cup: 1988

External links

EU-football.info - Christos Dimopoulos International career

References

↑ "Greece 1991-92". RSSSF.
↑ Thodoris Kounadis (22 June 2015). "1985 Greek Cup final AEL–PAOK 4–1 (22/6/1985)". sport24.gr (in Greek). Retrieved 16 July 2019.
↑ Stavros Sountoulidis (14 December 2016). "Χρήστος Δημόπουλος". gazzetta.gr (in Greek). Retrieved 16 July 2019.
↑ "Το απίστευτο κυνηγητό οπαδών του Ολυμπιακού στον Δημόπουλο (vids)". gazzetta.gr (in Greek). 10 February 2017. Retrieved 30 September 2026.
↑ Evanthis Gogoulis (10 February 2024). "Ολυμπιακός: Όταν μηδενίστηκε λόγω εισβολής... επιστημόνων". Sportday (in Greek). Retrieved 30 September 2026.
↑ Greek internationals of the 1980s at rsssf.org

[1] "Greece 1991-92". RSSSF.

[2] Thodoris Kounadis (22 June 2015). "1985 Greek Cup final AEL–PAOK 4–1 (22/6/1985)". sport24.gr (in Greek). Retrieved 16 July 2019.

[3] Stavros Sountoulidis (14 December 2016). "Χρήστος Δημόπουλος". gazzetta.gr (in Greek). Retrieved 16 July 2019.

[4] "Το απίστευτο κυνηγητό οπαδών του Ολυμπιακού στον Δημόπουλο (vids)". gazzetta.gr (in Greek). 10 February 2017. Retrieved 30 September 2026.

[5] Evanthis Gogoulis (10 February 2024). "Ολυμπιακός: Όταν μηδενίστηκε λόγω εισβολής... επιστημόνων". Sportday (in Greek). Retrieved 30 September 2026.

[6] Greek internationals of the 1980s at rsssf.org

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