Nikos Petzaropoulos
Personal information
Full name Nikolaos Petzaropoulos
Date of birth (1927-01-17)17 January 1927
Place of birth Kallithea, Greece
Date of death 29 March 1979(1979-03-29) (aged 52)
Place of death Athens, Greece
Position(s) Goalkeeper
Youth career
1940–1943 Keravnos Kallitheas
Senior career*
Years Team Apps (Gls)
1943–1952 Panionios
1952–1953 Internazionale 0 (0)
1953–1957 Panionios
International career
1948–1952 Greece 11 (0)
1952 Greece Olympic 1 (0)
Managerial career
1957 Panionios
*Club domestic league appearances and goals

Nikos Petzaropulos (Greek: Νίκος Πετζαρόπουλος; 17 January 1927 – 29 March 1979) was a Greek footballer who played as a goalkeeper, mainly for Panionios F.C.. He earned the nickname "Hero of Tampere" (Greek: Ήρωας του Τάμπερε), after his performance with the Greek Olympic team in 1952.[1]

Club career

Early years and distinction

Petzaropulos began playing football at the local Keravnos in 1940. In 1943 he joined Panionios F.C. at the age of 16. He was discovered by the team's goalkeeping coach, Giorgos Roussopoulos, who believed that Petzaropoulos was a rare talent. Petzaropulos established himself quickly in the first team and in 1948 was called up to the Greece national team for the first time.[2]

Petzaropulos was known for his exceptional reflexes and successive penalty kick saves.

One memorable incident took place at Karaiskakis Stadium against Olympiacos. Petzaropoulos kicked the ball from the keeper's box but, due to the strong wind, the ball fell towards the middle of the field. Andreas Mouratis of Olympiacos, who was renowned for his strong shots, unleashed a powerful shot sending the ball back towards the goal post of Panionios. On the 6-yard-line, as the ball was passing over him, Petzaropoulos jumped in the air, turned his body 180 degrees, stretched and punched the ball to safety, falling into the nets. The crowd cheered his stunning save and Mouratis ran to him, helped him get up and kissed him.[3]

Internazionale

After a game with the national team against Denmark in the 1952 Olympics, The coach of Internazionale, Alfredo Foni, was impressed by Petzaropulos' performance and suggested he sign a professional contract with the Italian club. In an age where the level of football in Greece was almost completely amateur and footballers had little to no income, the professionalism and the exceptionally high wage appealed to Petzaropoulos. After all, Petzaropoulos was not from a wealthy family and barely made a living.

The dream of a professional career in a European top club caused Petzaropoulos to depart for Milan in August 1952. He signed a professional contract with Inter and began training with the Italian club, hoping that the club would sign him to a permanent contract. Despite playing impressively in several friendly matches for Inter, the potential transfer never took place. Petzaropoulos had trained with the Italian team for almost a full year.

Return to Panionios F.C.

Petzaropoulos returned to Greece in 1953. The press at the time described an impressive welcome at Larissa Station. Petzaropoulos returned and re-signed with Panionios. However, he struggled to achieve his previous impressive form that gave him the nickname "the flying goalkeeper", and he retired from football at the age of 28.[4]

International career

Petzaropoulos had a total of 11 games with Greece,[5] and also played in 3 matches against Turkey as a Greece All Star. He made his debut as an international on 28 November 1948 in a friendly match against Turkey, entering as a substitute in the second half of a 1-2 loss, keeping a clean sheet once being subbed on. From 1949 to 1952, Petzaropoulos played 8 international matches, all of which were part of the Mediterranean Cup against Egypt (1-3), Italy B (2-3,0-3), France B (0-1), Syria (8-0) and Turkey (1-2, 3-1, 1-0).[6]

Later, Petzaropoulos was part of the Olympic team at the 1952 Summer Olympics in Finland, where he made his most memorable performance in Tampere. His last match with Greece was on 25 July 1952, after their elimination from the Olympic Tournament, against Great Britain in a 4–2 win.

Hero of Tampere

The 15 July 1952 was a landmark of Petzaropoulos' career. Petzaropoulos played his tenth international game against Denmark at the city of Tampere for the Olympic Tournament of 1952 in Helsinki. With 7,000 in attendance, Petzaropoulos made the greatest game of his career. The match ended in a 1–2 defeat for Greece, but Petzaropoulos was cheered by the crowd.

Petzaropoulos was called the "Hero of Tampere" from the Greek journalists following the loss. The international press was equally enthusiastic. "The New Zamora was born" was headline of many European newspapers after the game, comparing him with the greatest goalkeeper at the time.[7]

Managerial career

The later years, Petzaropoulos coached the youth team of Panionios. His dream was to establish a goalkeeping school. In a short time before his death Petzaropoulos taught all his secrets to the young Antonis Manikas, which in a few years later praised his teacher after he saved 15 penalties in only 3 years and became an international footballer.

Death

Petzaropoulos died at 52 on 29 March 1979, only a few months before his former club, Panionios F.C., won the Greek Cup. The news of his death spread quickly throughout Greece, and the press presented several features on his career.[8]

References

  1. ↑ "Nikos Petzaropoulos". Olympedia. Retrieved 12 November 2021.
  2. ↑ "Νίκος Πεντζαρόπουλος, ο ήρωας του Τάμπερε". retrosport.wordpress.com. 28 March 2010.
  3. ↑ "Ο τρομερός Έλληνας τερματοφύλακας που έκανε τον κόσμο να παραληρεί με τις τρομερές του επιδόσεις στον Πανιώνιο και στην Εθνική. Η μεταγραφή στην Ίντερ που δεν έγινε ποτέ". mixanitouxronou.gr. 10 April 2018.
  4. ↑ TEAM, ΦΩΣ. "Νίκος Πεντζαρόπουλος, ο «ήρωας του Τάμπερε»". fosonline.gr.
  5. ↑ "Nikos Petzaropoulos at epo.gr". epo.gr.
  6. ↑ "Greece's matches 1948–50" (PDF). epo.gr.
  7. ↑ "Νίκος Πεντζαρόπουλος: Οι θεαματικές αποκρούσεις του «ιπτάμενου τερματοφύλακα» του Πανιωνίου". March 28, 2019.
  8. ↑ "Νίκος Πεντζαρόπουλος: Ο «ήρωας τoυ Τάμπερε»".
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