Marinos Ouzounidis Explained

Marinos Ouzounidis
Birth Date:1968 10, df=yes
Birth Place:Alexandroupoli, Greece
Height:1.85 m
Position:Centre-back
Currentclub:Gol Gohar Sirjan (manager)
Youthyears1:1983–1986
Youthclubs1:Ethnikos Alexandroupolis
Years1:1986–1987
Clubs1:Apollon Pontou
Caps1:3
Goals1:0
Years2:1987–1992
Clubs2:Skoda Xanthi
Caps2:140
Goals2:16
Years3:1992–1997
Clubs3:Panathinaikos
Caps3:132
Goals3:6
Years4:1997–1999
Clubs4:Le Havre
Caps4:36
Goals4:0
Years5:1999–2001
Clubs5:Paniliakos
Caps5:58
Goals5:1
Years6:2001–2003
Clubs6:APOEL Nicosia
Caps6:49
Goals6:5
Totalcaps:418
Totalgoals:28
Nationalyears1:1992–2001
Nationalteam1:Greece
Nationalcaps1:50
Nationalgoals1:4
Manageryears1:2004–2005
Managerclubs1:Kappadokes Alexandroupolis
Manageryears2:2005–2006
Managerclubs2:Skoda Xanthi (assistant)
Manageryears3:2006–2008
Managerclubs3:APOEL Nicosia
Manageryears4:2008–2010
Managerclubs4:AEL
Manageryears5:2010–2011
Managerclubs5:Iraklis
Manageryears6:2011–2012
Managerclubs6:Skoda Xanthi
Manageryears7:2012–2013
Managerclubs7:Skoda Xanthi
Manageryears8:2013
Managerclubs8:Platanias
Manageryears9:2014
Managerclubs9:Ergotelis
Manageryears10:2014–2016
Managerclubs10:Panionios
Manageryears11:2016–2018
Managerclubs11:Panathinaikos
Manageryears12:2018–2019
Managerclubs12:AEK Athens
Manageryears13:2020
Managerclubs13:APOEL
Manageryears14:2021
Managerclubs14:Universitatea Craiova
Manageryears15:2022
Managerclubs15:Al-Faisaly
Manageryears16:2023
Managerclubs16:Al-Faisaly
Manageryears17:2023–
Managerclubs17:Gol Gohar Sirjan

Marinos Ouzounidis (Greek, Modern (1453-);: Μαρίνος Ουζουνίδης, born 10 October 1968) is a Greek professional football manager and former player. He is the current manager of Gol Gohar Sirjan.

Playing career

Ouzounidis started his professional career playing for the Greek club Skoda Xanthi as a defender from 1987 until 1992.

He then transferred to Panathinaikos where he developed his skills as a libero defender, becoming an essential member of the team that conquered 1995 and 1996 Greek league championships. During this last period, the "Green Shamrocks" reached the semi-finals of the UEFA Champions League.

Good performances eventually resulted in a two-year term transfer to Le Havre AC in France. Ouzounidis returned to the Greek league in 1999, where he played with Paniliakos until 2001.

Ouzounidis finally left for APOEL in Cyprus and after winning the championship and the Super Cup in 2002, he retired there after the 2002–03 season.

International career

Ouzounidis' international career comprises forty-nine games with the "Ethniki".[1] He was the team captain during Vassilis Daniil management, working with Nikos Dabizas, before Traianos Dellas' appearance.

International stats

Appearances and goals by national team and year
National teamYearAppsGoals
Greece199210
199300
199400
199540
199671
199770
199831
1999160
2000102
200120
Total504

Scores and results list Greece's goal tally first, score column indicates score after each Ouzounidis goal.

List of international goals scored by Marinos Ouzounidis
No.DateVenueOpponentScoreResultCompetition
1Kalamata Metropolitan Stadium, Kalamata, Greece1–03–01998 FIFA World Cup qualification
2Athens Olympic Sports Complex, Athens, Greece3–03–0UEFA Euro 2000 qualifying
3Kalamata Metropolitan Stadium, Kalamata, Greece3–14–1Friendly
4Espenmoos, St. Gallen, Switzerland1–12–2Friendly

Managerial career

When he finished his career as a football player, Ouzounidis managed the team of Kappadokes Alexandoupolis (Greek Fourth Division) as head coach.Later, in the 2005–06 season, he served as an assistant manager in Xanthi. In May 2006 he became the manager at APOEL. His first season was a very good one finishing first and winning the Championship three games before the end of the season. His team also reached the semi-finals of the Cypriot Cup. He resigned from APOEL during the second season, after four draws and three defeats in the first 15 games.

He accepted an offer from AEL on 9 May 2008. In his first season at AEL he was very successful driving the team into the playoffs and securing a spot in the next Europa League. His record in the first year seemed to confirm AEL chairman Piladakis' idea of using young Greek coaches to lead the team to success. Unfortunately, his second year at AEL began badly as the team was knocked out in the first qualifying round of the Europa League, and on 22 February 2010, the young coach was sacked because Larissa had found themselves just above the relegation zone.[2] On 9 August, Ouzounidis signed a contract with Iraklis.[3] On 31 January 2011, with the club being only three points above relegation he resigned from his position as manager.[4] In May 2011, Ouzounidis returned to Skoda Xanthi, where he stayed until September 2012, resigning his post after suffering a 3−0 home loss vs. PAOK.

In the summer of 2013, Ouzounidis took over management of Superleague side Platanias, but left the club toward the end of 2013. In January 2014, he was appointed manager of fellow Cretan top tier club Ergotelis, replacing Giannis Petrakis in mid-season.[5] He led the club to a 7th-place finish, the best in club history, accumulating a record 44 points (tied with 6th place local rival OFI). He left the club after the end of the 2013−14 season.

In December 2014, Ouzounidis was appointed as manager of Panionios, with which he had a high rate of success over two domestic campaigns, having recorded 28 wins and 20 draws in 70 games.[6] On 10 August 2016, his contract with the club was terminated unilaterally, mainly because of disloyalty issues raised by the board, due to Ouzounidis simultaneously being in talks with Olympiacos over a potential career move.[7]

On 1 December 2016, Ouzounidis agreed upon a one-and-a-half-year contract with Panathinaikos to take over the vacant managerial role at the club, right after the departure of former manager Andrea Stramaccioni.[8] His first game in charge was a 1–0 victory over PAOK at Leoforos Alexandras Stadium three days later.[9] He was credited with being eager to manage the team despite the chairman Giannis Alafouzos halting the club's funding and imposing radical budget cuts as a means of reducing Panathinaikos' debt. On 7 May 2018, Ouzounidis announced that he would leave the club after the expiration of his contract, expressing his openness to returning to Panathinaikos in the future under different financial and administrative circumstances.[10]

On 25 May 2018, Ouzounidis was appointed as manager of 2017–18 Greek Superleague champions AEK Athens, on a biennial contract, only hours after the departure of Manolo Jiménez from the club.[11] After the first half of the 2018–19 Super League Greece season, AEK were performing very poorly in the league and expectations were very high after they won the league the season before. They also were the team with the worst performance stats in the 2018–19 UEFA Champions League group stage, being eliminated after losing all six group matches, scoring only two goals, conceding 13 goals, for and against the record of -11 and winning 0 points in their group. Ouzounidis was sacked after a home 1–1 derby draw with title favorites PAOK in February 2019.

After over a year break from the game, in February 2020, he returned for a second stint in the Cypriot First Division as manager of Apoel. Just like his first stint, he failed to help the team enter the group stages either of the champions league or the Europa League and combined with poor form in the domestic league, he was subsequently dismissed as manager on 28 October 2020.

On 23 July 2021, Ouzounidis was fired as Universitatea Craiova head coach following a 0-1 loss against Albanian underdogs Laçi in the 2021–22 UEFA Europa Conference League second qualifying round.[12]

On 27 February 2022, Ouzounidis was appointed as manager of Saudi Arabian club Al Faisaly.[13]

On 21 January 2023, Ouzounidis was once again appointed as the manager of Al-Faisaly.[14] He was sacked on 16 March 2023.[15]

On 14 June 2023, Ouzounidis signed a contract to manage the Iranian football club Gol Gohar Sirjan.[16]

Managerial statistics

TeamFromToRecord
APOEL Nicosia1 July 20067 January 2008
AEL1 July 200822 February 2010
Iraklis Thessaloniki9 August 201031 January 2011
Skoda Xanthi1 July 201122 September 2012
Skoda Xanthi3 December 201221 April 2013
Platanias28 May 20134 November 2013
Ergotelis20 January 201414 May 2014
Panionios Athens9 December 20148 August 2016
Panathinaikos1 December 20167 May 2018
AEK Athens25 May 20185 February 2019
APOEL Nicosia12 February 202028 October 2020
Universitatea Craiova7 February 202123 July 2021
Al-Faisaly26 February 202230 June 2022
Al-Faisaly21 January 202316 March 2023
Gol Gohar Sirjan14 June 2023 Present
Career totals

Honours

As a player

Skoda Xanthi

1988–89

Panathinaikos

1994–95, 1995–96

1992–93, 1993–94, 1994–95

1993, 1994

APOEL Nicosia

2001–02

2002

As a manager

APOEL Nicosia

2006–07

Universitatea Craiova

2020–21

2021

Individual

2015–16

Notes and References

  1. Web site: Mamrud, Roberto. Greece – Record International Players. RSSSF. 2009-12-21.
  2. Web site: enet.gr. Ο Γιάννης Παπακώστας νέος προπονητής στη Λάρισα. 22 February 2010. el. 16 January 2015.
  3. Web site: kathimerini.gr. Επισήμως στον Ηρακλή ο Ουζουνίδης. 9 August 2010. el. 31 January 2011.
  4. Web site: Bluearena.gr. http://www.bluearena.gr/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=8651:2011-01-31-12-56-42&catid=10:podosfairo-iraklis&Itemid=209. el:Πήδηξε από το καράβι . 31 January 2011. el. 31 January 2011.
  5. http://www.sport-fm.gr/article/anakoinwthike-o-ouzounidis/745408 Ανέλαβε τον Εργοτέλη ο Ουζουνίδης
  6. News: Τέλος ο Ουζουνίδης από τον Πανιώνιο. 2016-12-01.
  7. News: Τέλος ο Ουζουνίδης από τον Πανιώνιο. 2016-12-01.
  8. News: Ανέλαβε τον Παναθηναϊκό ο Ουζουνίδης. 2016-12-01.
  9. News: Τον άφησε... άγαλμα!. 2016-12-04.
  10. News: Ανακοίνωσε το τέλος του από τον Παναθηναϊκό ο Ουζουνίδης. team. Onsports. 2018-05-07. Onsports.gr. 2018-05-07. el.
  11. News: Συμφωνία ΑΕΚ με Ουζουνίδη για δύο χρόνια. 2018-05-25. en.
  12. Web site: Marinos Ouzounidis, demis din funcția de antrenor al Universității Craiova! Cine îi ia locul pe banca tehnică. digisport.ro. ro. 23 July 2021.
  13. Web site: الفيصلي يتعاقد مع المدرب اليوناني أوزونيديس .
  14. Web site:
    1. الفيصلي يصل إلى اتفاق مع المدرب اليوناني مارينوس أوزونيدس
    .
  15. Web site: الفيصلي يقيل أوزونيدس.. ويعيد سوليناس .
  16. Web site: Marinos Ouzounidis appointed Gol Gohar coach: IPL . tehrantimes.com . 14 June 2023 . 17 July 2023 . Online . Iranian football club Gol Gohar reached an agreement with Greek coach Marinos Ouzounidis for the 2023/24 Iran Professional League (IPL) season..