| Nikos Dabizas was born on the 3rd of August 1973, in Ptolemaida in the North of Greece. He spent his childhood in a small village named Valtonero. He spent his days playing football and helping in his father's company. His first contact with football came when he was sixteen, although he never dreamt of becoming a professional footballer.
However Fate had other plans for him. He played for a year as an amateur at the local team of Amydeo called Hermes, which was enough to give him the ticket to a team in the third division and a professional contract.
As a player for Pontioi Verias, where he remained for three consecutive seasons, he played one year on the third division and two on the second. His big career break came when he was 21. He got an offer from Olympiakos, one of the biggest teams in Greece.
He moved to Piraeus, the well-known port of Athens, and helped his new team win the Greek championship twice, something quite impressive considering the fact they hadn't won it for ten years. He also took part in his first Champion's League games. After three and a half seasons with Olympiakos he received an offer from Newcastle United, which opened him the doors to the English football fields and the exciting world of the Premier League. |
Greece