Manolis Papadopoulos

{{Infobox football biography

| name = Manolis Papadopoulos

| image = Manolis_Papadopoulos.jpg

| caption = Manolis Papadopoulos with AEK Athens.

| fullname = Emmanouil Papadopoulos

| birth_date = {{birth date|1968|4|22|df=y}}

| birth_place = Livadia, Greece

| death_date = {{death date and age|2025|05|16|1968|04|22|df=y}}

| death_place = Livadia, Greece

| height = 1.89 m

| position = Defender

| years1 = 1986–1989

| clubs1 = Olympiacos

| caps1 = 4

| goals1 = 0

| years2 = 1989–1992

| clubs2 = →Ionikos (loan)

| caps2 = 61

| goals2 = 0

| years3 = 1992–1995

| clubs3 = AEK Athens

| caps3 = 56

| goals3 = 0

| years4 = 1995–1997

| clubs4 = Apollon Athens

| caps4 = 30

| goals4 = 0

| years5 = 1997–1999

| clubs5 = Ethnikos Piraeus

| caps5 = 47

| goals5 = 0

| years6 = 1999

| clubs6 = PAS Giannina

| caps6 =

| goals6 =

| years7 = 1999–2001

| clubs7 = Kozani

| caps7 =

| goals7 =

| years8 = 2001–2002

| clubs8 = Chaidari

| caps8 =

| goals8 =

| totalcaps = 198

| totalgoals = 0

| nationalyears1 = 1992

| nationalteam1 = Greece

| nationalcaps1 = 1

| nationalgoals1 = 0

| manageryears1 = 2005

| managerclubs1 = Kerkyra (caretaker)

| manageryears2 = 2005

| managerclubs2 = Pamisos Messini

| manageryears3 = 2005–2007

| managerclubs3 = AE Giannena

| manageryears4 = 2007–2008

| managerclubs4 = Lamia

| manageryears5 = 2011–2012

| managerclubs5 = AEK Athens U20

| manageryears6 = 2012–2013

| managerclubs6 = AEK Athens (assistant)

| manageryears7 = 2013

| managerclubs7 = Proodeftiki

| manageryears8 = 2014

| managerclubs8 = Egaleo

| manageryears9 = 2015–2016

| managerclubs9 = APO Kanaris Nenita

}}

Manolis Papadopoulos ({{langx|el|Μανώλης Παπαδόπουλος}}; 22 April 1968 – 16 May 2025) was a Greek professional football player and manager who played as a defender.{{Worldfootball.net|manolis-papadopoulos}}

Club career

Papadopoulos started his career in 1986 at Olympiacos. In the summer of 1989 he was loaned to Ionikos, where he was established as a regular.

His performances earned him a transfer to the Greek champions, AEK Athens, in the summer of 1992. He was used in AEK most of the time as a substitute also having a few appearances as a starter, especially when Dušan Bajević used formation with three stoppers. In the matches against Rangers for the UEFA Champions League qualifiers in the summer of 1994, he was assigned to mark Mark Hateley, managing to contain him. During his spell with the "double-headed eagle" Papadopoulos won two consecutive championships.

In the summer of 1995 he moved to Apollon Athens for two seasons and then to Ethnikos Piraeus for another two. In 1999 he signed for PAS Giannina for a while and then moved to Kozani where he played until 2001. The following season he moved to Chaidari, where he played for one season before ending his career as a footballer.{{Cite web|url=http://www.aekpedia.com/2015/05/24/%CE%BC%CE%B1%CE%BD%CF%8E%CE%BB%CE%B7%CF%82-%CF%80%CE%B1%CF%80%CE%B1%CE%B4%CF%8C%CF%80%CE%BF%CF%85%CE%BB%CE%BF%CF%82/|title=Μανώλης Παπαδόπουλος|website=aekpedia.com}}

International career

Papadopoulos played once for Greece on 29 January 1992 in an away friendly match against Albania, coming in as a sub at the half time.{{Cite web|url=https://www.epo.gr/media/files/ETHNIKES_OMADES/MATCH_ANDRES_1929-2000/ethniki_andrwn_1990_1995.pdf|title=Greece matches 1990–1995|website=epo.gr}} He won the gold medal at the 1991 Mediterranean Games.

Managerial career

Papadopoulos started his coaching career in 2002, during which he sat on the benches of various teams, such as Kerkyra, Pamisos Messini, AE Giannena and Lamia. In the summer of 2011, he was hired as the coach of the youth team of AEK Athens, while at the beginning of the following season he assumed the role of assistant to the coach of the first team, Vangelis Vlachos. The club were going through the worst season in their history after Vlachos was sacked he was the first coach for a match at home against Kerkyra, which ended 1–1. Afterwards, Ewald Lienen was hired and Papadopoulos continued his duties as an assistant coach with the German technician until the end of the season. After AEK, he sat on the bench of Proodeftiki for a few days and then at Egaleo, while in 2015 he was at APO Kanaris Nenita for a season.{{Cite web|url=http://www.aekpedia.com/2015/05/28/%CE%BC%CE%B1%CE%BD%CF%8E%CE%BB%CE%B7%CF%82-%CF%80%CE%B1%CF%80%CE%B1%CE%B4%CF%8C%CF%80%CE%BF%CF%85%CE%BB%CE%BF%CF%82-2/|title=Μανώλης Παπαδόπουλος-2|website=aekpedia.com}}

Personal life and death

Papadopoulos had a strong participation in the association of veteran football players of AEK.

Papadopoulos died on 16 May 2025, at the age of 57.{{Cite web|url=https://www.news247.gr/ellada/pethane-o-manolis-papadopoulos/|title=Πέθανε ο Μανώλης Παπαδόπουλος|date=16 May 2025|website=news247.gr|lang=el}}