Nikos Christidis

{{Infobox football biography

| name = Nikos Christidis

| image =

| fullname = Nikolaos Christidis

| birth_date = {{birth date and age|1944|08|02|df=y}}

| height = 1.80 m

| birth_place = Thessaloniki, Greece

| position = Goalkeeper

| youthyears1 = 1958–1961

| youthclubs1 = Aris

| years1 = 1961–1976

| clubs1 = Aris

| caps1 = 264

| goals1 = 0

| years2 = 1974

| clubs2 = → Toronto Homer (loan)

| caps2 =

| goals2 =

| years3 = 1976–1982

| clubs3 = AEK Athens

| caps3 = 63

| goals3 = 0

| nationalyears1 = 1963

| nationalteam1 = Greece U19

| nationalcaps1 = 6

| nationalgoals1 = 0

| nationalyears2 = 1964–1978

| nationalteam2 = Greece

| nationalcaps2 = 26

| nationalgoals2 = 0

| manageryears1 = 1984–1987

| managerclubs1 = AEK Athens (assistant)

| manageryears2 = 1986

| managerclubs2 = AEK Athens (caretaker)

| manageryears3 = 1987

| managerclubs3 = AEK Athens (caretaker)

| manageryears4 = 1988–1990

| managerclubs4 = Edessaikos

| manageryears5 = 1990–1991

| managerclubs5 = Kalamata

| manageryears6 = 1991–1992

| managerclubs6 = Paniliakos

| manageryears7 = 1992–1993

| managerclubs7 = Sparta

| manageryears8 = 1994–1995

| managerclubs8 = AO Chania

| manageryears9 = 1998

| managerclubs9 = Greece U21 (assistant)

| manageryears10 = 2000–2001

| managerclubs10 = Greece (assistant)

| manageryears11 = 2001

| managerclubs11 = Greece (caretaker)

}}

Nikos Christidis ({{langx|el|Νίκος Χρηστίδης}}; born 2 August 1944) is a Greek former professional footballer who played as a goalkeeper.

Club career

Christidis started his football career in the youth divisions of Aris. In 1961 he was promoted to the first team where he won the Greek Cup in 1970. He was for years the club's main goalkeeper, until 1974 when he was accused of bribery in a match against Olympiacos by Aris president, Kampanis. As a result, he was released from the club and he was punished with a three-year suspension from all sporting activities by the General Secretariat of Sports and was banned from Aris for life, however many years later he was vindicated.{{Cite web|url=https://www.makthes.gr/aris-ithiki-apokatastasi-meta-apo-41-chronia-111122|title=ΑΡΗΣ Ηθική αποκατάσταση μετά από 41 χρόνια|website=makthes.gr}} In the summer of 1974, he played in the National Soccer League with Toronto Homer.{{Cite news|date=9 May 1974|title=Fifth shutout for Christidis|page=51|work=The Globe and Mail}}{{Cite web|url=https://www.national-football-teams.com/club/29094/1974_2/Toronto_Homer.html|title=Toronto Homer (1974)|first=Benjamin|last=Strack-Zimmermann|website=national-football-teams.com}}

In 1976, Loukas Barlos decided to sign him to join AEK Athens. On 16 March 1977, in the UEFA Cup match against QPR, while the game was at the extra time and was heading to a penalty shoot-out, František Fadrhonc decided to replace his main goalkeeper, Lakis Stergioudas with Christidis. His 2 penalty saves sent AEK to the semi-finals of the tournament. He stayed at AEK, where he won the 1978 double, the 1979 championship and finished his career in 1982, when he was 38 years old.{{Cite web|url=http://www.aekpedia.com/2015/05/24/%ce%bd%ce%af%ce%ba%ce%bf%cf%82-%cf%87%cf%81%ce%b7%cf%83%cf%84%ce%af%ce%b4%ce%b7%cf%82/|title=Νίκος Χρηστίδης|website=aekpedia.com}}

International career

Christidis played for Greece U19 6 times. He was also the main goalkeeper of the squad that competed in the European Championship of 1963.{{Cite web|url=http://eu-football.info/_player.php?id=8731|title=Nikos Hristidis|website=eu-football.info}}

Christidis made with Greece 26 appearances, between 1964 and 1978, four of which as a captain.{{Cite web|url=http://www.epo.gr/ethniki/men/men8.asp |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20091231025354/http://www.epo.gr/ethniki/men/men8.asp |archive-date=2009-12-31 |title=Εθνική Ομάδα Ανδρών|date=31 December 2009}}

Managerial career

After Christidis ended his playing career and worked for many years as assistant coach and as the goalkeeping coach for AEK. He also worked as a first coach mainly in teams of smaller divisions. He assumed the position of coach initially as an interim on 26 April 1987, when a two-month exclusion sentence was imposed on the then coach of AEK, Nikos Alefantos. But shortly after Alefantos was fired and Christidis took over until the end of the season.{{Cite web|url=https://football.aek.com/coach/24?period_id=63|title=Νίκος Χρηστίδης|website=football.aek.com}}

He occasionally managed various clubs such as A.O. Karditsa, Ionikos, Edessaikos, Kalamata, Paniliakos, Sparta, Trikala and Chania. In 1996 he was in charge of infrastructure departments at AEK. In 1998 he worked as an assistant to Giannis Kollias in Greece U21 and in 2000 as an assistant to Vasilis Daniil in Greece, while in 2001 he was their first coach, in a friendly match against Russia, before Otto Rehhagel took over the technical leadership.{{Cite web|url=http://www.aekpedia.com/2015/05/27/%CE%BD%CE%AF%CE%BA%CE%BF%CF%82-%CF%87%CF%81%CE%B7%CF%83%CF%84%CE%AF%CE%B4%CE%B7%CF%82-2/|title=Νίκος Χρηστίδης-2|website=aekpedia.com}}