Ntinos Pontikas
{{short description|Greek footballer}}
{{Infobox football biography
| name = Ntinos Pontikas
| image =
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| fullname = Konstantinos Pontikas
| birth_date = {{birth date and age|1982|02|27|df=yes}}
| birth_place = Larissa, Greece
| height = 1.81 m
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| position = Striker
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Ntinos Pontikas ({{langx|el|Ντίνος Ποντίκας}}; born 27 February 1982) is a Greek former footballer who played as a striker. He holds the record for the youngest player ever to score a hat-trick.{{cite news|url=https://90soccer.com/the-most-remarkable-world-soccer-records/|title=The most remarkable world soccer records|access-date=29 June 2018|date=29 June 2018|publisher =90soccer}}{{cite web|title=Hat-trick: a brief history|url=https://www.thetimes.com.ng/2022/12/what-do-they-do-with-hats-after-a-hat-trick/|work=The Times|date=3 December 2022|author=Uwakwe Benson}}
Career
Pontikas started off with street football before having a brief spell at Toxotis Larissa's youth section in 1995 where Theofanis Gekas was also playing at the time. He subsequently joined Haravgi and was immediately promoted to the first team, scoring a hat-trick on his debut at the age of 14.{{Cite news|url=https://ashflowersports.com/2021/06/21/the-magical-feeling-of-a-hat-trick/|title=The magical feeling of a hat-trick: Pelé, Siri, Pontikas and Lee Wai Tong|access-date=21 June 2021|date= |publisher= ashflowersports.com}} A few years later he was forced to quit football at a young age due to an injury.
Pontikas who was considered one of the most promising young strikers was also one of the fastest players of his generation being able to run 100 metres in less than 11 seconds.{{cite news |url=https://sportsnewsinfo.info/2021/03/06/ntinos-pontikas-the-greek-freddy-adu/ |title=Ntinos Pontikas, the Greek Freddy Adu |access-date=6 March 2021 |date= |publisher =sportsnews.info |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211119225152/https://sportsnewsinfo.info/2021/03/06/ntinos-pontikas-the-greek-freddy-adu/ |archive-date=19 November 2021 |url-status=dead}}
After his early retirement he briefly returned to football twice with local Greek clubs. During the 2021-22 season he featured in an English amateur division playing a full 90-minutes on his debut.{{cite web|url=https://90soccer.com/the-beauty-of-the-english-sunday-league/|title=The beauty of the English Sunday League|accessdate= |date=3 November 2021 |language= |publisher =90soccer.com}}{{cite web|title=2021-22 Sunday FC squad|url=https://fulltime.thefa.com/displayTeam.html?divisionseason=553907422&teamID=488515515#tab-4|publisher=TheFA.com|date= |author=}}
Record
On 24 September 1996, Pontikas became the youngest player ever to score a hat-trick at 14 years and 198 days.{{cite news|url=https://hellenicnews.com/pontikas-and-pontikos-the-two-greeks-who-achieved-world-soccer-records/|title=Pontikas and Pontikos: the Greeks who achieved world soccer records|access-date=25 February 2020|date= |publisher=hellenicnews}}{{cite web|title=What Is a Hat-Trick in Football and How Common Are They? - Records |url=https://footballcollective.org.uk/terminology/hat-trick/|publisher= footballcollective.org.uk|date= August 2022|author=}}{{cite web |title=Pele's legendary career told in numbers - the record broken by Pontikas in 1996|url=https://www.squawka.com/en/pele-legendary-career-in-numbers/ |publisher=www.squawka.com |date=30 December 2022 |author=Ben Green }} On his debut match as a starter with Haravgi he scored his team's all 3 goals in their away 4–3 defeat to Ampelokipoi, in the fifth tier of the Greek championship. Opponents Ampelokipoi squad featured 1988 Greek champion Giorgos Kolovos,{{cite news|url=https://www.rsssf.org/tablesg/grk88.html|title=Greece league squads 1987-88|access-date= |date= |publisher =RSSSSF}} 1985 Cup winner and club captain Babis Ntosas,{{cite news|url=https://www.rsssf.org/tablesg/grk85.html|title=Greece league squads 1984-85|access-date= |date= |publisher = }} (both as AEL players), and also future Greece international defender Vangelis Moras as an unused substitute.{{Cite news|url=http://www.larisagoal.gr/index.php/2011-04-11-19-49-57/2011-04-14-15-31-42/29026-2021-06-24-10-35-15|title=Ampelokipoi squad 1996-97|website=larissagoal.com| date=27 June 2021}}
Pontikas recorded jaw-dropping scoring performances on two more occasions, but in unofficial games. The first was in 1995 when he scored 13 goals, aged 13, in an XI friendly and the second in 1997 with the youngster hitting the net 10 times in a youth match.{{Cite news|url=https://www.ekirikas.com/o-pontikos-kai-o-pontikas-ton-pagkosm/|title=World records by Pontikos and Pontikas|website=National Herald|language=greek|date=27 February 2021|access-date=26 June 2022}} He also holds the national record for the youngest player to feature in a U-18 high school county league final, at 14 years and 9 months.{{cite web|url=https://90soccer.com/the-greatest-lost-soccer-talents-of-all-time/|title=Lost soccer talents: 6 players who sparked too early |publisher= |date=23 June 2022}}
See also
References
{{Reflist}}
External links
- [https://www.rsssf.org/tablesg/grk97.html RSSSF Greece] 1996–97 on RSSSF
{{Use dmy dates|date=March 2021}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Pontikas, Ntinos}}
Category:Footballers from Larissa
Category:Greek men's footballers
Category:English Sunday league players
Category:Men's association football forwards
Category:21st-century Greek sportsmen
Category:Expatriate men's footballers in England
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