Tasos Vasiliou
{{short description|Greek footballer}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=November 2021}}
{{Infobox football biography
| name = Tasos Vasiliou
| image =
| caption =
| fullname = Anastasios Vasiliou
| birth_date = {{birth date|1938|8|4|df=yes}}
| birth_place = Nikaia, Piraeus, Greece
| death_date = {{death date and age|2018|9|30|1938|8|4|df=yes}}
| death_place = Nikaia, Piraeus, Greece
| position = Center back
| youthyears1 = –1953
| youthclubs1 = Atlantida
| youthyears2 = 1953–1956
| youthclubs2 = Aris Nikaias
| years1 = 1956–1958
| clubs1 = Aris Piraeus
| caps1 =
| goals1 =
| years2 = 1958–1965
| clubs2 = Apollon Athens
| caps2 =
| goals2 =
| years3 = 1965–1970
| clubs3 = AEK Athens
| caps3 = 120
| goals3 = 2
| years4 = 1970–1973
| clubs4 = Ionikos
| caps4 =
| goals4 =
| nationalteam1 = Greece
| nationalyears1 = 1960–1966
| nationalcaps1 = 10
| nationalgoals1 = 0
}}
Tasos Vasiliou ({{langx|el|Τάσος Βασιλείου}}; 4 August 1938 – 30 September 2018) was a Greek professional footballer who played as a center back.{{cite web|url=https://www.worldfootball.net/player_summary/tasos-vasiliou/|title=Tasos Vasiliou|website=worldfootball.net|access-date=5 November 2021}} His nickname was "the Rock" ({{langx|el|"ο Βράχος"}}) or "the Lion" ({{langx|el|"το Λιοντάρι"}}).
Club career
Vasiliou started football from the streets of his neighborhood, at the club of Atlantida. In 1953 he moved to Aris Nikaias and in 1956 he signed to Aris Piraeus. In 1958 he was transferred to Apollon Athens, where he stood out with his talent, as a result of which in 1965 he got the big transfer for AEK, with the huge at the time fee of 1.5 million drachmas.{{Cite web|url=http://www.aekpedia.com/2015/05/25/%cf%84%ce%ac%cf%83%ce%bf%cf%82-%ce%b2%ce%b1%cf%83%ce%b9%ce%bb%ce%b5%ce%af%ce%bf%cf%85/|title=Τάσος Βασιλείου|website=aekpedia.com}}
Vasiliou impressed with his performances for four years and was a very important member of the team, while he also became an international. In 1966, he won the Greek Cup with AEK. In fact, under Jenő Csaknády, he also won the championship in 1968. However, his last two years in the team were a nightmare. Coming from "left-wing" family, he asked the then coach of the national team, Lakis Petropoulos to stop calling him to the reprisentative group, as a sign of protest against the exile his father had suffered in Gyaros from the dictatorial government.{{Cite web|url=https://www.rizospastis.gr/story.do?id=10021668|title="Εφυγε" ο Τάσος Βασιλείου|date=2 October 2018|website=rizospastis.gr}} Since then, the junta exerted pressure to keep the player out of the competitive activities of the club. With AEK he won 2 Championships, 2 Cups and was a member of the squad that reached the Balkans Cup final in 1967,{{cite web|url=https://www.rsssf.org/tablesb/balkanclub60s.html|title=Balkans Cup 1966–67 season|website=RSSSF}} as well as the quarter-finals of the European Cup in 1969.{{Cite web|url=https://www.enwsi.gr/178767/retro-aek/196869-i-proti-elliniki-omada-se-evropaiki-oktada-i-apogoitefsi-entos-sinoron-video-foto.html|title=1968/69: Η πρώτη ελληνική ομάδα σε ευρωπαϊκή οκτάδα, η απογοήτευση εντός συνόρων|first=Σταύρος|last=Καζαντζόγλου|date=15 June 2019|website=enwsi.gr}}
In 1970 Vasiliou left the club and initially agreed with Vyzas Megara, but when his fellow townspeople in Nikaia found out about the deal, they pressured him to cancel the transfer and move to Ionikos, which he eventually did. He continued at Ionikos until 1973 when he ended his career. In fact, towards the end of his tenure at Ionikos, he was also the team's coach.{{Cite web|url=http://koinoniki.gr/2014/06/tasos-vasiliou-i-chounta-mou-ekopse-tin-bala/|title=Interview with " Social"|accessdate=2015-03-24|archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20160305034557/http://koinoniki.gr/2014/06/tasos-vasiliou-i-chounta-mou-ekopse-tin-bala/|archivedate=2016-03-05|url-status=dead}}
International career
Vasiliou played a total of 10 times with Greece, between 1960 and 1966.{{cite web|url=https://eu-football.info/_player.php?id=21970|title=Tasos Vasiliou|website=eu-football.info|access-date=5 November 2021}} He made his debut on 20 November 1960 in a home match against West Germany, as part of the 1962 FIFA World Cup qualifiers, under Tryfon Tzanetis.{{Cite web|url=http://www.epo.gr/media/files/ETHNIKES_OMADES/MATCH_ANDRES_1929-2000/ethniki_andrwn_1956-60.pdf|title=Greece matches 1956–1960|website=epo.gr}}
After football
Vasiliou, after the end of his career, created a sausage production business that started in Nikaia and then created facilities based in Corinth. He died on 30 September 2018.
Honours
AEK Athens
References
{{reflist}}
External links
- {{sports links}}
{{Authority control}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Vasiliou, Tasos}}
Category:Greek men's footballers
Category:Apollon Smyrnis F.C. players
Category:AEK Athens F.C. players
Category:Greece men's international footballers
Category:Footballers from Piraeus