World Cup 2010 Player Ratings: Greece

June 26th, 2010 | by: Chris Paraskevas |

Time for a bit of heated debate and discussion; here are my tournament ratings for all the participants in the Ethniki’s campaign, considering their performances across the entire group stages.

Alexandros Tzorvas – 7.0: Powerless against Korea Republic, he made one major error against Nigeria that threatened to derail the campaign but recovered to produce a history-defining save from Yakubu in the very same match. A one-man wall at times against Argentina in what was his coming-of-age performance.

Sotiris Kyrgiakos – 7.5: Outstanding across both matches he took part in, dominating aerially – as we expecting him to do – and providing his usual attacking threat from set pieces. Proved he’s a top class defender and would have made a huge difference against Korea.

Vangelis Moras – 6.5: Suffered an unfortunate injury that only allowed him to take part against Argentina, where he accounted for himself extremely well and made a number of vital challenges.

Sokratis Papastathopoulos – 7.5: Started brightly against Nigeria before being made a tactical sacrifice but his moment in the spotlight was undoubtedly his man-marking job on Lionel Messi in the final match, where he confirmed he’s a superstar for the future.

Loukas Vyntra – 6.0: There’s no doubt this man plays with his entire heart for the national team and would bleed for them – more than could be said for a certain other Panathinaikos teammate of his – but he’s simply not of the requisite international standard. Disastrous in the opening match against Korea and whilst saving face against Nigeria and Argentina, never was able to exert any influence on either match.

Vasilis Torosidis – 8.0: Greece’s player of the tournament, scoring the winning goal in an all-action performance against Nigeria but unfortunately forced off with a knock against Argentina. Was the catalyst for a change in fortunes in that second match but was also one of the few players to emerge with credit after the Korea debacle.

Giourkas Seitaridis – 5.0: I wondered why he was second-choice to Vyntra at full-back during the tournament given his talent and experience; perhaps he just wasn’t fit enough? In any case his contribution was minimal, playing only in that opening match.

Avraam Papadopoulos – 7.0: Recovered from the Korea match to produce a colossal performance against Nigeria and perhaps with that and subsequent exploits against Argentina has attracted attention from Europe’s best clubs once again?

Giorgios Karagounis – 6.5: Never really got going but cannot be faulted for his effort and application. Didn’t stop running against Nigeria and was the heartbeat of the Greek midfield at times, though looked to be on his last legs as an international footballer.

Kostas Katsouranis – 5.5: Disgraceful against Korea with his antics off the ball, displaying a poor attitude coupled with an anonymous performance. Improved against Nigeria but it’s just not good enough from a man who sometimes wears the captain’s armband. Exactly what has he contributed to this team since Euro 2004?

Alexandros Tziolis – 7.0: Will have elevated himself in the eyes of a lot of fans, including myself, as he was the most consistent midfield performer. Immense against Nigeria and surely destined for bigger things at club level. Otto was right to persist with him.

Christos Patsatzoglou – 5.0: Used off the bench and had a minimal impact, though he tends to run himself into the ground and always carries out the dirty work with a minimum of fuss.

Sotiris Ninis – 6.0: Probably didn’t have enough time to produce anything spectacular but importantly, got a taste of the World Cup. Will continue to develop into a star and didn’t look out of place on the international stage.

Georgios Samaras – 6.5: Frustrating at times but his one-man siege on the Argentine goal showed what he’s capable of when he puts his mind to it. Yet to produce his best for the national team but the signs were encouraging in South Africa. Made a difference off the bench against Nigeria.

Dimitris Salpiggidis – 8.0: A star. Scored the nation’s first goal and almost affected a turn-around against Korea. A constant menace, proving he’s a top class striker, which makes his move to PAOK all the more questionable given he could have chosen any of Europe’s top leagues to reside in after a wonderful campaign.

Angelos Charisteas – 5.0: Well past his used-by date, as was evident during the Korea match. Didn’t feature again after that.

Theofanis Gekas – 6.5: Didn’t get the goal that I think would have sparked his campaign but not for a lack of application. Like Salpiggidis before him didn’t stop running and was unfortunate not to find the back of the net both against Korea and Nigeria.

Pantelis Kapetanos – 6.0: Ran himself into the ground when he came on against Korea and while he might not be the most technically gifted striker, is a handful whenever he comes on.