Sokratis Papastahopoulos a.k.a Papa is a Greek professional footballer who plays as center-back for his Greek national team and the Premier League Club Arsenal.
Starting from a local-level team Aiantas Kalamatas till making a palace in the Arsenal, Papa had been achieved both name and fame for himself at Domestic as well as International level.
EARLY LIFE
Papa was born on 9th June 1988 in Kalamata, Greece to father Charalambos Papastathopoulos and mother (name unknown). Growing up in the second most populous city Papa since childhood was very fond of playing Football.
Hence he decided to make a career in Football rather than going for other inferior choices and ended up enrolling in a local youth team, Aiantas kalamatas. In no time he became the most talented and skilled player of the team.
PERSONAL LIFE
Papa married his long-time girlfriend Xanthippi Stamoulaki, the couple is blessed with a baby girl named Chara Papastathopoulou.
PROFESSIONAL LIFE
Papa’s gameplay and skills don’t go underground after the former Macedonian Footballer Toni Savecski scouted him in AEK Athens. Playing for Athens he made his debut on 26th October 2005 against PAS Giannina.
After a few more matches, he was sent on loan to Niki Volou, for six months. He made 15 appearances for the team and then returned to Athens.
On his return for Athens, he then played 14 matches for in 2006-07 Superleague Greece and three matches of 2006-07 UEFA Champions League. Following the next season, he became the Athen’s youngest caption ever at the age of 19.
After a decent career with Athens, Papa was transferred to Genoa for an undisclosed fee. He played his debut match on 27th September 2008 against Fiorentina.
Within the club, he became fans favorite after he started getting chances to play for the club.
On 20th July 2010, he joined the club Milan after an agreement settled between Milan and Genoa. But the deal doesn’t last long as on 24th may 2011 Pap was sent back to Genoa.
On 21st July 2011, Papa joined Werder Bremen on a loan deal for the 2011-12 season. After an impressive performance, he joined the club permanently for 5 million Euros.
After joining Bremen things don’t go well for the Greek Footballer as the team deal with high tensions in the midst of a relegation battle, moreover, a ground brawl with teammate Marko Arnautovic made the things worse. Bremen finishes the year in 14th position, starving off relegation.
Concerned about his Football career the Papa joined Borussia Dortmund on 24th May 2013. Playing for the German club his gameplay gradually improved much required to assist his team to conquer 2016-17 DFB-Pokal and DFL- Supercup of 2013&14.
After a successful streak with the club, Papa on 2nd July 2018 joined Arsenal on a long-term contract for 17.6 million euros. He played his debut match on 12th August 2018 against Manchester City in a 2-0 loss.
Playing for the team he played a crucial role in the 2018-19 UEFA Europa League where the club ended as being the runners up.
Papa’s International career isn’t been shinning as compared to his Domestic career. As a part of his national team he has been a part of the UEFA Euro 2008 & 2012 and 2014 FIFA World Cup but unfortunately was unable to reach towards any victory.
| Clubs | Season |
| AEK Athens | 2005-08 |
| Niki Volou (loan) | 2006 |
| Genoa | 2008-2010 |
| Milan | 2010-12 |
| Werder Bremen (loan) | 2011-12 |
| Werder Bremen | 2012-13 |
| Borussia Dortmund | 2013-18 |
| Arsenal | 2018-Current |
HONORS
Milan
- Serie A: 2010–11
Borussia Dortmund
- DFB-Pokal: 2016–17
- DFL-Supercup: 2013, 2014
Arsenal
- UEFA Europa Leaguerunner-up: 2018–19
ACHIEVEMENTS
- Best Greek Young Player: 2007–08
PHYSICAL MEASUREMENTS
Height: 6ft 1in
Weight: 76 kg
Eye color: Hazel Brown
Hair color: Black
Sokratis PERSONAL DETAILS
Full Name: Sokratis Papastathopoulos
Date of Birth: 9th June 1988
Place of Birth: Greece
Playing Position: Centre Back
Nickname: Papa
EDUCATION: Unknown
Relationships: Xanthippi Stamoulaki
Kids: Chara Papastathopoulou
HOBBIES: Playing Football
CONTROVERSY
In 2013 March when Papa was Bremen he got himself engaged in a training ground brawl with the former teammate Marko Arnautovic.
NET WORTH
17.6 Million dollars
SOCIAL MEDIA
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/SokratisPapastathopoulos/
Twitter: @SokratisPapa5
Instagram: @sokratispapa.official
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