Giourkas Seitaridis
Georgios “Giourkas” Seitaridis is a Greek former footballer who played mainly as a right-back, and sometimes as a centre-back. Born on 4 June 1981 in Piraeus, Greece, he had a long club career in Greece, Portugal, Russia and Spain, and he earned 72 caps for the Greece national team, scoring once. He was part of Greece’s Euro 2004-winning team and was named in UEFA’s Team of the Tournament that year.
Seitaridis began his professional career with PAS Giannina (1998–2001), helping them gain promotion and making 40 league appearances with 5 goals. He then joined Panathinaikos (2001–2004), where he helped win the Greek league and cup in the 2003–04 season and scored his first European goal against Manchester United in 2001. He was also named Greek Young Footballer of the Year in 2001.
His performances led to a move to Porto in 2004 for about €3 million, where he won the Portuguese Super Cup and the Intercontinental Cup that year. In 2005 he transferred to Dynamo Moscow for around €10 million, but he struggled to settle and played only eight league games.
In 2006 Seitaridis signed for Atlético Madrid for €12 million. He had a challenging start, with early red cards, and suffered an Achilles tendon injury in 2007 that required surgery. After returning, injuries limited his playing time, and he left Atlético in 2009.
Seitaridis then returned to Panathinaikos on a four-year deal, joining the club again in September 2009. Injuries again restricted his appearances during later seasons, and he left Panathinaikos in 2013.
On the international stage, Seitaridis debuted for Greece in 2002 and earned 72 caps, scoring one goal. He played a key role in Greece’s shock victory at Euro 2004 and was selected for the 2005 FIFA Confederations Cup squad. He scored his first international goal in a 2007 Euro 2008 qualifying match against Hungary and later appeared at Euro 2008 and the 2010 World Cup.
Seitaridis comes from a footballing family, with his father and grandfather both involved in football and management. He is of Pontic Greek heritage.
This page was last edited on 3 February 2026, at 12:40 (CET).