Nikolaos Michopoulos

Nik Michopoulos

Personal information
Full name	Nikolaos Michopoulos
Date of birth	20 February 1970
Place of birth	Karditsa, Greece
Height	6 ft 3 in (1.91 m)
Playing position	Goalkeeper
Senior career*
Years	Team	Apps	(Gls)
1989–1992	Apollon Larissa	?	(0)
1992–2000	PAOK Salonika	136	(0)
2000–2003	Burnley	85	(0)
2003	Crystal Palace	5	(0)
2003–2004	Omonia Nicosia	11	(0)
Total		237	(0)
National team^‡
1995–2002	Greece	15	(0)
* Senior club appearances and goals counted for the domestic league only and correct as of 25 May 2010. ‡ National team caps and goals correct as of 25 May 2010

Nikolaos "Nick" Michopoulos (born 20 February 1970) is a former Greek professional football player. During his career he played for PAOK Salonika and Burnley, as well as a short loan spell at Crystal Palace and short period to Omonia Nicosia. He played as a goalkeeper and was known for his reactions and shot-stopping ability.

Michopoulos began his career with Salonika, and made over 130 appearances for the Greek team, earning himself 15 international caps for Greece in the process.^[1] He was brought to Burnley by Stan Ternent as one of three Greeks to sign for the Clarets along with goalkeeper Luigi Cennamo and centre-forward Dimitrios Papadopoulos.

'Nik the Greek' as he became known established himself solidly as a fan-favourite at Turf Moor and became somewhat of a cult-hero. He would make almost 100 appearances for the Clarets, his last being in the farcical 7-2 home defeat to Sheffield Wednesday, when he was carried off injured in the first half and replaced by Marlon Beresford.

Michopoulos would return to his native Greece and become goalkeeping coach at his old club, PAOK Salonika, a position he still holds. In pre-season training for the 2005/06 season, Michopoulos was able to meet up with several of his old team-mates when Burnley took on PAOK at a neutral ground.

References

1. ΕΘΝΙΚΕΣ ΟΜΑΔΕΣ > Εθνική Ομάδα Ανδρών (in Greek). Hellenic Football Federation. Retrieved 2009-11-25.