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Teofanis GekasGreek footballer, striker.
Date of Birth: 23.05.1980
Country:  Greece |
Content:
Biography of Theofanis Gekas
Theofanis Gekas, born on May 23, 1980, in Larissa, Greece, is a Greek football player and striker. He began his football career in the second division Greek club "AEL 1964." After three years there, he moved to "Kalithea" in the summer of 2001. In his first season with "Kalithea," the team was promoted to the Greek first division. Gekas scored 30 goals in 87 matches in the second division.
Gekas continued to impress with his goal-scoring abilities, attracting the attention of top clubs in Greece. After scoring 32 goals in 73 matches, he transferred to "Panathinaikos" in the winter of 2005. In his new club, Gekas became the top scorer of the Greek championship in 2005, scoring 17 goals. He made his debut for the Greek national team in March 2005, in a victorious match against Albania during the World Cup qualification. In the 2005/2006 season, Gekas made his debut in the Champions League with "Panathinaikos."
In the spring of 2006, "Bochum" became interested in Gekas, but "Panathinaikos" demanded 1.5 million euros for his transfer, which did not satisfy the German club. However, in the summer of 2006, "Panathinaikos" acquired Greek forward Dimitris Salpingidis from "PAOK," which became one of the reasons why Gekas could not extend his contract. As part of this deal, Gekas was supposed to move to "PAOK," but he refused. "Bochum" offered 700,000 euros for Gekas at the end of the season, on the condition that the team would be able to return to the Bundesliga.
In the 2006/2007 season, Gekas fought for survival with "Bochum" in the Bundesliga. In this short period, Theofanis became a star in the team, the top scorer of the championship, and a favorite among the fans, who called him the "Greek god." In April 2007, "Bochum" announced Gekas' desire to play for "Bayer" in the following season. In "Bayer," Gekas would receive 2 million euros per year, which is four times his salary at "Bochum."
