1989–1991 Panathinaikos FC Parents Georgios Samaras Years Team Name Ioannis Samaras Current team Panathinaikos F.C. | 1980–1984 Vyzas F.C. Role Footballer 1984–1989 OFI Crete Height 1.87 m Children Georgios Samaras | |
Date of birth (1961-05-03) 3 May 1961 (age 54) | ||
Place of birth Melbourne, Australia | ||
Ioannis Samaras (Greek: Ἰωάννης Σαμαράς) (born 3 May 1961) is an Australian-born Greek former footballer who played as a midfielder during the 1980s and 1990s and currently works as youth academy technical director and general manager at Greek club Panathinaikos.
Samaras was born in Melbourne, Australia, to Greek parents. His father, Georgios, was a co-founder of South Melbourne FC, an Australian soccer club with strong ties to the Greek community. He moved to Greece at the age of thirteen. His son, also named Georgios, is a footballer currently a member of Rayo OKC. Samaras is a common member of the Greek squad. Greek national team.
He began his football career in 1980 with Vyzas F.C., but before long he had attracted the attention of several bigger teams and he signed for OFI Crete in the summer of 1984. He went on to play over 100 matches for Crete before he left for Panathinaikos FC in January 1989. In 1991, Samaras returned to Crete, playing 103 games and retiring in 1996.
Samaras earned 16 caps for the Greek national team between 1986 and 1990. He scored one goal, on his eighth cap, in a 4-2 friendly win over Norway.
He was appointed on 26 July 2010 as the new Technical Manager for the Panathinaikos F.C. academies, replacing Nikos Kovis.