Dimitris Nikolaou

Dimitris Nikolaou (Greek: Δημήτρης Νικολάου, born 13 August 1998) is a Greek professional footballer who plays as a centre-back for Serie B club Empoli.[1][2]

Dimitris Nikolaou
Nikolaou with Greece in 2019
Personal information
Full name Dimitrios Nikolaou
Date of birth (1998-08-13) 13 August 1998
Place of birth Chalkida, Greece
Height 1.88 m (6 ft 2 in)
Playing position(s) Centre-back
Club information
Current team
 Empoli
Number 4
Youth career
2007–2016 Olympiacos
Senior career*
Years Team Apps (Gls)
2016–2019 Olympiacos 11 (1)
2019 → Empoli (loan) 4 (0)
2019– Empoli 16 (0)
National team‡
2013–2014 Greece U16 2 (0)
2014–2015 Greece U17 13 (0)
2015–2017 Greece U19 13 (1)
2017– Greece U21 15 (1)
2018– Greece 1 (0)
* Senior club appearances and goals counted for the domestic league only and correct as of 21:35, 5 August 2020 (UTC).
‡ National team caps and goals correct as of 15 November 2019

Club career

Olympiacos

On 29 January 2017, Nikolaou made his debut with the club in a 2–1 away Super League win against Veria. A month later, he scored his first goal in a 2–0 Greek Cup win game against Aris.

On 18 October 2017, Nikolaou scored an own goal and headed goal for his team in a 3–1 away loss in the 2017–18 UEFA Champions League group stage against Barcelona.[3]

Loan to Empoli

On 28 January 2019, the 20-year-old Dimitris Nikolaou departed Piraeus, signing for Serie A club Empoli on a loan for the remainder of the 2018–19 season, with a purchase option at the range of €3.5 million. This season, Nikolaou has largely been sitting on the sidelines with Olympiacos, only participating in one Greek Cup match. The young defender is regarded as a prospect for the future and will hope to receive regular playing time with Empoli.[4] On 15 April 2019, he made his debut with the club in a 0–0 away draw game against Atalanta.[5]

Empoli

On 2 June 2019, Empoli activate the option of the 20-year-old international defender who reportedly was worth €3.5 million. Nikolaou played in four games at Campionato, and the leaders of the Italian club decided to activate the option of the young Greek defender, besides their relegation. Nikolaou signed for four years for an undisclosed fee. The announcement from the Italian club stated: "Empoli announces that he has exercised the right to buy and signed with the young international Dimitris Nikolaou from Olympiacos." [6]

Career statistics

As of 5 August 2020[7][8]

Club performance League Cup Continental Total
Season Club League AppsGoals AppsGoals AppsGoals AppsGoals
Greece League Greek Cup Europe Total
2016–17OlympiacosSuperleague Greece20410061
2017–18907031191
Italy League Coppa Italia Europe Total
2018–19EmpoliSerie A40000040
2019–20Serie B1603000190
Career Total 32013131482

References
  1. "ΔΗΜΗΤΡΗΣ ΝΙΚΟΛΑΟΥ, ΟΛΥΜΠΙΑΚΟΣ Σ.Φ.Π." Retrieved 17 September 2016.
  2. "Dimitris Nikolaou - Uefa.com". Retrieved 17 September 2016.
  3. Unwin, Will (18 October 2017). "Barcelona 3-1 Olympiakos: Lionel Messi scores 100th European goal as Gerard Pique sees red". Sky Sports. Retrieved 18 October 2017.
  4. "Και επίσημα στη Έμπολι ο Νικολάου". sportsroom.gr. 28 January 2019.
  5. "Empoli, Nikolaou: "Ero pronto per l'esordio. Ora penso solo a crescere" - TUTTOmercatoWEB.com". www.tuttomercatoweb.com (in Italian). Retrieved 2019-04-15.
  6. "Ολυμπιακός: Η Έμπολι ενεργοποίησε την οψιόν αγοράς του Νικολάου". sport24.gr (in Greek). Retrieved 2 June 2019.
  7. "Dimitris Nikolaou". Soccerway. Retrieved 30 June 2017.
  8. "Dimitris Nikolaou". superleaguegreece.net. Retrieved 20 August 2017.
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