Angelos Messaris

Who was Angelos Messaris?

Angelos Messaris was a Greek footballer. He played for Panathinaikos and he is widely regarded as the best Greek player of the pre-war era. This is probably also due to the myth that for decades followed his sudden and mysterious early leaving from football. He made his last appearance in the football field on 23 April 1931 at the age of 21, in a match against AEK Athens. Panathinaikos were losing 2-0 but Messaris tied the score with two reverse headers and he received great cheering. That was his last appearance. He never played football again.

Messaris was descended from people of Kefalonia, an island in the Ionian sea, but he was born in Cape Town of South Africa in 1910. In 1924, he came to Athens and after spending three years at the team of Goudi he was transferred to Panathinaikos. His dribbling skills, his perfect control together with his versatile mind and hard work in the football field elevated him to the top. During his short football career he scored 53 goals: 23 in the Athens FCA Championship, 11 in the Panhellenic Championship, 2 with the Greece national team and 17 in international and friendly games of Panathinaikos and the mixed team of Athens.