Ioannis Okkas (born February 11, 1977 in Larnaca, Cyprus) is a football striker who currently plays for Olympiacos in the Greek Championship. He also plays for the Cyprus national football team. Talented, speedy forward, Ioannis Okkas possesses excellent dribbling skills. Although he is not very tall, he frequently finds the target with his head. February 11 is the 42nd day of the year in the Gregorian Calendar. ... For the album by Ash, see 1977 (album). ... Larnaca, or Larnaka(also colloquially Skala), is a city on the southeast coast of Cyprus. ... Football (soccer) - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia /**/ @import /skins-1. ... Strikers, also known as centre forwards, forwards, and attackers, are the players on a team in football (soccer) in the row nearest to the opposing teams goal, who are therefore principally responsible for scoring goals. ... With 221 officially recognized titles, Olympiacos CFP (Ολυμπιακός ΣΦΠ) is one of the biggest multisport clubs in Europe. ... The Alpha Ethniki (First National Division) is the highest professional football league in Greece. ... First International Cyprus 1 - 176 Israel (Nicosia, Cyprus; November 13, 1960) Largest win Cyprus9995 - 0 Andorra (Limassol, Cyprus; November 15, 2000) Worst defeat West Germany 65836583612 - 0 Cyprus (Essen, Germany; May 21, 1969) World Cup Appearances none (First in -) Best result {{{World cup best}}} {{{Regional name}}} Appearances none (First in...

National team

At the age of 19, he was called into the Cypriot national team and has been a regular ever since,passed the 50-cap mark in 2003. He scored three goals in his side's failed attempts to qualify for the 2002 FIFA World Cup and was also on target in UEFA EURO 2004™ qualifying, notably against France. Cyprus may have lost 2-1 at home to France in a recent Euro 2004 qualifier, but those 90 minutes were a personal triumph for Yiannakis Okkas. Listed below are the dates and results for the 2002 World Cup qualification rounds for Europe. ... The finals of the 2004 UEFA European Championship, commonly called EURO 2004, were held in Portugal between 12 June and 4 July 2004. ...

The forward opened the scoring early on with a delicate chip that left French keeper Gregory Coupet completely stranded, and generally was a man inspired. His clever movement, speed and ability with the ball at his feet meant he often proved too hot to handle for France's much- vaunted centre-backs, Marcel Desailly and Philippe Christanval.His forward's dribbling skills posed a conundrum that the former rarely solved, while the latter seemed a nervous wreck every time Okkas came near him. Grégory Coupet, (born December 31, 1972 in Le Puy-en-Velay) is a football (soccer) player from France. ... Marcel Desailly (born September 7, 1968 in Accra, Ghana as Odonkey Abbey) is a French football player and a former star for its national team, with whom he won the 1998 World Cup and Euro 2000. ... Philippe Christanval (born August 31, 1978 in Paris) is a French football player who currently plays for Fulham as a defender. ...

Club Now renowned as one of the most talented players to emerge from Cyprus, he started his career at the age of 16 with Nea Salamis FC and joined Anorthosis Famagusta FC four years later after 16 goals in 53 matches. Nea Salamis Famagusta or Nea Salamina (Greek: Νέα Σαλαμίνα Αμμοχώστου) is a Cypriot football club which comes from Famagusta. ... Anorthosis Famagusta FC (Greek: Ανόρθωση Αμμοχώστου = Anorthosi Ammochostou) is a Cypriot football club, which comes from Famagusta. ...

1997: Joining the league champions was a step up for Okkas, who helped Anorthosis make it four titles in a row.

2000: Okkas signed for FC PAOK and scored seven times during a first year which brought success in the Greek Cup and the Cypriot Player of the Year award. At the final against Olympiakos, Okkas scored two goals and PAOK won 4-2. Missed just one league game in his final season at PAOK, scoring eleven goals before joining AEK Athens FC. The Greek football Cup is the main knockout cup competition in Greek football. ... PAOKs crest PAOK FC, Panthessalonikios Athlitikos Omilos Konstantinoupoliton Football Club ( Greek: ΠΑΕ ΠΑΟΚ, Ποδοσφαιρική Αθλητική Ένωση Πανθεσσαλονίκειος Αθλητικός Όμιλος Κωνσταντινουπολιτών) stands for Panthessalonikian Athletic Club of Constantinople and is a Greek football club, founded in Thessaloniki in 1926. ... AEK Athens FC is the football club of the Athlitiki Enosis Konstantinoupoleos, or in English the Athletic Union of Constantinople (AEK). ...

2003: It was a tough first full season at AEK for Okkas, who scored just five goals. Following a FIFA intervention over unpaid wages, however, he secured a fresh start at Olympiacos CFP in August, signing a three-year contract. The Fédération Internationale de Football Association, universally known by its acronym FIFA, is the international governing body of football (soccer). ... Olympiacos CFP is a Greek football club, part of the Olympiacos sports club founded in 1925, which plays in the port city of Piraeus. ... 2004 : January - February - March - April - May - June - July - August - September - October - November - December See also: August 2004 in sports Deaths in August 2004 • 30 Fred Whipple • 26 Laura Branigan • 24 Elisabeth Kübler-Ross • 18 Elmer Bernstein • 15 Amarsinh Chaudhary • 14 CzesÅ‚aw MiÅ‚osz • 13 Julia Child • 8 Robert...

2004/05: In his first season in Piraeus, Okkas played in 25 league matches including 19 substitute appearances and scored five times as the club completed the double. Featured in all six UEFA Champions League matches, too. View of Piraeus A night ferry about to leave the port of Piraeus for the Dodecanese Piraeus, or Peiraeus (Modern Greek: Πειραιάς Peiraiás or Pireás, Ancient Greek / Katharevousa: Πειραιεύς Pireéfs) is a city in the periphery of Attica, Greece, located south of Athens. ... The UEFA Champions League is an annual club football competition organized by the Union of European Football Associations (UEFA) for the most successful football clubs in Europe. ...

Trivia

For two consecutive years, Okkas scored the first league goal of the season in Greece, with AEK in 2003/04 and Olympiacos the next season. The Alpha Ethniki (First National Division) is the highest professional football league in Greece. ...

External links

• Okkas Profile by UEFA
• Okkas in the match Cyprus-France