Difference between revisions of "Dimitrios Steliopolous"

Revision as of 14:33, 5 July 2005

Dimitrios Steliopolous burst onto the domestic stage in the first season of Liga Starblaydia when his side, Veles, were catapulted from Beta and Gamma Division anonymity straight into the Big Time. There they flourished in their first season, mostly thanks to Dimitri's sterling efforts as Captain. He was forever leading his team forward, or holding them together at the back, eventually landing them a 6th-placed finish. Many big-money offers quickly came in to Dimitri but Veles would not let him go as without him they would surely have been relegated to Liga Omega. For that one incedible seasons' performance, Dimitri was honoured with the first Liga Starblaydia Defender of the Year award. Keen-eyed observers, though, would have already predicted such an outcome.

Dimitri played in three successive Under-21 World Cup sides, winning two 3rd-Placed medals and a Runners-Up medal to start his trophy collection with a solid foundation. As a nineteen year-old he was called up by Simeone Di Bradini to the squad for the Second Four Nations Invitational in Liverpool England. Initially Dimitri was a mere substitute, waiting for 31 year-old Paulo Bachchan to need replacing. However, Paulo soon needed a permanent replacement after he was given a six month sentence for aggravated assault of a Starblaydi football fan after a poor performance.

Dimitri was immediately bumped up to the Starting XI and played excellently for the rest of the tournament, with Starblaydia suffering just one further defeat on their way to the final. Soon the name of 'Dimitrios Steliopolous' was heard around the stadium as he scored his first ever international goal in the Final, supplemented later by a Jakkinho strike to give Starblaydia a 2-1 win over Lethislavania in the Final, allowing Jean-Pierre Durand, and Dimitri, of course, to lift a trophy in the run-up to World Cup 22, where Starblaydia had their best performance for eight years.