1. He started playing football at the age of 10 in the AE Pontii Katerini academy, where he remained for eight years.

2. He started out as central forward, but when he was 13 he gained 10 centimetres height and his coaches decided to change his position. They first tried him out as left midfielder, then as holding midfielder and, at the age of 16, he found his calling in the centre of defence.

3. Είχε υποπέσει σε πέναλτι. He made his professional debut with Irodotos, where he played on loan from PAOK. On that day, they lost 1-0 to Malia and he committed a penalty.

4. Sotiris Balafas is his best friend in football. They coincided in PAOK’s dressing rooms for six seasons and since then they have been hanging out on their spare time.

5. He doesn’t collect football shirts after matches, as many of his colleagues do. The only shirts he is keeping at home are two of his own, from Greece’s participation in the 2010 FIFA World Cup and the UEFA Euro 2012.

6. His worst football memory is the relegation of Fortuna Düsseldorf to 2.Bundesliga.

7. He is married to Sofia. They met each other through a mutual friend ten years ago. They have one son, Giorgos.

8. He considers his performance against Tottenham Hotspur in London (2-1 for PAOK) the best of his career.

9. He wants to remain in football after he hangs his boots, but not as a coach, because he doesn’t think it suits him.

10. Nikos Karageorgiou decided to keep him in PAOK’s roster in 2005, as he needed a tall centre back. In his first season at the ranks of the “Double-Headed Eagle”, he was unlucky to sit out for several months with infectious mononucleosis.

11. His role model is Alessandro Nesta. He considers Luís Suárez as the toughest rival he has ever faced, having come up against him in the UEFA Champions League qualifiers against AFC Ajax in the summer of 2010.

You can read the full feature about Stelios Malezas in the 7th issue of Toumba Magazine.