Georgios Magiras

Georgios Simos or Charalampous^[2] (Greek: Γιώργος "Mάγειρας" Σίμος ή Χαραλάμπους; 1919 – 12 February 1994), commonly known as "Magiras" (which meant "Cook" in Greek), was a Greek professional footballer who played as a midfielder for AEK Athens and a later manager. Throughout his career he was known by his nickname that came, due to his grandfather owining a cooking restaurant in Naxos.

Georgios Magiras

Georgios Magiras in 1947
Personal information
Full name	Georgios Simos
Date of birth	1919
Place of birth	Urla, Smyrna, Ottoman Empire
Date of death	12 February 1994(1994-02-12) (aged 74–75)[1]
Place of death	Greece
Position(s)	Midfielder
Youth career
1928–1931	Nea Ionia
1931–1933	Eleftheroupoli
1933–1938	AEK Athens
Senior career*
Years	Team	Apps	(Gls)
1937–1949	AEK Athens	15	(1)
Total		15	(1)
International career
1948–1949	Greece	4	(0)
Managerial career
1960	Olympiacos Chalkida
1961	Egaleo
1961	Greece U19
1965	Greece U19
1965–1967	AEK Athens (assistant)
1967–1968	Proodeftiki
1970	Vyzas Megara
1972	Apollon Athens
1972	Pierikos
1972–1973	Chalkida
* Club domestic league appearances and goals

Early life

Magiras was born in 1919 at Urla of Smyrna. He migrated with his family at Nea Ionia of Athens in 1922, during the Asia Minor Diaster. At the age of 9 he started playing football at his local club, Nea Ionia. In 1931 he moved to Eleftheroupoli and in 1933 he joined AEK Athens, at the age of 14 and in the first years, was a member of their academies and their reserve team, with teammates such as Kleanthis Maropoulos and Tryfon Tzanetis, with whom he later coexisted in the first team.^[2]

Club career

Players of AEK Athens and PAOK before the 1939 Cup final

In 1937 Magiras was promoted to the first team and quickly established himself as a regular.^[2] He was part of the club that won the Panhellenic Championship and Greek Cup in 1939, making them the first Greek club to ever win the domestic double.^[3][4] The following season he won the second consecutive championship with AEK.^[5] He stayed at AEK despite the events of the World War II.^[6] In 1949 Magiras retired from football after a serious injury in the Cup final against Panathinaikos on 19 June.^[7][8] With the "yellow-blacks" he won 2 Panhellenic Championships and 2 Greek Cups.

International career

He played a total of 4 times with Greece from 1948 to 1949.^[9] His debut came on 23 April 1948, in a friendly at home against Turkey, the first to be played after World War II, under the instructions of Kostas Negrepontis.^[10]

Managerial career

After his retirement from as a footballer, Magiras became involved in coaching. He coached Olympiacos Chalkida in the first division in 1960.^[11] He also worked at Egaleo in 1961.^[12] In the 1960's he was a partner of Lakis Petropoulos in the technical leadership of Greece. In 1972, he was also the coach of Pierikos.^[13] Magiras returned to Chalcis to coach Chalkida, in 1972 for a year and led them to 4th place in the standings.^[14]

Personal life

Magiras lived at Nea Ionia with his wife and 2 children and worked at the Water Company.^[2] He died from cancer in 12 February 1994 at the age of 75.^[15]

Honours

AEK Athens

• Panhellenic Championship: 1938–39, 1939–40
• Greek Cup: 1938–39, 1948–49

See also

• List of one-club men in association football