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Vangelis Pavlidis
Greek footballer (born 1998) From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
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Evángelos "Vangelis" Pavlidis (Greek: Βαγγέλης Παυλίδης [vaɲˈɟelis paˈvliðis]; born 21 November 1998) is a Greek professional footballer who plays as a centre forward for Primeira Liga club Benfica and the Greece national team.[2][3]
Born and raised in Thessaloniki, Greece, Pavlidis started his professional career with VfL Bochum in 2016 and then represented Willem II before signing with AZ Alkmaar in 2021, being crowned the Eredivisie top scorer in 2024. In July 2024, he signed with Benfica for a fee of €18 million.
Pavlidis represented Greece at various youth levels and made his senior debut for Greece in 2019.
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Club career
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VfL Bochum
On 9 April 2016, Pavlidis signed a professional contract until the summer of 2019. On 15 May 2016, he made his debut with the club as a substitute in a 2. Bundesliga 4–2 away win against 1. FC Heidenheim.
Loan to Borussia Dortmund II
On 26 January 2018, Pavlidis joined Borussia Dortmund II on loan for the second half of the season.[4] On 22 June 2018, Pavlidis loan spell was extended until summer 2019.[5]
Willem II
On 17 January 2019, Willem II confirmed the signing Pavlidis on loan from Bochum until the end of the 2018–19 season.[6][7] On 23 January, he scored his first goal with the club after Marios Vrousai's assist in a 3–2 away KNVB Beker win against FC Twente.[8] On 16 February, he scored his first goal in Eredivisie. Over six months, Pavlidis recorded six goals and five assists in seventeen matches.[9]
On 29 April, Pavlidis signed a permanent deal with the club.[10][11] Subsequently that year, on 2 August, in the opening game of the 2019–20 Eredivisie, Pavlidis scored twice as Willem II won 3–1 against PEC Zwolle.[12] He started the following season by scoring four goals in his first two Eredivisie matches, before adding seven goals the rest of the campaign. With the season being abandoned due to the COVID-19 pandemic in the Netherlands, Willem II finished fifth place in the Eredivisie, earning a spot in the Europa League second qualifying round.[13]
On 16 September 2020, Pavlidis scored twice in the Europa League qualifying match against Progrès Niederkorn, which ended in a 5–0 win. Willem II were eliminated in the next round by Scottish side Rangers, following a 4–0 loss. On the final matchday, Pavlidis scored a stunning solo goal in a 2–1 win against Fortuna Sittard, that kept Willem II in the Eredivisie.
AZ Alkmaar
On 9 July 2021, Pavlidis signed a contract until 2025 at Dutch club AZ Alkmaar. He made his debut for AZ on 14 August as a substitute against RKC Waalwijk and started his first match four days later in a UEFA Europa League qualifier against Celtic. On 29 August, he scored his first goal for AZ against Heerenveen. Later that year, on 1 December, Pavlidis was one of the eleven nominees for the 2021 Puskás Award.[14] He finished the season with 25 goals in 51 matches. He also scored in the final of the European play-offs against Vitesse, helping AZ qualify for the Europa League second qualifying round. In the Eredivisie, he scored sixteen goals, ranking third on the top scorers list behind Sébastien Haller and Loïs Openda.[15]
In the 2022–23 season, Pavlidis was sidelined for two months with an ankle injury, but still managed to score eight goals in the thirteen matches he played before the winter break. On 28 January 2023, he netted a hat-trick in a thrilling 5–5 draw against Utrecht, where his compatriot Anastasios Douvikas also scored a hat-trick. On 21 May, he provided an hat-trick of assists in a 3–0 victory against NEC Nijmegen. That season, AZ reached the semi-finals of the UEFA Europa Conference League, where they were eliminated by West Ham United and finished the season with 22 goals and 14 assists in 40 matches.[16][17]
The following season, Pavlidis became the first player in Eredivisie history to score in each of the first nine matchdays.[18] He ended that streak with a hat-trick in a 3–0 victory against Heerenveen, bringing his total to thirteen goals in those nine games. He finished the Eredivisie season with 29 goals, making him the joint top scorer alongside Luuk de Jong.[19]
Benfica
On 1 July 2024, Pavlidis joined Primeira Liga side Benfica on a permanent deal, signing a five-year contract with the club;[20] the transfer reportedly commanded an €18 million fee, plus €2 million in possible add-ons, and a 10% sell-on clause in favor of AZ Alkmaar.[21]
2024–25 season
He made his competitive debut for his new club in a 2–0 loss to Famalicão on 11 August 2024,[22] and scored his first goal in a 3–0 win against Casa Pia three days later.[23] On 27 November, he scored his maiden Champions League goal in a 3–2 away win over Monaco.[24] On 11 January 2025, Pavlidis won his first trophy with Benfica, as they defeated crosstown rivals Sporting CP in the Taça da Liga final on penalties following a 1–1 draw in normal time.[25]
On 21 January, he netted his first Champions League hat-trick against Barcelona. All his goals came inside the opening 30 minutes, making it the third-fastest treble from the start of a match in the competition's history.[26] Despite his performance, the match ended in a 5–4 loss.[27] After a slow start to the season, Pavlidis scored nine goals in eight matches, including the first goal in the 2–0 win over Juventus in the Champions League, on 29 January, securing his team's progression to the knockout phase play-offs qualification.[28] In February, he scored in both legs against Monaco in the Champions League knockout phase play-offs as Benfica secured a 4–3 aggregate victory to advance to the Champions League round of 16.[29] His seventh goal of the European campaign made him Benfica's top scorer in the Champions League, surpassing João Mário's record of six goals set in the 2023–24 season.[30]
Later that month, Pavlidis earned the league's Player of the Month and Forward of the Month awards.[31] On 7 April, he scored an hat-trick in a 4–1 away win over rivals Porto in O Clássico. His first goal was the fastest goal scored away in the history of O Clássico and Pavlidis also became the first Benfica player to score three goals in the Estádio do Dragão.[32][33][34]
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International career
Pavlidis represented Greece at under-17, taking part in the 2015 UEFA European Under-17 Championship, where Greece were eliminated in the group stage. He also played at under-19, under-20 and under-21 levels, for a total of 28 caps, scoring 10 goals.
On 29 August 2019, he was called up to the Greek senior team by coach John van 't Schip for the forthcoming Euro 2020 qualifiers against Finland and Liechtenstein.[35] On 10 October 2024, he scored two goals against England in a 2–1 away Nations League victory, marking the first time Greece had beaten their opponents. In his celebration, he paid an emotional tribute to his recently deceased national teammate George Baldock, who had died the day prior. He held aloft a shirt with Baldock's name on it.[36]
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Personal life
Born to a Pontic Greek family from the village of Katachas in Pieria, he was born in Thessaloniki.[37]Also, his mother hails from the village Alistrati.[38]
Career statistics
Club
- Includes KNVB Cup, Taça de Portugal
- Includes Taça da Liga
- Appearances in UEFA Europa League
- Two appearances in UEFA Europa League, eight appearances and four goals in UEFA Europa Conference League
- Appearances in UEFA Champions League
- Appearances in FIFA Club World Cup
- Appearance in Supertaça Cândido de Oliveira
International
- As of match played 10 June 2025[40]
- Scores and results list Greece's goal tally first, score column indicates score after each Pavlidis goal.[40]
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Honours
Benfica
Individual
- Eredivisie Player of the Month: August 2023,[46] October 2023[47]
- Eredivisie top scorer: 2023–24 (shared with Luuk de Jong)[48]
- Best Greek Player playing Abroad: 2023–24
- Primeira Liga Player of the Month: February 2025
- Primeira Liga Team of the Year: 2024–25[49]
References
External links
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