Michalis Kyrgias retires from professional football

Athens Kallithea FC announce that defender Michalis Kyrgias, 33, has retired from professional football.

Kyrgias spent a total of 10 seasons with Apollon Smyrnis, helping the club rise from the third division to the top flight over that time, with his tenure only briefly interrupted by one season at Aris in Super League 1. After leaving Apollon, Kyrgias moved to Ionikos for the 2020/21 season and immediately helped the club earn promotion to Super League 1.

Kyrgias joined AKFC in September 2021, as the club was emerging from the third division and beginning its new project. He was immediately voted as team captain and played a key role in the team’s growth over the last two seasons, as AKFC made second-place finishes in 2021/22 and 2022/23.

AKFC vice president Peter Philipakos:

“Mike arrived at the very beginning, when almost nobody understood or believed in our project. Ahead of our first season, some people were even predicting that we would be relegated back to the third division. We’ve made so much progress since then, and Mike has been one of the people at the heart of that. He was the first captain under our project. Whatever success we achieve in the future, it should always be traced back to the people who helped lay the foundation. We’re deeply grateful for Mike’s contributions to our club, and we wish him the best in this next chapter of his life. We’re be looking forward to seeing him back at El Paso for a match soon enough.”

Thank you, Mike.