Traianos Dellas (Τραϊανός Δέλλας) (born January 31, 1976 in Greece, is a Greek football player. At 196 cm (6′5″), he is a towering, strong defender who plays for the Greece national team and AEK Athens FC.

Club Career

Dellas got his start with Greek side Aris before moving on loan to Panserraikos, he then returned to Aris again before leaving for Sheffield United in England. He returned to Greece with AEK before securing a transfer to Perugia F.C. of Italy, where his spectacular defensive performances and technical ability earned him a spot with giants AS Roma in 2002.

After finally establishing himself as a starter following the move of coach Fabio Capello to Juventus, Dellas’s play was outstanding. He earned the peculiar honor of being one of only three players (including playmaker Francesco Totti and striker Vincenzo Montella) who were not consistently booed by the fans during training and games during Roma’s disastrous 2004-05 season. After failing to renew his contract with the club, Dellas became a free agent. He would eventually miss nearly 8 months of football due to back and hernia injuries and thus, expected offers from the big clubs of Europe failed to materialize. In the summer of 2005 Dellas decided to return to Greece, joining old team AEK, where he rejoined his former teammate and good friend Demis Nikolaidis, the club’s current president. He renewed his contract in June 2007 for a further two years. Dellas is the current captain of AEK.

International Career

Dellas earned his first cap for Greece in 2001 in a 2-2 draw with Croatia. Dellas had an exceptional tournament at Euro 2004, partnering Michalis Kapsis in the centre of what became an almost unpenetratable Greek defence, leading to him being voted onto the tournament All-star squad. He scored the goal that put Greece in the final of the tournament, a silver goal in the last minute of the first half of extra time against the Czech Republic. Since Euro 2004, Dellas has been a mainstay in Greece’s defence helping the team qualify for Euro 2008 to defend its crown.

Honours

AEK Athens

• Greek Cup: 2000

Greece

• European Championship: 2004

Individual

• European Championship 2004: UEFA Team of the Tournament Member