Apostolos Vellios

Apostolos Vellios

Vellios in Nottingham Forest kit, 2016
Personal information
Full name Apostolos Vellios[1]
Date of birth (1992-01-08) 8 January 1992
Place of birth Thessaloniki, Greece
Height 1.93 m (6 ft 4 in)[2]
Playing position Striker
Club information
Current team
 Nottingham Forest
Number 39
Youth career
Iraklis
Senior career*
Years Team Apps (Gls)
2008–2011 Iraklis 22 (4)
2011–2014 Everton 22 (3)
2014 → Blackpool (loan) 2 (0)
2014–2015 Lierse 13 (1)
2015 → Vestsjælland (loan) 16 (3)
2015–2016 Iraklis 27 (11)
2016– Nottingham Forest 18 (6)
National team‡
2008–2009 Greece U17 3 (0)
2009–2011 Greece U19 16 (9)
2011–2014 Greece U21 24 (4)
2016– Greece 5 (0)

* Senior club appearances and goals counted for the domestic league only and correct as of 02 December 2016.

‡ National team caps and goals correct as of 10 November 2016

Apostolos Vellios (Greek: Απόστολος Βέλλιος) (born 8 January 1992)[3] is a Greek football striker who plays for Nottingham Forest. He came out of Iraklis' academies before moving to the club's first team. Vellios played in England for three and a half years representing Everton and Blackpool. He has also represented his country at all levels.

Club career

Iraklis

Vellios started his professional career at Iraklis in 2008.[3] He made his debut against in a 4–1 away defeat by Skoda Xanthi on 26 April 2009, as he came in as a late substitute for Dimitris Giantsis, for the last round of the 2008–09 season.[4] His first goal was an equalizer in injury time against Olympiacos in Karaiskakis Stadium on 7 November 2009, to help Iraklis escape with an away draw against the Greek giants.[5] He was named MVP of the 10th round of the Greek Superleague for his performance in that match.[6] At the end of the season, he totalled nine appearances for the club, all as a substitute, and two goals.

Everton

Following interest from Fulham,[7][8] Olympiacos,[9][10][11] AEK,[12][13] and Bologna,[14] Vellios signed for Everton in January 2011 for a fee of £250,000 on a 4-year deal.[15] Vellios scored Everton Reserves' only goal in his debut, as they suffered an 5–1 home defeat against Blackburn Rovers Reserves.[16] Vellios made his first-team debut for Everton against Aston Villa in the Premier League, on 2 April 2011, replacing Jermaine Beckford after 80 minutes. He scored his first goal for the first team in a home 3–1 win against Wigan Athletic on 17 September 2011.[17] His second goal was scored away against Chelsea after being on the pitch for only 18 seconds, 8 seconds from play being restarted. Once again he appeared as a substitute away at Bolton Wanderers, he scored with a right footed shot to make it 2–0, making it his third goal for Everton after playing just 235 minutes on the pitch.[18]

However he was subsequently completely dropped from the squad by Moyes and pushed into the reserves despite being the top scorer. At the time of his Everton career, Velios mainly played for Everton Reserves, however still holding the Premier League statistic of a goal every 86 minutes, still the highest rate at Everton during 2011-2012 season. He made his 2012/13 first team debut by coming on as a sub against Sunderland, which Everton won 2–1 with Marouane Fellaini and Nikica Jelavic getting the goals for the Toffees. On 10 May 2014, after 3 and a half years with the Toffees, Vellios announced his removal from the club on Twitter. Throughout these years did not succeed to be one of the regulars of the club. "I would like to thank Everton for these three and a half years of my life, but mostly I have a big thanks for the supporters. You will be forever in my heart" he stated.[19]

Blackpool

In March 2014, Vellios joined Blackpool on loan for the reminder of the season.[20] He was given a starting debut at Q.P.R. on 29 March, but in the next match — a 2–1 home defeat to Yeovil Town — he was substituted five minutes into the second half and did not feature again.[21]

Lierse

In July 2014 Vellios signed a two-year contract with Jupiler League club Lierse.[22]

FC Vestsjælland

On January 26, 2015 Vellios was loaned to FC Vestsjælland until July 1. He became the first ever Greek footballer to play in the Danish Superliga. He played 16 games, and scored 3 goals for the club, in the Danish Superliga. But he also manages to score 3 goals in 4 games in the Danish Cup, including a goal in the final against F.C. Copenhagen. A game FC Vestsjælland lost 2-3, after extra time.[23]

Second Iraklis spell

On 15 July 2015 Vellios signed a two-year contract with Iraklis.[24] On 26 September 2015, he equalised for the final score of 1–1 from a Costin Lazăr assist on the fifth day of the Greek Super League against Skoda Xanthi. It was his first goal with Iraklis after his return to the club.[25]

On 26 October 2015, he scored in a record fourth consecutive Super League match in 2015, equalizing Joël Epalle's club decade record.[26] On 17 November 2015, Vellios stood alongside to Nikos Kyzeridis, giving his jersey for fundraising, thereby demonstrating support for the former Aris player struggling with cancer.[27] On 28 November 2015, he netted the only goal in a 1–0 home win against giants Panathinaikos for the Greek Super League.[28] On 5 December 2015, he scored in the 2–1 home win against Asteras Tripoli,[29] helping his club to maintain its unbeaten run against the Arcadian club. Since then, Vellios has been linked to Greek giants, Olympiacos and also PAOK.[30] On 2 January 2016, a hat-trick by Vellios led Iraklis to a 3–0 home win over AEL Kalloni[31] becoming the first Iraklis player to achieve this feat in the last 15 years.[32] On 7 February 2016, Vellios' 10th Super League goal helped his club to win 1-0 PAS Giannina at Kaftanzogleio Stadium. It was the first victory for Nikos Papadopoulos' team after six negative results.[33] He scored his eleventh goal with a header during a home game against Veria.[34]

Nottingham Forest

On 29 June 2016, it was announced that Vellios had signed a four-year contract with Championship side Nottingham Forest for a reported £950,000,[35][36] and became the first signing under new head coach Philippe Montanier.[37] On 12 August, he made his debut with the club as a late substitute in a 3–0 away loss against Brighton & Hove Albion F.C. Eight days later, having come on as an early substitute for Britt Assombalonga, he won his club a penalty in a 4–3 home win against Wigan Athletic F.C. in the Championship. Vellios failed to capitalise on this opportunity to score his first goal for Forest as his penalty was saved.[38] On 11 September, he netted his first Forest goal, putting his side ahead with a 25-yard strike in a 2–2 away draw against Aston Villa.[39] Three days later he scored with an overhead kick, giving a short lead to his club in a 2–2 away draw against Rotherham United.[40] Vellios scored in his third match running as Nottingham Forest lost 1–2 to Norwich City on the 17 September.[41]

On 1 October, Vellios gave the visitors an early lead at Ashton Gate for his fourth goal of the season, as he found the back of the net via the post after an assist from Henri Lansbury in a 2-1 away loss against Bristol City F.C. [42] In a poll published by the Nottingham Post on the 4 October, Nottingham Forest fans chose Vellios as the best player of the team until that moment, with 39% of the voters picking him [43] On 14 October Vellios netted the second goal from Henri Lansbury's cross in a 3-1 home win game against Birmingham. [44]

International career

Vellios has been capped 16 times for the Greek U-19 team and has scored 9 goals for them. His last appearances to date, with Greece U-19, was in the two friendly matches against Macedonia U-19 in January 2011. The first was a 2–1 win for Greece U-19, a game in which Vellios scored the opening goal.[45][46] The other match was contested two days later and Vellios managed to score twice, in a match that Greece U-19 won by a 3–0 scoreline.[47][48] On the 16th of March 2016 Vellios was called for the first time to play for the Greece national football team in two friendly matches against Iceland and Montenegro.[49]

Personal life

Vellios is the son of Kostas Vellios, who played for Iraklis.[50] He was a student at Aristotelio High School and, on 18 March 2010, by playing for the school team he was crowned champion in the Greek High School Championship.[51] Vellios is also known for being a lifelong supporter of Iraklis.[52][53]

Career statistics

Club

As of match played 25 November 2016.[54][55]
Club Season League Cup League Cup Other Total
DivisionAppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoals
Iraklis 2008–09 Superleague Greece 1000——10
2009–10 Superleague Greece 9200——403
2010–11 Superleague Greece 12200——383
Total 22400——224
Everton 2010–11 Premier League 300000—30
2011–12 Premier League 1331010—153
2012–13 Premier League 600000—60
2013–14 Premier League 000000—00
Total 2231010—243
Blackpool (loan) 2013–14 Championship 200000—20
Lierse 2014–15 Belgian Pro League 13110——141
FC Vestsjælland (loan) 2014–15 Danish Superliga 16343——206
Iraklis 2015–16 Superleague Greece 271152——3213
Nottingham Forest 2016–17 Championship 1760020—196
Career total 1192811530—13333

References

  1. ↑ "Barclays Premier League Squad Numbers 2013/14". Premier League. 16 August 2013i. Retrieved 17 August 2013.
  2. ↑ "Premier League Player Profile". Premier League. Retrieved 12 April 2011.
  3. 1 2 "Apostolos Vellios". IRAKLIS F.C. official site. Retrieved 24 January 2011.
  4. ↑ Ξάνθη – Ηρακλής 4–1 (in Greek). Contra.gr. 26 April 2009. Retrieved 24 January 2011.
  5. ↑ Ολυμπιακός-Ηρακλής 1–1 (in Greek). Contra.gr. 7 November 2009. Retrieved 24 January 2011.
  6. ↑ "Βράβευση Αποστόλου Βέλλιου MVP ΟΠΑΠ 10ης αγωνιστικής" (in Greek). Superleague Official site. 17 November 2011. Retrieved 24 January 2011.
  7. ↑ Φούλαμ για Βέλλιο (in Greek). Bluearena.gr. 30 December 2010. Retrieved 24 January 2011.
  8. ↑ Φούλαμ για Βέλλιο, ζήτησε να τον δοκιμάσει (in Greek). Contra.gr. 30 December 2010. Retrieved 24 January 2011.
  9. ↑ ""Κοκκινίζει" o Βέλλιος" (in Greek). 4 January 2011. Retrieved 24 January 2011.
  10. ↑ Πρώτο "όχι" του Ηρακλή για Απόστολο Βέλλιο (in Greek). Bluearena.gr. 5 January 2011. Retrieved 24 January 2011.
  11. ↑ "Όχι" Βέλλιου στον Θρύλο (in Greek). gazzetta.gr. 12 January 2011. Retrieved 24 January 2011.
  12. ↑ Βουίζει η Αθήνα για συμφωνία ΑΕΚ-Βέλλιου (in Greek). Bluearena.gr. 14 January 2011. Retrieved 24 January 2011.
  13. ↑ Έκλεισε στην ΑΕΚ ο Βέλλιος (in Greek). gazzetta.gr. 17 January 2011. Retrieved 24 January 2011.
  14. ↑ "Scambio Pozzi-Maccarone? Samp e Palermo ci pensano" (in Italian). LaGazzettadelloSport.it. 21 January 2011. Retrieved 24 January 2011.
  15. ↑ "Loans out as Vellios lands". Everton official site. 31 January 2011. Retrieved 1 February 2011.
  16. ↑ "Everton Res v Blackburn Res". Everton FC official site. 22 February 2011. Retrieved 27 February 2011.
  17. ↑ Begley, Emlyn. He scored on his first touch against Chelsea on 15 October 2011 in the 81st minute of a 3–1 loss (17 September 2011). "Everton 3 – 1 Wigan". BBC. Retrieved 20 September 2011.
  18. ↑ "Toffees make winning habit stick". ESPN Soccernet. 26 November 2011. Retrieved 28 November 2011.
  19. ↑ Τέλος από την Έβερτον ο Βέλλιος (in Greek). Sports 24. 11 May 2014.
  20. ↑ "Premier League Striker Joins". Blackpool F.C. 27 March 2014. Archived from the original on 1 September 2014. Retrieved 1 September 2014.
  21. ↑ "Team: Vellios Handed Debut". Blackpool F.C. 29 March 2014. Archived from the original on 1 September 2014. Retrieved 1 September 2014.
  22. ↑ "Vellios passe d'Everton au Lierse" (in French). dhnet.be. 16 July 2014. Retrieved 23 July 2014.
  23. ↑ "FC Vestsjælland siger farvel til trio" (in Danish). Bold.dk. 7 June 2015. Retrieved 7 June 2015.
  24. ↑ "Υπέγραψε ο Βέλλιος (Vellios signed)" (in Greek). Iraklis FC. 15 July 2015. Retrieved 15 July 2015.
  25. ↑ "Δεν έμεινε κανείς ικανοποιημένος στην ισοπαλία 1-1 του Ηρακλή με την Ξάνθη" (in Greek). sport24.gr. 26 September 2015.
  26. ↑ "Βέλλιος, όπως Επαλέ!" (in Greek). www.sdna.gr. 26 October 2015.
  27. ↑ "Φανέλα για Κυζερίδη ο Βέλλιος" (in Greek). www.sdna.gr. 17 November 2015.
  28. ↑ "Με ροπαλιά του Βέλλιου, ο Ηρακλής 1-0 τον Παναθηναϊκό" (in Greek). www.sport24.gr. 28 November 2015.
  29. ↑ Διατήρησε την παράδοση ο Ηρακλής, 2-1 τον Αστέρα Retrieved 5 December 2015
  30. ↑ "Ακούγεται και για Ολυμπιακό ο Βέλλιος!" (in Greek). www.sport-fm.gr. 8 December 2015.
  31. ↑ "Vellios hat-trick leads Iraklis to victory". www.sdna.gr. 2 January 2016.
  32. ↑ "Vellios hat-trick the first for Iraklis after 15 years". www.sdna.gr. 4 January 2016.
  33. ↑ "Iraklis return to victories against PAS Giannina". www.sdna.gr. 7 February 2016.
  34. ↑ http://www.sport24.gr/football/ellada/SuperLeague/fovero-mats-sto-kaytanzogleio-sto-1-1-hraklhs-veroia.3953780.html
  35. ↑ "New approach already having a positive impact at Nottingham Forest". Nottingham Post. 6 July 2016. Retrieved 6 July 2016.
  36. ↑ Cooper, Barry (29 June 2016). "Nottingham Forest sign Greek international Apostolos Vellios". Nottingham Post. Retrieved 29 June 2016.
  37. ↑ "Nottingham Forest sign Greek international Apostolos Vellios". www.nottinghampost.com. 29 June 2016. Retrieved 29 June 2016.
  38. ↑ "Nottingham Forest 4-3 Wigan: Home side edge seven-goal thriller". www.skysports.com. 20 August 2016. Retrieved 20 August 2016.
  39. ↑ "Aston Villa 2 Nottingham Forest 2". www.nottinghampost.com. 11 September 2016. Retrieved 11 September 2016.
  40. ↑ "Rotherham United 2 Nottingham Forest 2". www.bbc.com. 14 September 2016. Retrieved 14 September 2016.
  41. ↑ "Forest 1-2 Norwich". www.nottinghamforest.co.uk. 17 September 2016. Retrieved 17 September 2016.
  42. ↑ "Another for Vellios Before Greece Duties". www.agonasport.com. 1 October 2016. Retrieved 2 October 2016.
  43. ↑ Nottingham Forest fans pick their player of the Championship season so far
  44. ↑ Nottingham Forest-Birmingham City 3-1
  45. ↑ Γκολ ο Βέλλιος με τη Νέων (in Greek). Bluearena.gr. 11 January 2011. Retrieved 24 January 2011.
  46. ↑ Εθνική Νέων: Ελλάδα-ΠΓΔΜ 2–1 (in Greek). Ελληνική Ποδοσφαιρική Ομοσπονδία (Greek Football Federation). 11 January 2011. Retrieved 24 January 2011.
  47. ↑ Νέα φιλική νίκη των Νέων επί της ΠΓΔΜ (in Greek). Contra.gr. 13 January 2011. Retrieved 24 January 2011.
  48. ↑ Εθνική Νέων: Ελλάδα-ΠΓΔΜ 3–0 (in Greek). Ελληνική Ποδοσφαιρική Ομοσπονδία (Greek Football Federation). 13 January 2011. Retrieved 24 January 2011.
  49. ↑ http://www.naftemporiki.gr/story/1080446/neo-aima-stin-ethniki-omada-bazei-o-skimpe
  50. ↑ Από τον Βέλλιο, στον... Βέλλιο! (in Greek). ΑΓΓΕΛΙΟΦΟΡΟΣ. 9 November 2009. Retrieved 24 January 2011.
  51. ↑ Χρυσό το Αριστοτέλειο στο Πανελλήνιο Πρωτάθλημα Λυκείων (in Greek). Acadimies.gr. 18 March 2010. Retrieved 27 January 2011.
  52. ↑ Κώστας Βέλλιος: Καψούρης με τον Ηρακλή ο Αποστόλης (in Greek). Metropolis radio website. 8 March 2010. Retrieved 24 January 2010.
  53. ↑ Βέλλιος: Πάντα στην καρδιά μου ο Ηρακλής (in Greek). Bluearena. 28 January 2011. Retrieved 8 December 2011.
  54. ↑ "Apostolos Vellios Stats". uk.soccerway.com. Soccerway.
  55. ↑ "Apostolos Vellios Stats". soccerbase.com. Soccerbase.

External links

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