Stelios Skevofilakas

Skevofilakas was born on 6 January 1939 at Nea Ionia.[3] He started his football career at one of his neighborhood teams, Eleftheroupoli, from which he was transferred to AEK Athens in 1961 at the age of 21.[4] He played in the midfield positions with and especially as a wide midfielders.[5] His official debut with the yellow and black jersey was at Georgios Kamaras Stadium on 9 September 1961, in the victory of AEK over Egaleo by 8–0, when he had given three assists in the two goals of Nestoridis in the 40th and 43th minute and a goal of Stamatiadis at the 65th minute.[6] With AEK he made a total of 339 appearances, of which 297 in the Championship, in which he scored 19 goals. Skevofilakas won 3 Championships and 2 Greek Cups, while he was a member of the team that played in the European Cup quarter finals in 1969 against Spartak Trnava, losing by a margin, the opportunity to face Johan Cruyff's Ajax in the semi-finals.[7] Branko Stanković's intention to renew the club's roaster brought Skevofilakas leaving AEK in 1972 and his move to Atromitos.[4]

On 21 May 1973, Balopoulos, Psychogios, Kefalidis and Skevofilax, who all had been released from AEK and played for Atromitos, started in the game against their former club in Peristeri, and the match ended with a 1–0 victory for the hosts. It was the first time that they played against AEK, while Lakis Nikolaou, made his maiden participation against his former team, Atromitos, with the "yellow-blacks".[8] Despite his rude departure from the team, he never stopped considering AEK as his family and himself as an integral member of it. After the end of his career he participated in all the events of the Veterans Association of which he was President for 8 consecutive years.[4] In 20 January 2016 AEK organized a football tournament in his memory.[9]

Skevofilakas also earned 11 caps for the Greek national team,[10] playing in qualifying matches for the 1966 FIFA World Cup and UEFA Euro 1968.[11] He made his debut in May 1963 at an away friendly match against Poland, which ended 4-0.[12]

On 10 June 2009, Stelios Skevofilakas died from stomach cancer after a brave struggle of 18 months.[13][14] A few months earlier in 21 January 2009, he made a deeply emotional and unexpected visit to the AEK Veterans' gathering for the New Year, in his capacity as their president, to wish all of them health. It was the last public appearance of Skevofilax. [15] On 20 January 2016, AEK organized a football tournament in his memory.[16]

AEK Athens[4]

• Alpha Ethniki: 3

1963, 1968, 1971

• Greek Cup: 3

1964, 1966

• Stelios Skevofilakas at WorldFootball.net
• Εδωσε νέα διάσταση στο παιχνίδι
• Εφυγε από τη ζωή ο Στέλιος Σκευοφύλαξ