Alexandros Kasmeridis

Alexandros Kasmeridis

Personal information
Full name	Alexandros Kasmeridis
Date of birth	(1986-04-23) 23 April 1986 (age 38)
Place of birth	Serres, Greece
Height	1.92 m (6 ft 4 in)
Position(s)	Goalkeeper
Youth career
0000–2002	Anatoli Serres
2002–2006	OFI Crete
Senior career*
Years	Team	Apps	(Gls)
2006–2011	OFI Crete	6	(0)
2011–2012	Thrasyvoulos	26	(0)
2012–2013	Levadiakos	5	(0)
2013–2014	Asteras Magoula	20	(0)
2014–2015	Olympiacos Volou	9	(0)
2015–2017	OFI	14	(0)
2017–2019	Irodotos	13	(0)
2019–2020	PAO Krousonas
International career‡
2004–2006	Greece U19	8	(0)
2006–2008	Greece U21	9	(0)
*Club domestic league appearances and goals, correct as of 20:15, 25 June 2019 (UTC) ‡ National team caps and goals, correct as of 18:41, 23 August 2012 (UTC)

Alexandros Kasmeridis (Greek : Αλέξανδρος Κασμερίδης, born 23 April 1986) is a former Greek footballer who played as a goalkeeper. He started his career at OFI Crete in 2002 and stayed there until 2011, followed by three one-year spells at Thrasyvoulos, Levadiakos, Asteras Magoula and Olympiacos Volou, until he returned to OFI in 2015.

Kasmeridis is a former member of all youth national teams of Greece; under-17, under-19 and under-21 ^[1] – he was also part of Greece's 2005 UEFA European Under-19 Football Championship squad.

Club career

Early career

Kasmeridis was born in Serres and, during his early teens, he played for local club Anatoli. ^[2] Despite the efforts of Panserraikos to sign him, he decided to join OFI Crete in 2002 at the age of 15. ^[3] He played for the club's amateur team until 2006, when he signed his first professional contract. ^[3] With OFI Amateurs, he won the 2004 Heraklion Football Clubs Association Cup against PANOM. ^[2]

During his whole spell at OFI Crete, Kasmeridis was always a backup goalkeeper behind other goalkeeping talents produced by the club, such as Kostas Chaniotakis, Michalis Sifakis and Sifis Daskalakis. ^[3] Even during the later years, goalkeepers from Panathinaikos (Arkadiusz Malarz and Alexandros Tzorvas) or abroad (Tristan Peersman) were preferred, so he earned little playing time. ^[3]

OFI Crete

Kasmeridis made his Superleague debut on 30 November 2008 coming as a substitute during an away game against Panthrakikos, when Malatz was injured in the 26th minute. ^[4] He then went on to make another 3 performances for OFI during the 2008–09 season, ^[5] which saw the club ending in 14th place and being relegated from the first division for the first time since 1976. ^[6]

The 2009–10 season was worse for Kasmeridis, even though OFI was playing in the Beta Ethniki – he was the second goalkeeper behind Polychronis Vezyridis and only played once in the second-last game of the promotion play-offs against Pierikos ^[7] because Vezyridis was banned from the match. ^[8] OFI eventually missed promotion at the final fixture, so they stayed in the second division. ^[9]

Kasmeridis was still a backup for OFI in the 2010–11 season, as he made a total of 3 appearances in the now-called Football League. His season debut was on an away game against PAS Giannena, coming as a substitute for Vezyridis, after the latter was hit by a fan of PAS. ^[10] He made another appearance in the regular season against Ionikos ^[11] and a final appearance in the last game of the promotion play-offs against Diagoras, where OFI won and secured promotion to the Superleague after 2 years. ^[12] However, Kasmeridis did not fit the plans of his manager, Nikos Anastopoulos, for the following season and was asked to look for a new club. ^[13]

Thrasyvoulos

On 10 September 2011, a day after his OFI contract was terminated, Kasmeridis signed a one-year contract with Thrasyvoulos in the second division. ^[14] He was a regular for the club in the 2011–12 season, making 26 appearances ^[1] and earning one red card in the final game against Anagennisi Epanomi. ^[15]

Kasmeridis blocked two penalties in the 4–2 penalty shoot-out win in his team's Round of 16 match against Superleague side Levadiakos during the 2011–12 Greek Cup campaign. ^[16]

Levadiakos

On 12 June 2012, Kasmeridis signed a two-year contract for Levadiakos. ^[17] In a later interview, he justified his decision to join Levadiakos by saying that his goal was to establish himself in the Superleague. ^[18] He made his league debut on 8 October 2012 during a home match against Panthrakikos – there, first-choice keeper Dimitris Kyriakidis received a red card on the 37th minute and Kasmeridis entered as a substitute for Stefano Napoleoni; he conceded an additional 2 goals for a final result of 0–3 for the visitors. ^[19] However, Kasmeridis never managed to establish himself as the first-choice goalkeeper at Levadiakos instead of Kyriakidis, as he only managed to make 3 ninety-minute appearances at the 2012–13 Superleague – as a result, he terminated his contract one year early in May 2013 and were released from the club. ^[20]

International career

Greece under-17

Kasmeridis was called up to the Greek national under-17 football team on 6 March 2003 for a friendly game against Yugoslavia on 8 March. ^[21]

Greece under-19

On 28 August 2004, Kasmeridis, still a player of OFI Amateurs at the time, was called for the first time to the Greek national under-19 football team to play in a friendly match against Netherlands under-19 on 4 September. ^[22] He did not get any playing time, but made his debut a month later, on 8 October, in a 2005 UEFA European Under-19 Football Championship qualification match against Faroe Islands. ^[23] He made good appearances in the rest of the qualifiers and Greece qualified to the final stage of the 2005 UEFA European Under-19 Football Championship. ^[24]

2005 UEFA European U19 Championship finals

Kasmeridis was a member of Greece's squad in the finals. ^[25] He played in the victorious first game of the group stage against the hosts, Northern Ireland, ^[26] and in the second game against Germany, where Greece lost 3–0. ^[27] Greece was eventually eliminated after another 3–0 defeat against Serbia and Montenegro, a game which Kasmeridis watched from the bench as Dimitrios Sotiriou took his place in the starting lineup. ^[28]

Greece under-21

On 16 October 2006, Kasmeridis made his debut for the Greece under-21 in a friendly match against Ethnikos Asteras as a second-half substitute for Leonidas Panagopoulos. ^[29] He went on to make 6 appearances in 2007, with Panagopoulos and Kasmeridis swapping places in the starting lineup, ^[30] and 2 appearances in 2008, all of which as a starter. ^[31]

References

1. Koutsoubas, Giorgos (12 June 2012). "Ζεστά" για Κασμερίδη ο Λεβαδειακός [Levadiakos "hot" for Kasmeridis]. Goal News (Cyprus) (in Greek). Archived from the original on 5 January 2013. Retrieved 24 August 2012.
2. ΑΛΕΞΗΣ ΚΑΣΜΕΡΙΔΗΣ: "Ενας... ξενιτεμένος ήρωας" [ALEXIS KASMERIDIS: An... immigrant hero]. Patris (in Greek). 9 April 2004. Retrieved 23 August 2012.
3. ΑΛΕΞΗΣ ΚΑΣΜΕΡΙΔΗΣ: "Δυστυχώς δεν γεννήθηκα Κρητικός..." [ALEXIS KASMERIDIS: "Unfortunately I was not born a Cretan..."]. Patris (in Greek). 17 February 2011. Retrieved 23 August 2012.
4. Όνειρα... Ευρώπης τολμά να κάνει ο Πανθρακικός μετά το 2–0 επί του ΟΦΗ [Panserraikos dares dream European qualification after 2–0 against OFI] (in Greek). Komotini: In.gr. 30 November 2008. Retrieved 23 August 2012.
5. "Alexandros Kasmeridis, 2008–2009 appearances". Guardian.co.uk . Retrieved 23 August 2012.
6. Ο "Γολγοθάς" του ΟΦΗ ήταν για πολλούς αναμενόμενος [OFI's "Golgotha" was expected by many] (in Greek). Athens: In.gr. 19 April 2009. Retrieved 23 August 2012.
7. Στο φινάλε η άνοδος για Σέρρες ή ΟΦΗ, "σώθηκε" ο Ιωνικός, αποχαιρέτησε η Ρόδος [Promotion of OFI or Serres at final fixture, Ionikos saved, Rodos waived goodbye] (in Greek). Athens: In.gr. 6 June 2010. Archived from the original on 9 June 2010. Retrieved 23 August 2012.
8. Οι παίκτες του ΟΦΗ στο μικροσκόπιο [OFI's players under the microscope]. Patris (in Greek). 1 July 2010. Retrieved 24 August 2012.
9. Επέστρεψε στη Σούπερ Λίγκα ο Πανσερραϊκός [Panserraikos returns to Superleague] (in Greek). Serres: enet.gr. 9 June 2010. Retrieved 23 August 2012.
10. Ο ΠΑΣ νίκησε στο "ντέρμπι της ντροπής" τον ΟΦΗ [PAS beats OFI at the "derby of shame"] (in Greek). Ioannina: enet.gr. 10 January 2011. Retrieved 23 August 2012.
11. "Football League, OFI vs. Ionikos 3–1 Ionikos". Soccerway.com. 7 February 2011. Retrieved 23 August 2012.
12. Με 2–1 επί του Διαγόρα γιόρτασε την άνοδο ο ΟΦΗ [OFI beat Diagoras 2–1 and celebrated promotion] (in Greek). In.gr. 1 August 2011. Archived from the original on 17 February 2013. Retrieved 23 August 2012.
13. Εκτός πλάνων Αναστόπουλου οι Κασμερίδης, Ρούσεφ [Kasmeridis, Rusev off Anastopoulos' plans]. Patris (in Greek). 6 August 2011. Retrieved 23 August 2012.
14. Θρασύβουλος: "Εκλεισε" Κασμερίδη [Thrasyvoulos: "Captured" Kasmeridis]. Goal News (in Greek). 10 September 2011. Retrieved 23 August 2012.^{[ permanent dead link ]}
15. "Football League, Anagennisi Epanomis vs. Thrasyvoulos 3–1". Soccerway.com. 23 May 2012. Retrieved 23 August 2012.
16. Κασμερίδης και Θρασύβουλος για... φίλημα [Kasmeridis and Thrasyvoulos for... kisses] (in Greek). Nova Sports. 20 December 2011. Retrieved 23 August 2012.
17. Στον ΛΕΒΑΔΕΙΑΚΟ ο Αλέξανδρος Κασμερίδης [Alexandros Kasmeridis at LEVADIAKOS] (in Greek). levadiakosfc.gr. 12 June 2012. Retrieved 24 August 2012.
18. Το βήμα παραπάνω... [The step forward...]. SportDay (in Greek). 13 June 2012. Archived from the original on 17 February 2013. Retrieved 24 August 2012.
19. Papadakos, Michalis (8 October 2012). Αλωσε τη Λιβαδειά ο Πανθρακικός! [Panthrakikos conquered Levadia!] (in Greek). SentraGoal. Archived from the original on 9 October 2012. Retrieved 10 October 2012.
20. "Λεβαδειακός: Παρελθόν ο Κασμερίδης" [Levadiakos: Kasmeridis departs]. OnSports.gr (in Greek). 10 May 2013. Retrieved 20 September 2016.
21. ΕΡ. ΟΦΗ: Τέσσερις στην Εθνική Παίδων [OFI Amat.: Four at Greece U17]. Patris (in Greek). 6 March 2003. Retrieved 24 August 2012.
22. Κασμερίδης- Κοιλιάρας στη Νέων ["The step forward..."Kasmeridis, Koiliaras at U19]. Patris (in Greek). 28 August 2004. Retrieved 24 August 2012.
23. "Alexandros Kasmeridis profile". uefa.com . Retrieved 24 August 2012.
24. Η Εθνική Νέων στα τελικά του Ευρωπαϊκού Πρωταθλήματος! [Greece U19 in the UEFA U19 championship finals!] (in Greek). Hellenic Football Federation. 31 May 2005. Archived from the original on 15 April 2013. Retrieved 24 August 2012.
25. "Η αποστολή της Εθνικής Νέων για τα τελικά του EURO 2005" [Greece U19's squad for EURO 2005 finals] (in Greek). Hellenic Football Federation. 7 July 2005. Archived from the original on 28 November 2012. Retrieved 24 August 2012.
26. Haslam, Andrew (18 July 2005). "Petropoulos gets Greece going". uefa.com. Archived from the original on 6 October 2007. Retrieved 24 August 2012.
27. Haslam, Andrew (20 July 2005). "Germany find their feet". uefa.com. Archived from the original on 1 July 2007. Retrieved 24 August 2012.
28. Haslam, Andrew (23 July 2005). "Veselinovic inspires decisive victory". uefa.com. Archived from the original on 6 October 2007. Retrieved 24 August 2012.
29. "Greece under-21 matches in 2006" (in Greek). Hellenic Football Federation. Archived from the original on 26 June 2013. Retrieved 24 August 2012.
30. "Greece under-21 matches in 2007" (in Greek). Hellenic Football Federation. Archived from the original on 26 June 2013. Retrieved 24 August 2012.
31. "Greece under-21 matches in 2008" (in Greek). Hellenic Football Federation. Archived from the original on 2013-08-28. Retrieved 24 August 2012.

External links

• Alexandros Kasmeridis at Soccerway
• Profile at Guardian.co.uk