The tale of Georgios Samaras, a Greek lad who fancied a kick about, carries some weight. A towering figure at 1.93m (6'3") and tipping the scales at 82kg (12st 12lb), Samaras was destined to be a striking force from the start.
Samaras began his professional football journey in the nippy climate of Netherlands with Heerenveen in July 2002 as a trainee. Over the following seasons, he consistently made his presence felt on the pitch, with a steady increase in goals scored. Particularly, the season 2004-2005 brought him into the spotlight with 11 goals over 31 appearances.
In January 2006, Manchester City thought £6m was a decent price for this Greek forward. During his time in Manchester, Samaras had his ups and downs, making 36 appearances in the 2006-2007 season and scoring four league goals, but he only made five appearances in league matches during the 2007-2008 season.
Samaras made the move north into Scots territory with Celtic, initially on loan, in January 2008. Sprouting his roots deeper in the Celtic turf from July 2008, following his official £2m transfer from Manchester City, Samaras stood his ground with admirable performances.
The 2008-2009 season saw him make 31 appearances and net a notable 15 league goals, his finest return during his time with Celtic. Over the next five seasons, Samaras was a regular fixture on the Celtic team, with particularly notable performances in the 2012-2013 season when he scored nine goals over 25 appearances.
Samaras' Scottish sojourn came to an end in August 2014, when he took to the south of England with West Bromwich Albion. However, things didn't quite hit off there, and following a short loan spell to Al-Hilal Saudi, he found himself in the American NPSL with Rayo OKC in March 2016.
Yet the stateside lifestyle didn't seemingly suit Samaras, and by February 2017 he found his way to Real Zaragoza in Spain. Following a stint in Turkey with Samsunspor, a destination yet undisclosed swooped him up in June 2023.
Georgios Samaras, a trainee-turned-journeyman, a forward who had his share of ups and downs, unarguably, would be remembered as a stalwart who held his own, particularly during his years at Celtic.
