Aris Karasavvidis (; born 13 March 1965) is a former Greek international footballer who played as a forward. He was the top goalscorer of the 1988 UEFA European Under-21 Championship.
Career Early career and Aetos Skydras Karasavvidis moved to Greece from Germany in 1977 at the age of 12 and joined the youth academy of Aetos Skydras. He was promoted to the senior team during the 1981–82 season at the age of 16. Over the next three seasons (1981–1984), he established himself as a key forward for the club, delivering impressive performances in local and amateur national divisions. His goalscoring ability drew the attention of major Greek clubs, leading to a high-profile transfer to PAOK in the summer of 1984.
PAOK and Apollon Athens Karasavvidis made his professional debut in the Alpha Ethniki with PAOK during the 1984–85 season. In his debut year, he contributed four goals to help PAOK clinch the 1985 Greek league title. He remained with the Thessaloniki-based club until December 1989, making 95 league appearances and scoring 14 goals.
In late 1989, he transferred to Apollon Athens. He enjoyed the most prolific goalscoring period of his career with Apollon, netting 41 goals in 122 league matches over a four-year span. His strong performances earned him a return to PAOK in December 1993, where he played for another one and a half seasons, adding 29 appearances and 4 goals to his tally.
Later career In 1995, Karasavvidis entered the final stages of his career, playing for several clubs in the Greek lower divisions. He spent the 1995–96 season with Trikala, followed by single-season stints at Apollon Kalamarias (1996–97), Lamia (1997–98), and finally Edessaikos (1998–99), where he retired from professional football.
International career Karasavvidis was a prominent member of the Greece under-21 national team. He played a pivotal role in Greece's historic run to the final of the 1988 UEFA European Under-21 Championship. Most notably, he scored four goals in a 5–0 semifinal win against the Netherlands, finishing as the tournament's overall top goalscorer. Between 1988 and 1993, he also earned 5 caps for the Greece senior national team.
Career statistics + Aris Karasavvidis in the Greek Championship Club Division Season Apps Goals PAOK Alpha Ethniki 1984–85 17 4 1985–86 24 2 1986–87 4 0 1987–88 21 4 1988–89 24 4 1989–90 (i) 5 0 PAOK Total (1st spell) 95 14 Apollon Athens Alpha Ethniki 1989–90 (ii) 20 7 1990–91 30 11 1991–92 30 10 1992–93 30 8 1993–94 (i) 12 5 Apollon Athens Total 122 41 PAOK Alpha Ethniki 1993–94 (ii) 17 2 1994–95 12 2 PAOK Total (2nd spell) 29 4 Career Total (Alpha Ethniki) 246 59
Honours PAOK Alpha Ethniki: 1984–85
Individual UEFA European Under-21 Championship top scorer: 1988 (5 goals)
References