Olympiacos have announced the signing of Avraam Papadopoulos.
The 34-year-old central defender will sport the red-and-white jersey for the first time since 2014 when he departed from the club after a disagreement with former manager, Michel. The Brisbane Roar decided to terminate the Greek defender’s contract, even though it was in effect for another season as they understood his wish to return to the former club in order to add the final chapter to his career.
Reports claim that Papadopoulos had been unhappy at the Roar ever since the dismissal of former manager John Aloisi.
Melbourne-born Papadopoulos began his professional career at Aris Thessaloniki in 2003 and played with the club for five seasons before catching the eye of Greek giants Olympiacos who moved in to sign him up in 2008.
Over the six seasons at Piraeus, Papadopoulos recorded 124 matches and five goals for the Greek giants before a short stint in Turkey and Trabzonspor (five games).
In 2015, his travels took him to the Chinese Super League where he played for Shanghai Shenhua, having 23 caps and one goal under his belt before trying out his luck in the J-League one year later with Jubilo Iwata (13 games, one goal).
Two years later, Avraam signed with Brisbane Roar as the club was in dire need of a central defender after the serious injury of Daniel Bowles.
He remained with the club for two seasons, however controversy surrounded his name after he received a seven-match ban for spitting in the face of Mariners defender Matt Simon.
Papadopoulos had been dealing with an ankle injury since March 2018, undergoing surgery and missing a lot of his former club’s matches during the season.
He was reportedly visiting his doctor in Greece to get a better assessment of the situation before the announcement that he had signed with Olympiacos.
His contract will expire in six months, after which he will serve the club from a different position.