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{{Short description|Greek footballer (1919–1991)}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=October 2023}}
{{Infobox football biography
| name           = Kleanthis Maropoulos
| image          = Kleanthis Maropoulos 1.jpg
| caption        = Kleanthis Maropoulos
| fullname       = Kleanthis Maropoulos
| birth_date     = 1919 
| birth_place    = [[Constantinople]], [[Ottoman Empire]]
| death_date     = {{death date and age|df=yes|1991|1|3|1919}}
| death_place    = [[Athens]], Greece
| height         =  
| position       = [[Forward (association football)#Striker|Striker]]
| youthyears1    = 1931–1933
| youthclubs1    = [[Prasina Poulia]]
| youthyears2    = 1933–1934
| youthclubs2    = Ethikos Kalogreza
| youthyears3    = 1934–1935
| youthclubs3    = [[AEK Athens F.C.|AEK Athens]]
| years1         = 1935–1952
| clubs1         = [[AEK Athens F.C.|AEK Athens]]
| caps1          = 20
| goals1         = 12
| totalcaps      = 20
| totalgoals     = 12
| nationalyears1 = 1938–1950
| nationalteam1  = [[Greece national football team|Greece]]
| nationalcaps1  = 10
| nationalgoals1 = 1
| pcupdate       = 11 October 2023
| ntupdate       = 11 October 2023
}}

'''Kleanthis Maropoulos''' ({{langx|el|Κλεάνθης Μαρόπουλος}}; 1919 – 3 January 1991) was a [[Greeks|Greek]] [[Association football|footballer]] who played as a [[Forward (association football)#Striker|striker]] for [[AEK Athens F.C.|AEK Athens]]. He was a star footballer during the 1930s and 1940s and arguably the greatest Greek player of his generation. He was affectionately known as the ''"Blonde Eagle of AEK"'' ''({{langx|el|"Ξανθός Αετός της ΑΕΚ"}})''.

==Club career==
[[File:Kleanthis Maropoulos.jpg|thumb|left|120px|Maropoulos in 1939]]

===Early years===
Born in 1919 to Greek parents in [[Tuzla, Istanbul|Tuzla]], near [[Constantinople]], Maropoulos came to [[Greece]] with his family at the age of 3, during the population exchanges, after the [[Greco-Turkish War (1919–1922)|Greco-Turkish War]] in 1922. Having settled in [[Kalamata]], at the age of 12 he joined the local football club [[Prasina Poulia]]. When his parents moved to [[Nea Ionia|Kalogreza]] in [[Athens]], he played for Ethnikos Kalogreza. In 1934, he and [[Tryfon Tzanetis]], were spotted by people of [[AEK Athens F.C.|AEK Athens]], who placed them in their youth team. In 1936, he was promoted to the men's team.

===AEK Athens===
[[File:AEK PAOK 9-6-1940.jpg|thumb|left|[[Kostas Vasiliou|Vasiliou]] (left) with [[Alekos Chatzistavridis|Chatzistavridis]], [[Tryfon Tzanetis|Tzanetis]], Maropoulos and Kitidis in 1940]]
Maropoulos played in AEK's attack and he was the fear of the opposing goalkeepers with his deadly shot. The slogan ''"You cannot, Maropoulos!" ({{langx|el|"Δεν μπορείς Μαρόπουλε!"}})'' was originally chanted by the opponent fans, but later on came to be a chant of the fans shouted at him to make him bitter or stubborn and make him tear the opponent nets.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.aek-live.gr/o-thrylikos-xanthos-aetos-tis-aek/|title=Δεν μπορείς... Μαρόπουλε!|date=22 December 2016|website=aek-live.gr}}</ref> Led by Maropoulos and under the instructions of the club's former glory, [[Kostas Negrepontis]], AEK won their first two [[Super League Greece|Panhellenic Championships]] in 1939 and 1940, including the first domestic double ever won by a Greek club.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.enwsi.gr/1167636/retro-aek/to-proto-ntampl-ellinikis-omadas-to-ekane-i-aek-video.html|title=Το πρώτο νταμπλ ελληνικής ομάδας, το έκανε η ΑΕΚ!|date=11 June 2022|website=enwsi.gr}}</ref>

Unfortunately, the glory years of AEK and Maropoulos were interrupted by the [[World War II]]. During [[Axis occupation of Greece|The Occupation]], he actively participated in the Union of Greek Athletes. The objectives of the UGA were to maintain athletic activity (albeit substandard) and to support athletes in difficulty due to illness or hunger.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.aek365.org/a-562810/h-mera-pou-efuge-o-spoudaio-kleanthh-maropoulo.htm|title=Η μέρα που "έφυγε" ο σπουδαίος Κλεάνθης Μαρόπουλος|website=aek365.org}}</ref> Maropoulos continued his career after the war, playing until the early 1950s.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.aek-live.gr/i-kori-toy-kleanthi-maropoyloy-milaei-gia-ton-xantho-aeto-vid/|title=Η κόρη του Μαρόπουλου μιλάει για τον Ξανθό Αετό|date=7 February 2020}}</ref> Maropoulos last played for AEK in 1952, having spent 18 years of active service at the club.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.enwsi.gr/1037114/retro-aek/1037114.html|title=ΑΕΚ: Τέλος εποχής για τον Κλεάνθη Μαρόπουλο|date=19 August 2021|website=enwsi.gr}}</ref> He may have continued for a while, but he fell seriously ill and was bedridden for many months. Overall, he played in 144 official matches and scored a total of 89 goals.

==International career==
Maropoulos was capped 10 times international with [[Greece national football team|Greece]], including 6 as captain, from 1938 to 1950, with which he scored 1 goal.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.epo.gr/Default.aspx?a_id=40736|title=Kleanthis Maropoulos at epo.gr|website=epo.gr}}</ref> He made his debut on 22 January 1938 in a 3–1 victory over [[Palestine national football team|Palestine]] in [[Tel Aviv]] in the [[1938 FIFA World Cup qualification Group 6|1938 World Cup qualifiers]].<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.epo.gr/media/files/ETHNIKES_OMADES/MATCH_ANDRES_1929-2000/ethniki_andrwn_1929-38.pdf|title=Greece matches 1929–1938|website=epo.gr}}</ref> His only goal came in the largest victory of the team with 8–0 over [[Syria national football team|Syria]] in a friendly match on 25 November 1949. His last international match was on 17 February 1950, in [[Cairo]] against [[Egypt national football team|Egypt]], for the [[Mediterranean Cup (men's football)|Mediterranean Cup]].

==After football==
After leaving the field, Maropoulos was for many years an agent of AEK and a selector for the Greece national team. He worked for AEK and [[Hellenic Football Federation|HFF]] as a member of administration, all while being one of the pioneers of the movement for professional football in Greece. Maropoulos was also elected municipal councilor of [[Nea Ionia]]. He and his teammate, Tryfon Tzanetis had a strong friendship and they collaborated professionally, maintaining a joint sporting goods store in the center of Athens.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://football.aek.com/player/kleanthis_maropoulos/586|title=Κλεάνθης Μαρόπουλος|website=football.aek.com}}</ref> The "Blonde Eagle" died on 3 January 1991, at the age of 72.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.pontosnews.gr/673331/san-simera-ston-ponto-kai-allou/san-simera-pethane-kleanthis-maropoylos-xanthos-aetos-aek/|title=Σαν σήμερα πέθανε ο Κλεάνθης Μαρόπουλος, ο "ξανθός" αετός της ΑΕΚ|website=pontosnews.gr|date=3 January 2022}}</ref>

==Honours==

'''AEK Athens'''
*[[Super League Greece|Panhellenic Championship]]: [[1938–39 Panhellenic Championship|1938–39]], [[1939–40 Panhellenic Championship|1939–40]]
*[[Greek Football Cup|Greek Cup]]: [[1938–39 Greek Football Cup|1938–39]], [[1948–49 Greek Football Cup|1948–49]], [[1949–50 Greek Football Cup|1949–50]]
*[[Athens Football Clubs Association|Athens FCA League]]: 1940, 1946, 1947, 1950

'''Individual'''
*Panhellenic Championship top scorer: [[1939–40 Panhellenic Championship|1939–40]]
*Panhellenic Championship qualifiers top scorer (South Group): [[1938–39 Panhellenic Championship|1938–39]], [[1939–40 Panhellenic Championship|1939–40]]

==See also==
*[[List of one-club men in association football]]

==References==
{{Reflist}}

==External links==
*{{sports links}}

{{Navboxes
|bg=gold
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|title= Awards
|list1=
{{Super League Greece top scorers}}
{{Greek Cup top scorers}}
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{{DEFAULTSORT:Maropoulos, Kleanthis}}
[[Category:1919 births]]
[[Category:1991 deaths]]
[[Category:Footballers from Istanbul]]
[[Category:AEK Athens F.C. players]]
[[Category:AEK Athens F.C. non-playing staff]]
[[Category:Greece men's international footballers]]
[[Category:Constantinopolitan Greeks]]
[[Category:Men's association football forwards]]
[[Category:Emigrants from the Ottoman Empire to Greece]]
[[Category:Footballers from Kalamata]]
[[Category:Footballers from Athens]]
[[Category:Greek men's footballers]]
[[Category:People from Tuzla, Istanbul]]
[[Category:20th-century Greek sportsmen]]