View source for Stavros Sarafis

{{short description|Greek footballer (1950–2022)}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=October 2020}}
{{Infobox football biography
| name = Stavros Sarafis
| image =Stavros Sarafis.webp
| height = 
| birth_date = {{birth date|df=yes|1950|1|17}}
| birth_place = [[Epanomi]], [[Thessaloniki]], [[Kingdom of Greece|Greece]]
| death_date = {{death date and age|df=yes|2022|10|13|1950|1|17}}
| death_place = [[Thessaloniki]], Greece
| position = [[Midfielder]]
| youthyears1 = 1963–1967
| youthclubs1 = [[Anagennisi Epanomi]]
| years1 = 1967–1981
| clubs1 = [[PAOK FC|PAOK]]
| caps1 = 358
| goals1 = 136
| nationalyears1 = 1969–1977
| nationalteam1 = [[Greece national football team|Greece]]
| nationalcaps1 = 32  
| nationalgoals1 = 7
| manageryears1 = 1989
| managerclubs1 = [[PAOK FC|PAOK]] (caretaker)
| manageryears2 = 1994
| managerclubs2 = [[PAOK FC|PAOK]] (caretaker)
| manageryears3 = 1995
| managerclubs3 = [[PAOK FC|PAOK]] (caretaker)
| manageryears4 = 1999
| managerclubs4 = [[PAOK FC|PAOK]] (caretaker)
| manageryears5 = 2006
| managerclubs5 = [[PAOK FC|PAOK]] (caretaker)
| manageryears6 = 2010–2013
| managerclubs6 = [[PAOK FC|PAOK]] (youth)
}}

'''Stavros Sarafis''' ({{langx|el|Σταύρος Σαράφης}}; 17 January 1950 – 13 October 2022) was a Greek international [[football (soccer)|footballer]] who [[List of one-club men in association football|spent his entire career]] at [[PAOK FC|PAOK]], playing mainly as a [[ midfielder]] and occasionally as a [[forward (association football)|forward]]. A versatile midfielder and prolific goalscorer, he was mostly renowned for his excellent abilities in the air, being able to deliver powerful [[Header (association football)|headers]] towards goal. Regarded as one of the club's most iconic figures, Sarafis is [[List of PAOK FC records and statistics#Player records|PAOK record top goalscorer]]. His nickname was ''"Ceasar"'' ''({{langx|el|"Kaisaras"}})''.

==Club career==
Sarafis was born in [[Epanomi]], on the outskirts of [[Thessaloniki]] in 1950 and at the age of 13 he began his football career with [[Anagennisi Epanomi F.C.|Anagennisi Epanomi]], while when he turned 16, he was called up for a match with the [[Greece national under-19 football team|Greek Youth National Team]]. In the summer of 1967, at the age of 17, he was transferred to [[PAOK FC|PAOK]], who fought with city rivals [[Aris Thessaloniki F.C.|Aris]] for his acquisition.<ref>{{cite web|title=Πώς ο ΠΑΟΚ έκλεψε από τον Άρη τον Σταύρο Σαράφη|trans-title=How PAOK stole Stavros Sarafis from Aris|url=https://www.voria.gr/article/to-thriler-tis-metagrafis-sarafi-ston-paok---i-machi-me-ton-ari-ke-o-rolos-tou-zerva|language=Greek|work=voria.gr|author=Lefteris Zavliaris|date=14 October 2022|accessdate=11 April 2025}}</ref> He made his PAOK debut in the league match against [[Egaleo F.C.|Egaleo]] (October 8, 1967) and in the 72nd minute, he scored his first goal and paved the way for the 2–0 victory. Sarafis spent his entire football career at the ''Double-headed eagle of the North'' and wore the No 8 white-black jersey for 14 years, retiring in 1981. In the summer of 1976, when his contract was expiring, [[AEK Athens F.C.|AEK Athens]] president [[Loukas Barlos]] offered him 5 million [[Modern drachma|drachmas]] to join the ''Double-headed eagle of the South'', however Sarafis turned down the offer and decided to stay at his beloved PAOK despite the fact that he was informed by PAOK president [[Giorgos Pantelakis]] that the club could afford to offer him only 1 million drachmas.<ref>{{cite web|title=Σταύρος Σαράφης, μια ζωή στην υπηρεσία του ΠΑΟΚ|trans-title=A whole life in the service of PAOK|url=https://www.emakedonia.gr/stayros-sarafis-mia-zoi-stin-ypiresia-toy-paok-22527|language=Greek|newspaper=[[Makedonia (newspaper)|Makedonia]]|author=Giorgos Kouventidis|date=4 September 2008|accessdate=11 April 2025}}</ref> Sarafis was a prolific goalscorer with an incredible heading ability, netting 136 goals in 358 league matches with PAOK. He also scored 26 goals in the [[Greek Cup]] and 7 in [[UEFA]] competitions, for 169 goals in total.<ref>{{cite web|title=Σταύρος Σαράφης, ο ανυπέρβλητος|url=https://www.forzaonline.gr/news/stavros-sarafis-o-anypervlitos/|language=Greek|work=forzaonline.gr|date=17 October 2022|accessdate=10 April 2025}}</ref> His partnership with [[Giorgos Koudas]] was one of the most prominent midfield duos in Greek football during the 1970s, winning one league title ([[1975-76 Alpha Ethniki|1976]]) and two Cups ([[1971-72 Greek Football Cup|1972]], [[1973-74 Greek Football Cup|1974]]). After retiring, he continued serving the club from various positions, including caretaker and assistant manager.

==International career==
Sarafis had 32 caps for the [[Greece national football team|Greece national team]] between 1969 and 1977, scoring 7 goals.<ref>[https://www.rsssf.org/miscellaneous/grk-recintlp.html List of Greek internationals, rsssf.org]</ref>

==Death==
Sarafis died on 13 October 2022, at the age of 72.<ref>{{cite web|title=Rest in peace Caesar….|url=https://www.paokfc.gr/en/news/20221013-kalo-taxidi-kaisara/|date=13 October 2022|work=paokfc.gr|accessdate=10 April 2025}}</ref>

==Career statistics==
===Club career===
{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center"
|+ Career total statistics
|-
!rowspan="2"|Club
!rowspan="2"|Years
!colspan="2"|[[Super League Greece|Greek League]]
!colspan="2"|[[Greek Football Cup|Greek Cup]]
!colspan="2"|[[UEFA competitions|Europe]]{{efn|name=fn1|Includes the [[Inter-Cities Fairs Cup]] apps.}}
!colspan="2"|Career Total
|-
!Apps!!Goals!!Apps!!Goals!!Apps!!Goals!!Apps!!Goals
|-
|[[PAOK FC|PAOK]]
|1967–1981
|358||136||54||26||21||7||433||169
|}
{{notelist}}

===International career===
{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center"
|+ Apps and goals with Greece
|-
!Year!!Apps!!Goals
|-
|1969||3||0
|-
|1970||0||0
|-
|1971||3||0
|-
|1972||4||1
|-
|1973||4||1
|-
|1974||7||3
|-
|1975||4||2
|-
|1976||3||0
|-
|1977||4||0
|-
!colspan="1"|Total!!32!!7
|}

{| class="wikitable sortable"
|+ List of international goals scored by Stavros Sarafis
|-
!scope="col"|No.
!scope="col"|Date
!scope="col"|Venue
!scope="col"|Opponent
!scope="col"|Score
!scope="col"|Result
!scope="col"|Competition
|-
|align="center"|1
|{{dts|2 September 1972}}
|[[Karaiskakis Stadium]], Piraeus
|{{fb|FRA}}
|align="center"|1–1
|align="center"|1–3
|[[Friendly (association football)|Friendly]]
|-
|align="center"|2
|{{dts|31 January 1973}}
|[[Nikos Goumas Stadium]], Athens
|{{fb|BUL}}
|align="center"|1–0
|align="center"|2–2
|Friendly
|-
|align="center"|3
|{{dts|29 May 1974}}
|[[Stadionul Național (1953)|Stadionul Național]], Bucharest
|{{fb|ROM}}
|align="center"|1–1
|align="center"|1–3
|[[Balkan Cup]]
|-
|align="center"|4
|{{dts|15 November 1974}}
|Karaiskakis Stadium, Piraeus
|{{fb|CYP}}
|align="center"|2–1
|align="center"|3–1
|Friendly
|-
|align="center"|5
|{{dts|18 December 1974}}
|Karaiskakis Stadium, Piraeus
|{{fb|BUL}}
|align="center"|1–0
|align="center"|2–1
|[[UEFA Euro 1976 qualifying Group 8#Matches|UEFA Euro 1976 qualifying]]
|-
|align="center"|6
|{{dts|24 September 1975}}
|[[Kaftanzoglio Stadium]], Thessaloniki
|{{fb|ROM}}
|align="center"|1–1
|align="center"|1–1
|Balkan Cup
|-
|align="center"|7
|{{dts|30 December 1975}}
|[[Stadio Artemio Franchi|Stadio Comunale]], Florence
|{{fb|ITA}}
|align="center"|2–2
|align="center"|2–3
|Friendly
|}

==Honours==

'''PAOK'''
*[[Super League Greece|Alpha Ethniki]]: [[1975–76 Alpha Ethniki|1975–76]]
*[[Greek Football Cup|Greek Cup]]: [[1971–72 Greek Football Cup|1971–72]], [[1973–74 Greek Football Cup|1973–74]]

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

==References==
{{reflist}}

==External links== 
*{{Sports links}}

{{PAOK FC}}
{{PAOK F.C. managers}}
{{Greek Cup top scorers}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Sarafis, Stavros}}
[[Category:1950 births]]
[[Category:2022 deaths]]
[[Category:People from Thessaloniki (regional unit)]]
[[Category:Greek men's footballers]]
[[Category:Footballers from Central Macedonia]]
[[Category:Greece men's international footballers]]
[[Category:Men's association football forwards]]
[[Category:Men's association football midfielders]]
[[Category:Super League Greece players]]
[[Category:PAOK FC players]]
[[Category:Greek football managers]]
[[Category:PAOK FC managers]]
[[Category:PAOK FC non-playing staff]]
[[Category:20th-century Greek sportsmen]]