Giorgos Karagounis participant in 2014 FIFA World Cup
Georgios Karagkounis (Greek: Γεώργιος Καραγκούνης; born 6 March 1977), known as Giorgos Karagounis (Greek: Γιώργος Καραγκούνης), is a Greek former professional footballer who played as a midfielder.
In his club career, Karagounis played for Panathinaikos, Apollon Smyrnis, Inter Milan, Benfica and Fulham.
At international level, Karagounis represented Greece between 1999 and 2014. He was a member of the UEFA Euro 2004-winning squad, and also represented Greece at UEFA Euro 2008, the 2010 FIFA World Cup, Euro 2012 and the 2014 World Cup. With 139 appearances, he is the most capped player in the history of the Greece national team.Qualification for 2014 FIFA World Cup and record
On 12 October 2012, Karagounis played in the second half in the match against Bosnia and Herzegovina in 2014 FIFA World Cup qualification, making the 121st appearance for his country. With this match, he set a new record of most caps for Greece, surpassing Zagorakis. He also scored a free-kick goal against the Liechtenstein national football team. Karagounis played another inspiring and energetic role throughout the qualifying campaign and helped lead to its third World Cup finals appearance. Despite the waning number of starts for the 37-year-old, his influence was still large for Greece. Greece head coach Fernando Santos, who worked with Karagounis at both Panathinaikos and Benfica, held him in high regard due to the sureness the veteran exudes. "We have confidence and know we can beat any opponent", Karagounis said during World Cup qualifying. Karagounis played the entire 120 minutes of the match between Costa Rica and Greece for the World Cup 2014, consisting of 90 minutes of regular time and 30 minutes of extra time.Karagounis retired from international football after Greece's World Cup elimination in a penalty shootout loss to Costa Rica. He left as the nation's most capped player with 139 appearances over 15 years since making his debut in 1999. Greece's goalscorer in the Costa Rica match, defender Sokratis Papastathopoulos, paid tribute to his departing leader: "He's written his own story ... he's the record holder [of caps], he's given everything for the team and had to make concessions for it... He's left us a legacy for the future. He shouldn't worry."
engaged in involved in took part in played a role in contributed to