Aleko Yordan

Aleko Yordan

Personal information
Full name	Alekos Iordanou
Date of birth	(1938-01-10)January 10, 1938
Place of birth	Istanbul, Turkey
Date of death	21 September 2019(2019-09-21) (aged 81)
Place of death	Kirra, Phocis, Greece
Height	1.79 m (5 ft 10 in)
Position(s)	Centre-back
Youth career
1952–1956	Prasina Poulia
Senior career*
Years	Team	Apps	(Gls)
1956–1959	Beyoğlu	16	(0)
1959–1962	Beykoz	124	(19)
1962–1969	AEK Athens	80	(3)
1970–1971	Egaleo	58	(0)
1971–1972	Koropi
Total		278	(22)
National team‡
1962	Turkey	2	(0)
1962	Turkey B	1	(0)
Teams managed
1972–1977	Fokikos (player-coach)
1981–1982	Fokikos
1983–1985	Asteras Itea (player-coach)
*Club domestic league appearances and goals, correct as of 26 August 2022 ‡ National team caps and goals, correct as of 22 January 2018

Aleko Yordan (Alekos Iordanou) (Greek: Αλέκος Ιορδάνου; 10 January 1938 – 21 September 2019) was a Turkish international football player who played as a defender and a later manager.

Club career

Yordan from a very young age he showed his talent and played football in Prasina Poulia where he was noticed by Kleanthis Maropoulos, who also played in the Messinian team. Only at the age of 17 was he transferred to the Beyoğlu. He signed a professional contract with Beykoz in the newly founded Turkish Süper Lig. He remained in Beykoz for three seasons, until he was called to Greece to play for AEK Athens, the continuation of Pera Club for the old ones Constantinopolitans. At the same time, he had very tempting offers from Fenerbahçe and Galatasaray, but the only thing in the mind of the Yordan was returning to Greece to wear the yellow-black. He agreed to sign for AEK in 1962 despite the ban from the HFF, as at that time it was forbidden for a professional footballer to compete in the first division, he was forced to wait for the appeals and legal battles to end. It was once again Maropoulos who did everything possible for this great footballer to play in the team. Yordan adapted immediately, put in some terrific performances at AEK, attracted the interest of Bayern Munich, which asked AEK for signing him. AEK's demands were exorbitant, they rejected the Germans twice and it did the same with Beşiktaş in 1965. Yordan did not want to return to Turkey, in 1968 he again refused the transfer to Beşiktaş, even though he was already 30 years old and wanted to continue at AEK. With AEK, being one of their key players, he won 2 Championships. 2 Greek Cups and was a member of the squad that reached the Balkans Cup final in 1967, as well as the Quarter-finals of the European Cup in 1969.

He left at the behest of Branko Stanković in the summer of 1970 as part of the Yugoslavian manager's radical overhaul, moving at the age of 32 to the Egaleo side, which he led to a stunning 4th place finish in the 1971 league. He ended his huge career with the complaint that he did not play for Greece, playing in the lower divisions of Greece.

International career

Yordan was called up to the Turkey at the age of 18, where he played 3 times, despite the hostile atmosphere and the stares from his teammates. The Italian coach of the Turks, however, did not listen to anything and wanted the Greek in the team at all costs alongside Lefter Küçükandonyadis.

Managerial career

Yordan took over as player-coach of Fokikos, where he won three local cups. He then took over as coach of Asteras Itea, where he had settled permanently, even after the end of his football career.

Personal life

After Yordan retired from football, he lived in Itea, Phocis with his family. He had a son named Diamantis, who was also a footballer. On 21 September 2019, he died after a long battle with cancer.

Honours

AEK Athens

• Alpha Ethniki: 1962–63, 1967–68
• Greek Cup: 1955–56, 1963–64, 1965–66

Fokikos

• Phthiotis FCA League: 1973–74, 1975–76
• Phthiotis FCA Cup: 1974–75, 1975–76, 1976–77

External links

• Aleko Yordan at Mackolik.com (in Turkish)
• Aleko Yordan at the Turkish Football Federation
• AEK Profile