George Koumantarakis

Date of birth27 March 1974
Place of birthAthens
NationalitySouth African
Weight84 kg
Height1.93 m
PositionForward

Koumantarakis was born in Greece but holds dual citizenship and chose to play for his adopted home. He began at Manning Rangers in South Africa before moving to Switzerland, first to plat for Servette before signing for current club FC Basel in 1999. He became an instant hit as a target man. He made his international debut whilse still playing in South Africa in 1997 but was overlooked for a long period, being recalled for the 2000 American tour. He again was overlooked for two years following a defeat by Mexico on the tour but because of the injury to Shaun Bartlett was recalled into the squad despite playing no part in qualification.

He is a tall target man and demonstrated his desire to play in the Finals when he missed the recent Swiss Cup Final so he could train with the squad. He will be used here as the team is very lightweight up front.

After a successful loan spell, Koumantarakis joined Preston North End in July 2003 on a one-year contract.

Club history

Team Joined Left Loan / Trialist
FC Basel 01 Jan 2000 30 Jun 2003
Preston North End 24 Jan 2003 04 May 2003 L
Preston North End 03 Jul 2003 30 Jun 2004

Club stats

Season Team Competition Apps Subs Goals Y R
2000-01 FC Basel UEFA Cup 4
2001-02 FC Basel UEFA Intertoto Cup 1
2002-03 FC Basel UEFA Champions League
2
2002-03 Preston North End League Division 1 10
3
2003-04 Preston North End FA Cup 2
1
2003-04 Preston North End League Division 1 1
6
1


Please note: Career stats are based on performances in the Premier and Football Leagues and (in most cases all) internationals.

Club matches

Date Match Result Competition Round
12 Sep 2000 FC Basel v Brann Bergen W 3-2 UEFA Cup 1st round 1st leg
28 Sep 2000 Brann Bergen v FC Basel D 4-4
Agg: 6-7 		UEFA Cup 1st round 2nd leg
26 Oct 2000 FC Basel v Feyenoord L 1-2 UEFA Cup 2nd round 1st leg
09 Nov 2000 Feyenoord v FC Basel L 1-0
Agg: 3-1 		UEFA Cup 2nd round 2nd leg
21 Aug 2001 Aston Villa v FC Basel L 4-1
Agg: 5-2 		Intertoto Cup Final 2nd leg
22 Oct 2002 FC Basel v Valencia D 0-0 UEFA Champions League Group B
12 Nov 2002 FC Basel v Liverpool D 3-3 UEFA Champions League Group B


Please note: Match history is complete for the Premier and Football Leagues and (in most cases all) internationals.

International stats

Season Team Competition Apps Subs Goals Y R
1995-96 South Africa O v Under-23 2
1
1996-97 South Africa FIFA World Cup
1
1996-97 South Africa International Friendly 1
1999-00 South Africa US Nike Cup 1
1
2001-02 South Africa FIFA World Cup
3
2001-02 South Africa International Friendly
1
2001-02 South Africa Reunification Cup 1
1
1
2003-04 South Africa FIFA World Cup 1


Please note: Career stats are based on performances in the Premier and Football Leagues and (in most cases all) internationals.

International matches

Date Match Result Competition Round
22 Jun 1996 USA v South Africa D 2-2 O v U23
24 Jun 1996 USA v South Africa L 2-0 O v U23
06 Apr 1997 Congo v South Africa L 2-0 FIFA World Cup Africa 2nd round group 3
04 Jun 1997 South Africa v Netherlands L 0-2 International Friendly
03 Jun 2000 USA v South Africa L 4-0 US NIKE CUP
07 Jun 2000 Mexico v South Africa L 4-2 US NIKE CUP
12 May 2002 South Africa v Madagascar W 1-0 International Friendly
20 May 2002 South Africa v Scotland W 2-0 REUNIFICATION CUP
23 May 2002 Turkey v South Africa W 0-2 REUNIFICATION CUP
02 Jun 2002 Paraguay v South Africa D 2-2 FIFA World Cup Finals Group B
08 Jun 2002 South Africa v Slovenia W 1-0 FIFA World Cup Finals Group B
12 Jun 2002 South Africa v Spain L 2-3 FIFA World Cup Finals Group B
20 Jun 2004 Ghana v South Africa L 3-0 FIFA World Cup Africa group 2


Please note: Match history is complete for the Premier and Football Leagues and (in most cases all) internationals.