Chris Kalantzis

NSL Career: Sydney Olympic 138 (36) / 1983 - 1999/00

Socceroos Career: 7 (1) A Internationals / 8 (0) B Internationals

In the first national football league in Australia, there were many prodigious talents - some had long and prosperous careers in Australia which led to many Socceroos appearances while some forged successful careers overseas. Chris Kalantzis was an excitement machine in the classy Sydney Olympic team of the mid 1980s. Tall, technical and incredibly quick - Kalantzis was an attack-minded player who played most of his football on the left side of the pitch and created chances every time he played.

Kalantzis began his junior career at Bellmore Eagles before joining Sydney Olympic, where he became the fourth-youngest NSL debutant (ninth all-time) after starting in Sydney Olympic's two-one loss to St. George at the age of 15 years and 292 days. The young midfielder played in the first leg of Olympic's two-legged 1983 NSL Cup Final victory against Heidelberg and made seven league appearances in his first season before becoming a regular under coach Manfred Schaefer during the 1984 season.

The exciting Kalantzis scored nine goals in 23 league games (including finals), including a goal in Olympic's Southern Conference Preliminary Final. Kalantzis found team mate Nick Theodorakopoulos with a pinpoint cross, after a brilliant build-up play by Olympic, to give the side a glimmer of hope in the second leg of the grand final against South Melbourne (Olympic lost four-two on aggregate).

Kalantzis continued to impress in 1985, helping the club reach the finals series and the NSL Cup Final, but went to Russia to represent Australia at the 1985 FIFA World Youth Championship and missed out on Olympic's NSL Cup Final victory over Preston and Northern Conference Minor Semi-Final loss to Marconi. In 1986, the 19 year old began to mature physically, missing just one game during the regular season.

In the Northern Conference Final, Kalantzis claimed a secondary assist for Marshall Soper's equaliser, before scoring a brilliant solo goal in the second half of extra time to take Olympic in to the grand final. In the first leg of the grand final, Kalantzis smashed in a shot from a Vicente Estavillo cross that was kicked over the line by team mate Tony Dakos, giving Olympic a one-nil lead going in to the second leg where Adelaide City turned the tide to win the championship-decider three-two on aggregate.

Kalantzis became the then 10th youngest Socceroos A debutant at 19 years and seven days and was a regular in both the A and B teams during 1986 and early 1987. As his star began to rise, Kalantzis received offers from Greek clubs Olympiacos, AEK Athens and Panathinaikos during the 1987 season. Following Sydney Olympic's two-all draw with South Melbourne in round 13, Kalantzis smashed the Australian transfer record by signing for Panathinaikos for $200,000, where he joined South Australian midfielder Lou Hristodoulou.

Despite his strong Greek heritage, Kalantzis was known as "Kαγκουρώ" (Kangaroo) and developed quickly by using his athleticism to his advantage. Kalantzis was a key player for Panathinaikos over five and a half seasons, winning back-to-back championships in 1990 and 1991 and won three Greek Cups, including two assists in the first leg of the 1991 cup final from his powerful wing play. 

Kalantzis also represented Panathinaikos in both the European Cup and UEFA Cup, playing his first European match in the first leg of Panathinaikos's quarter-final against Belgium's Club Brugge in the 1987/88 UEFA Cup. In December of 1992, Kalantzis became one of the few players in history to dare switch between fierce rivals Panathinaikos and Olympiacos and played in the derby in his debut for Olympiacos.

During the 1993/94 season, Kalantzis scored one of the most memorable derby goals in history, scoring a scissor kick in Olympiacos's two-one victory over Panathinaikos. Kalantzis remained at Olympiacos until the 1996/97 season, where he made a single appearance in Olympiacos's championship-winning season. With the NSL going through a mass player drain to overseas competitions, Kalantzis returned to Sydney Olympic where his experience played a pivotal role in the development of Olympic's young talent such as Nick Carle and Brett Emerton.

Kalantzis remained with Olympic until the 1999/00 season where he helped the club reach the finals series for the first time since the 1995/96 season, but played his last game in Olympics' round 29 draw with Canberra Cosmos. Kalantzis left Olympic at the end of the season to join NSW Super League side St. George where he hung up his boots at the age of 33.