Georgios Samaras, born on 21 February 1985 in Greece, was a football forward, primarily playing as a striker. Standing tall at 6 foot 3 inches and weighing 12 stone 12 pounds, he had an imposing build for a footballer. Samaras embarked on his professional career with SC Heerenveen in the Dutch Eredivisie in 2002, where he would stay until January 2006, making 88 appearances and scoring 25 goals.
In 2006, Samaras ventured to the Premier League, signing for Manchester City for a sum of £6m. However, he experienced difficulty in finding his feet in English football, managing only eight goals in his 55 appearances over two years.
A loan spell to Celtic in Scotland during the winter of 2008 provided a change in fortunes for Samaras. He found the back of the net six times in 16 appearances, prompting Celtic to make his loan deal permanent for a fee of approximately £2m.
Samaras spent six years at Celtic, becoming a mainstay in the team. With 174 appearances and 53 goals in total, his time in Scotland was notable. Among his striking moments were his 15 goals in the 2009 season and the seven he scored in his final season, 2013.
After leaving Celtic in 2014, Samaras' career took him to clubs in England, Saudi Arabia, the United States, Spain, and Turkey. He joined West Bromwich Albion in the Championship, briefly played on loan to Al-Hilal in Saudi Arabia, consequently bouncing back to West Bromwich Albion. Samaras later joined Rayo OKC in the USA, Real Zaragoza in Spain, and finally Samsunspor in Turkey.
