Ex-Liverpool, Rangers, Athens defender Kyrgiakos joins Sydney Olympic

Greek veteran Sotirios Kyrgiakos has signed with National Premier League NSW club Sydney Olympic.

The 34-year old centre-back has signed on with Olympic for a two-game guest stint in a bid to raise the profile of the club.

The former Liverpool, Rangers and AEK Athens man said it was a great opportunity for him to return to a country where there is so much Greek history.

"When I met Sydney Olympic Technical Director Arthur Diles in Athens I was instantly excited by the opportunity to visit a country I briefly visited in 2006 when Greece played Australia in Melbourne, Kyrgiakos said during a media briefing.

Although just a friendly match I will never forget nearly 100,000 people at the stadium that night and the amount of support we had from the Greek Australians.

When I was briefed on the great history of (Sydney Olympic) and the formation of the Pan-Hellenic Soccer Club in 1957 by Greek migrants, I was on board.

Greeks in foreign countries have achieved so much.

I am aware of the great progress football is making in Australia, attracting star players like (Alessandro) Del Piero, (William) Gallas and (Emile) Heskey. I cannot wait to play this Sunday."

Kyrgiakos started his professional career with Athens-based Panathinaikos in 1998 before joining Scottish side Rangers in 2005 where he helped the Glasgow outfit win that seasons Scottish Premier League title.

A 2006 move to Germanys Eintracht Frankfurt followed before he returned to Greece with AEK in 2008 prior to his move to Anfield in 2009. The 61-times capped Greece international then found himself back in Germany with Wolfsburg, where he was sent for a brief loan to Sunderland, before ending his time with die Wolfe last year.

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