International Career
Basinas won his first cap in a 3–1 win over El Salvador on 18 August 1999 and scored his first goal in just his second match, also against El Salvador just two days later. He has remained a part of the national team setup since his debut and has been a regular since Otto Rehhagel took over in 2001.
He was a key player in Greece's upset European Championship victory, scoring a penalty in his country's 2–1 upset win over host team Portugal in the tournament's opening game. Basinas was a vital player in the hard working midfield of the Greek team throughout the tournament. In the final, Charisteas scored the winning goal for Greece against Portugal off a corner kick by Basinas, which saw Greece win the trophy.
After Theodoros Zagorakis retired, Basinas was selected to take the captains arm band. Basinas earned his 100th cap for Greece 1 April 2009 in a FIFA World Cup 2010 qualifier against Israel. At the time, he was only the second Greek player to achieve 100 national team appearances alongside Theodoros Zagorakis.
Read more about this topic: Angelos Basinas
Famous quotes containing the word career:
“A black boxer’s career is the perfect metaphor for the career of a black male. Every day is like being in the gym, sparring with impersonal opponents as one faces the rudeness and hostility that a black male must confront in the United States, where he is the object of both fear and fascination.”
—Ishmael Reed (b. 1938)