Greek National Team
He made his debut for the Greece national football team on 18 August 1999 against El Salvador.
He played in the qualifying rounds of the 2002 FIFA World Cup and Euro 2004 where he excelled as Greece qualified for the finals. Nikopolidis was one of the cornerstones of the Greek win in Portugal, where he kept three clean sheets in the knockout stages. He was also voted goalkeeper of the Euro 2004 All Star team.
He became team captain after the retirement of Theodoros Zagorakis.
He has featured in a World XI game in 2002, a rare honour for a Greek player.
Nikopolidis is first among all goalkeepers in the history of the national team with the most caps (90 after his retirement).
On 15 June 2008, Nikopolidis announced his retirement from international football after Euro 2008, claiming that he had made this decision before the tournament started, and also stating that it is about time for a major change in the Greek national squad.
Read more about this topic: Antonios Nikopolidis
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