Club Career
Stoltidis started out with Pontioi Kozanis FC in the fourth division before signing for Iraklis FC, where he spent eleven years. He made his Alpha Ethniki debut for the Thessaloniki-based club in December 1992 but did not become a regular until 1995/96. The following term he played UEFA Cup football for the first time. Stoltidis stood out in 2002/03 and was named the club's player of the season. In June, after 234 league matches, he left for Olympiacos CFP, signing a two-year contract. He was signed to replace Zé Elias at Olympiacos CFP.
Crucial goals against eventual champions Panathinaikos and AEK Athens in 2003/04 endeared him to supporters. Stoltidis also relished his first taste of UEFA Champions League football, scoring twice in five appearances. A regular in Dusan Bajevic's side in 2004/2005, he played 25 league matches and scored twice. He appeared in all 540 minutes of the Champions League campaign and scored the winner at home against eventual champions Liverpool FC. In the same season, he won the Alpha Ethniki as well as the Greek Cup with Olympiakos.
During the 2005/06 season, he started in the first eleven in the Greek El Clasico, Panathinaikos vs Olympiakos, and went on to score in Olympiakos' 0–2 victory. . Stoltidis finished the 2005/06 season with another Olympiakos double as well as the award for Greek Footballer of the Year. The 2007/08 season would once again prove successful for Stoltidis. One half of Takis Lemonis' defensive midfiled duo, Akis formed a strong partnership with Argentine International Cristian Raul Ledesma. Stoltidis also continued his streak of Champions League success, this time helping Olympiakos finish second and gaining entry into the Round of 16. Finishing the group stages with 3 goals and 2 assists, Stoltidis pulled off some of the most memorable performances of his career, most notably the 1–3 and 3–0 victories against Werder Bremen where Stoltidis found the back of the net three times. In 2010 he signed with Kerkyra on a one-year contract where he would finish his career a year later in 2011.
Read more about this topic: Ieroklis Stoltidis
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