Three years after Dimitris Stamatakis’s transfer to Atlético Madrid, the Athens Goalkeepers Academy (AGA) has opened the doors of the “Rojiblancos” and Spanish football in general to another young and exceptionally talented goalkeeper!
This time, it’s 15-year-old Stamati Orphanos, a Greek-Canadian goalkeeper from Canada, who has managed to secure his move to Atlético through the evaluation and guidance process of Greece’s No. 1 Goalkeeping Academy (AGA)!
Who is who
Born in December 2009 in Ottawa, Canada, where he was raised, Stamati Orphanos started playing football at the age of 4 and chose the goalkeeper position when he was 7. Over the following years, he worked hard both with his team, Ottawa South United (OSU), and individually. In 2021, he moved to his next team, West Ottawa Soccer Club (WOSC), to compete in the Ontario Provincial Development League (OPDL).
The Contact with AGA and Evaluation in Athens
In 2023, the young athlete and his family reached out to the Head of Athens Goalkeepers Academy, Mr. Christos Lamprou, expressing their interest in joining the Academy’s training and evaluation program after first gathering all necessary information about its work and methodology: AGA Training Methodology.
Stamatis Orphanos traveled to Athens, where he underwent individual evaluation by Mr. Lamprou. In June 2023, he participated in the 12th AGA Goalkeeping Camp & Seminar, where he was successfully evaluated by three renowned guest goalkeeper coaches: José Sambade (former GK Coach for the Spanish National Team, Monaco, Fulham, Deportivo La Coruña, Beşiktaş), Pascal Formann (VfL Wolfsburg), and Arturo González (Sevilla)!
Evaluation and Move to Atlético
Thus, with the continuous guidance of AGA, the “door” to Spain was opened. In May 2024, Orphanos participated in the 21st Athens Goalkeepers Academy’s training trip abroad, which was in Madrid. There, he successfully completed the second stage of evaluation, conducted by Atlético Academy goalkeeping coaches at the club’s training center.
The third and final stage of evaluation was conducted by the “Rojiblancos” in August 2024, when he was invited and hosted at their facilities for several days to participate in their daily training program. After this period, his move from Canada to Madrid was finalized, and he will be joining Atlético’s youth teams for the upcoming 2024-25 season!
