Apostolos Giannou confirms departure from club
Socceroos striker Apostolos Giannou has confirmed his departure Cypriot side AEK Larnaca after a two-year stint where he made 54 appearances and scored seven goals.
Giannou is now a free agent after announcing on Instagram on Friday that he will not be renewing his contract with AEK Larnaca.
His contract was set to expire in May, however his last match for the club came on the 9th of March due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
“Another chapter has come to an end after 2.5 years of service at AEK. Two and a half years of amazing wins, but with losses also,” Giannou wrote on Instagram.
The Cyprus Football Association (CFA) decided in May to end the 2019-20 season prematurely due to the CFA declaring that clubs would not be able to adequately prepare for games under protocols handed down by the government.
“I definitely didn’t want to end my time at AEK this way, but unfortunately, things don’t always go the way we want. I wish you all great health and I thank you all for everything,” he said.
The Cypriot club has finished in the top five every season since Giannou joined AEK Lanarca in the 2018 January transfer window. Giannou’s time at AEK will be most remembered for winning the 2018 Cyprus Cup.
Giannou is grateful for his time spent in Cyprus, although after three years he has deemed it is time for a fresh start.
“I would like to thank the manager of AEK for the trust that he has showed me, all of my fellow teammates, the coaches, as well as the technical team with whom I worked and those within and without the locker room,” he said.
“Lastly, I’m leaving the world of AEK that made me feel at home from the moment I started, and that was the main reason I loved this club.”
The 30-year-old striker’s last appearance for the Socceroos came in Australia’s 5-0 FIFA World Cup qualifying win over Nepal last October.
