Nikolaos Dabizas spent five years at Newcastle United and played in two major cup finals before leaving in 2003.
The Greek centre-back was part of Sir Bobby Robson’s title-chasing Newcastle United team in the early 2000s.
Signed from Olympiacos in 1998 for a £2million fee, Dabizas went on to make 130 senior appearances for Newcastle United.
The now 51-year-old has returned to Greece and enjoyed two stints as sporting director at Panathinaikos, but he often looks back at his playing years at St James’ Park.
From the heights of scoring at the Stadium of Light in a 1-0 win over Sunderland in 2002 to the lows of losing successive FA Cup finals in 1998 and 1999.
But perhaps Dabizas’ most re-watched moment in a black and white shirt is when he was left looking foolish by Arsenal’s Dennis Bergkamp.
Nikos Dabizas comments on ‘special’ Dennis Bergkamp moment
Exactly 23 years ago today, Dabizas lined up for Newcastle against Arsenal at St James’ Park with the Magpies in pursuit of the Premier League title.
However, the Gunners dented Newcastle’s title hopes with a 2-0 win on Tyneside, and Dennis Bergkamp scored a goal that has recently been voted as the most iconic in Premier League history.
Looking back on that moment, Dabizas insists he is not embarrassed at all, as it has made him someone “recognised all over the world”.
As quoted by AllFootball, Dabizas said: “We were going for the title under Sir Bobby Robson and were second in the Premier League.
“But if you remove yourself from that inside story, and you think that the goal will be remembered as the best of the Premier League, then I will say it is worth more to let him go.
“I will explain. First of all, I am very proud to be part of it. It was the act of a football genius. I was not humiliated, I was part of something which relied on a great football mind.
“I am recognised all over the world for that goal. Sadly, I’m not the main actor, I’m the supporting cast.
“But this kind of action makes football so special. Why should I feel embarrassed? I held my hands up. Other than clatter him, I could not do anything more.”
Nikos Dabizas’ time at Newcastle United
Dabizas came excruciatingly close to winning silverware at Newcastle under Sir Bobby Robson during his five years at the club.
Dabizas spoke extremely highly of Robson after his retirement, saying: “He was a very special person, charismatic in what he did, something that was reflected in his work.”
He has always kept a close eye on Newcastle’s progress since leaving the club, with Dabizas campaigning for Alan Shearer to become manager in 2009, suggesting it would be a “lunatic” move to ignore him.
Looking back on his time at Newcastle, Dabizas has confirmed that he still has photos of him celebrating his goal against Sunderland.
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“Newcastle fans who were 12 years old come up to me now and say they were there with their dad and it was the best feeling in the world.
“I have a huge picture at home in Athens of the celebration. I see myself half naked every morning, my top off, my team-mates on my back and the emotion on my face. The feeling remains the same every time I see it, it is that strong.”
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