Giannis Samaras (Greek: Γιάννης Σαμαράς; born 3 May 1961) is a former footballer who played as a midfielder during the 1980s and 1990s.
Samaras was born in Melbourne, Australia, to Greek parents who moved there at an early age.
His father, Georgios, was a co-founder of South Melbourne FC, an Australian soccer club with strong ties to the Greek community and is Australia's most successful Football side.
[2] Ioannis began his football career in 1980 with Vyzas F.C., but before long he had attracted the attention of several bigger teams and he signed for OFI in the summer of 1984.
In 1988, Samaras made a guest appearance for South Melbourne Hellas (30 years after his father helped establish the club) and scored a goal as South Melbourne defeated Sydney Olympic 2-1 at Middle Park.