His goal against Middlesbrough at the Riverside Stadium on September 8th put him level with former Belgian international Philippe Albert. And his follow-up strike against Manchester United a week later took him beyond all rivals to 13.

"I am very proud to have set this record", said Nikos when informed of his feat. "Scoring goals is the meaning of football, and it is triple joy for a defender to wen he scores!"

The fact that Nikos 13 have come in three and a half years since he came to Newcastle from Olympiakos (including three in three consecutive games in 1999-2000) and that last season was a virtual write off through injury make the achievement all the more remarkable.

He says: "At my first professional club in Greece Pontii Verias, I scored maybe ten times in three years. Then after I joined Olympiakos in 1994, I played for three-and-a-half years and scored maybe ten times again."

"When you think that last season was a dead season for me, for I only played eight times, then it is a very good goals record for me with Newcastle. I used to get forward in Greece as much as I do in England, and I love scoring goals, but perhaps the service is better in England. You also need a little bit of luck, and to the have the knack of being in the right place at the right moment."

"Obviously that is something that strikers know better than me, but sometimes when I am in front of goal I know how a centre-half will react and be one step ahead of him. That is an advantage I have."

"But we centre-halves, are not entertainers. We are not meant to be going forward scoring goals. So that is why we get so much extra pleasure out of scoring!" Nikos' pleasure at scoring our third in the 4-3 victory over Manchester United was apparent to all as he whipped off his shirt and waved it above his head. But he jokes: "I did not do what Temuri did... for I might never have got it back from the crowd."

Official Matchday Programme