In a touching atmosphere, students, teachers, friends, and famous footballers gathered to honor teacher and coach Sofoulis Stylianou a day before Christmas. He made a lasting impact on both the school and Cypriot football.
During the event at Apostolos Markos High School in Nicosia, footballers shared personal stories and memories of working with Sofoulis. Students and teachers paid tribute, highlighting how he influenced their lives. The heartfelt moments showed the light he brought into their lives.
Sofoulis Stylianou was part of the National Futsal, Youth, and Hope teams, greatly helping develop teams and players. A highlight was during the 2004 European U-21 Championship qualifiers when the National Hope team, under his guidance, finished second in their group with 15 points, just behind France.
Besides football, he dedicated years to education as a Physical Education teacher and later retired as an inspector of Physical Education. He stayed active by sharing his knowledge with lower league teams and rural areas. He was also the brother of Athos Stylianou, the National Futsal team coach.
The event featured well-known veteran footballers like Koulis Mitsingas, who said his career was supported by opportunities from Sofoulis. Nektarios Alexandrou shared that “knowing his children shows how successful he was as a person.” Meanwhile, Kostas Charalambides noted that Sofoulis can be described with a word that doesn’t translate: “levendia.”
