Who Is Sotirios Kyrgiakos?

Liverpool were previously linked with Michael Turner, Steven Taylor, and Sylvain Distin to replace Sami Hyypia who left at the end of last season.

However, Rafa Benitez was left with a limited budget after the signings of Glen Johnson and Alberto Aquilani. Hence, the Reds agreed a deal with AEK Athens to bring veteran Sotirios Kyrgiakos to Anfield.

Daniel Agger is still sidelined with a back injury and Martin Skrtel's injury against Tottenham looked like a serious one. The injuries in the department acted as a catalyst for Rafa Benitez to sign an additional defender.

Young Daniel Ayala started alongside Jamie Carragher against Stoke City yesterday.

The Greek international is set to undergo a medical examination at Melwood before the weekend.

So who is Sotirios Kyrgiakos?

Sotirios Kyrgiakos was born on July 23, 1979 in Trikala, Greece. He started his footballing career with Thyella Megalochoriou at a young age. Kyrgiakos then moved to Panathinaikos football academy ahead of the 1996-97 season.

He was loaned to Agios Nikolaos in 1999 for a two-season deal. He became a regular there, making over 50 appearances, scoring three goals in the process.

He returned to Panathinaikos and helped them to a domestic double (Greek League and Greek Cup) in 2004.

In January 2004, Kyrgiakos was loaned to Scottish giants Rangers with a view to permanent move at the end of season. He added the Scottish Premier League and League Cup medals to his belt in 2005 before seeing out his contract in summer 2006.

Kyrgiakos then signed a two-year deal with Bundesliga side Eintracht Frankfurt in June 2006. He was a fan favourite as he scored many crucial goals that helped them avoid relegation. He played over 50 games and netted eight times before his contract expired in summer 2008.

Kyrgiakos finally moved back to Greece last summer after signing a five-year deal with AEK Athens. After one season, Kyrgiakos is set to relish new challenge in the English Premiership and the Champions League with Liverpool.

Kyrgiakos made his international debut on February 23, 2002 against Sweden and his first international goal came against Norway exactly one year later. However, he missed the Euro 2004 victory due to injury.

He has made 50 appearances for Greece thus far, scoring four times.

His addition to Liverpool squad will definitely bring a wealth of experience to the defensive unit, enabling the likes of Martin Kelly and Daniel Ayala to develop into better defenders.