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Ioannis Limniatis
	Limniatis in 2008
Personal information
Date of birth	24 June 1967 (age 57)
Place of birth	Athens, Greece
Height	6 ft 0 in (1.83 m)
Position(s)	Midfielder
Senior career*
Years	Team
1987–1988	Ottawa Pioneers/Intrepid
1988–1992	Aris Thessaloniki
1992–1993	Panetolikos
1993–1998	Montreal Impact
1999	Charleston Battery
2000–2001	Montreal Impact
Total
International career
1987–1997	Canada
Managerial career
2008–2009	Montreal Impact
	*Club domestic league appearances and goals

Ioannis "John" Limniatis (Greek: Ιωάννης "Τζον" Λημνιάτης; born 24 June 1967) is a retired professional soccer player who played as a midfielder. He captained and later became the head coach of the Montreal Impact. Born in Greece, he made 44 appearances scoring one goal for the Canada national team.

Club career

Before migrating to Canada with his family, Limniatis in 1977, used to train with the players of Greek Third Division side Ilisiakos in the 1970s, taking shots at legendary Greek goalkeeper Nikos Sarganis.^[1]

After beginning his pro career in 1987 with the Ottawa Pioneers of the Canadian Soccer League, he became the first ever Canadian to be sold to a European first division team. He was transferred for a fee of $50.000. Limniatis played professionally in Greece with First Division side Aris Thessaloniki from 1988 to 1992 and Panetolikos in the Second Division from 1992 to 1993. He then joined the Montreal Impact in the summer of 1993 and remained with the club until 1998. After a brief spell in the United States on loan with Charleston Battery, Limniatis returned to the Impact playing 24 more games in the 2000–01 season. Liminatis played both outdoors in the A-League and indoors in the National Professional Soccer League both with the Impact and the Kansas City Attack in 1995–96.

Limniatis was named 1994 A-League Rookie of the Year and 1996 and '97 Defender of the Year.

He's a member of both the Canadian & the Quebec Soccer Hall of Fame, inducted in 2009.

He is also the 1st and only soccer person so far to be inducted in the Quebec Sports Hall of Fame (Pantheon des sports du Quebec), inducted in 2012.

International career

Limniatis made his debut for Canada in a September 1987 friendly match against El Salvador, He earned a total of 44 caps, scoring 1 goal. He has represented Canada in 8 FIFA World Cup qualification matches^[2] in three unsuccessful World Cup qualifying campaigns.

His final international game was a March 1997 World Cup qualification match against the United States.

Coaching career

Limniatis spent his last years with the Impact as their assistant coach, indoor head coach, and later director of operations. He was coach for the Montreal Impact until Marc Dos Santos was named as interim head coach following Limniatis' termination by the Impact board.^[3]

Personal life

Limniatis's hometown is Laval, Quebec, Limniatis has two daughters, Alexia and Nikki. His cousin, Giorgos Limniatis, is a former professional basketball player who played in Greece.