Giorgos Karagounis to work with Claudio Ranieri in Greek team

Athens: Recently retired Greece international captain Giorgos Karagounis was handed a new role on Friday where he is set to work alongside coach Claudio Ranieri, the Greek football federation said.

The board of directors of the federation "unanimously approved the recommendation of President Giorgos Sarris for the awarding of a two-year contract" with Karagounis, the federation announcement said.

Greek media reports said Karagounis will most likely be a technical assistant to Ranieri, helping to bridge any communication gap between the players he knows well and the new coach.

Karagounis, 37, retired as a player following Greece`s last-16 defeat by Costa Rica in the World Cup after having earned a record 139 caps.

He last played on a club level with Fulham last season and before that had successful stints with Panathinaikos, Benfica, Internazionale and Apollon Athens.

The highlight of his career was being a member of the Euro 2004 championship team.