Michael Thalassitis

DOB: 19th January 1993

Position: Striker

Season of first appearance: 2016/17

Season of last appearance: 2016/17

Full Appearances: 21

Substitute: 3

Goals: 5

Also played for:

Stevenage, Boreham Wood, Hayes & Yeading, Cambridge United, Bishop's Stortford, Ebbsfleet United, Chelmsford City, Concord Rangers, St Albans City, Hemel Hempstead Town, Welling United.

Player Profile:

Tall striker born in Edmonton, North London.

Mike signed a two-year contract with Stevenage in May 2011, having joined the club's centre of excellence ahead of the 2010-11 season.

He made his first-team debut on 27.8.11 in a 1–0 away defeat to Milton Keynes Dons, coming on as a 63rd-minute substitute.

Mike had loan spells at Boreham Wood and Hayes & Yeading United in 2011-12 before he was recalled by Stevenage in March. He made two further substitute appearances for the club during the latter stages of the season.

Mike appeared in Stevenage's first game of 2012-13, coming on as a second-half substitute in a 3–1 home win over AFC Wimbledon in the League Cup on 14.8.12. He scored his first goal for Stevenage in the following round of the same competition, a consolation strike in injury-time as the club lost 4–1 at home to Premier League side Southampton on 28.8.12.

During 2012-13, Mike had loan spells at Cambridge United, Bishop's Stortford and Boreham Wood. Ahead of 2013-14, he joined Ebbsfleet United on a season-long loan.

Mike was released by Stevenage in May 2014 and signed for Bishop's Stortford.

In October 2015, he joined National League South side Chelmsford City but left in January 2016 for Concord Rangers. Less than a month after joining Concord, he had signed for St Albans City.

In the summer of 2016, Mike joined Margate. His first goal for the club was after coming on as a sub in a 2-4 home defeat against Hampton & Richmond on 16.8.16.

He then scored in 2-0 wins against Bishop's Stortford (away, in the league) on 10.9.16 and at home to Biggleswade Town in the FA Cup a week later.

However, the financial crisis engulfing the club saw that he moved on in October to Hemel Hempstead Town. Then, in February 2017, he signed for Welling United.

But - in the final weeks of the season with Margate's relegation from National League South all but assured - Mike returned to Hartsdown.

He scored in consecutive games - a goal in the first minute of a 1-1 draw at St Albans on 8.4.17 and then in a 3-1 defeat at Weston-Super-Mare a week later.

Mike's last game for the club ended in peculiar circumstances when he was sent off during a 1-0 defeat at Oxford City on 22.4.17. Early in the second half he was booked twice by the referee within the space of 30 seconds, both times for dissent.

In total, he made 21 appearances (plus three as sub) for Margate and scored five goals.

That summer, it emerged that Mike had auditioned and won a place on the ITV2 reality series Love Island.

Manager Steve Watt admitted that Mike had not told him he was going on the show and that, as a result, he would miss Margate's pre-season preparations for 2017-18. However, he said he would welcome him back to the club if he returned.

He said: "I wouldn't say I'm fuming to be honest with you. The disappointing factor is he hasn't let me know. It's not an ideal situation for me to be in. I'd have appreciated at least a call to say he would be going on the show. You're dealing with players who've got labourers' jobs, plasterers' jobs, whatever jobs. He's seen it as an opportunity – like he says, he can't turn down."

Mike was given the nickname 'Muggy Mike' by a fellow contestant in the show.

As Mike's reality TV career grew, it became clear he would not be returning to the club and he officially retired from football in December 2017.

In March 2019, he was found dead at the age of 26 at a park in North London. On 5 June 2019, North London Coroner's Court concluded that his cause of death was suicide.

Mike had also represented Cyprus at youth level.