The captain who led Greece to the 2004 European Championship title is running for election next month to the European Parliament.

Theo Zagorakis is a 42-year-old former midfielder who played 120 times for Greece before retiring in 2007. He was presented Tuesday by conservative Prime Minister Antonis Samaras on a list of 42 candidates for the center-right New Democracy party.

The party is hoping for a strong showing in the May 25 election. It faces demands from the opposition to hold early general elections after imposing unpopular austerity measures. Greek political parties frequently draft well-known athletes, actors and other celebrities to their ballots.

Greece will elect 21 members to the 766 member-parliament.

Copyright 2014 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.