Olympiacos Top XI Of All Time

    As I was scrolling through Twitter recently, I noticed a post by the Hellas Football Podcast that called upon its audience to choose the eleven best players that have participated in the Greek Super League this last decade. Wanting to take things a step further, I realized that I've been following my favorite club, Olympiacos, for well over 20 years now -ever since we made that grand journey all the way to the Champions League quarter finals, damn you Conte!- and I could make a top eleven list of my own. Only this list won't be limited to this last decade. It will be of all time! Well, at least of all the time I've been with the team. I can't exactly write about players that I've never seen play and I don't think it's fair to talk about players that might have a great reputation and I may have seen them in black-and-white videos, but I never got to experience them play live. Kind of like the current comparison between Pele and Messi/Cristiano Ronaldo. They can't be compared because there aren't many people that experienced them both playing. Different eras. But I digress.

   So my Olympiacos Best XI Players Of All Time (or post-1998-99) is:

Goalkeeper - Roberto Jimenez Gago: I'm quite sure that if there are any West Ham United fans bumping into this blog, they're probably laughing their hearts out right about now, but believe me when I say that during his tenure at Piraeus this guy seemed unstoppable. I don't know if it was the nice weather, the good food, the people or whatnot, but his performances were on a completely other level! We've had some great goalkeepers at Olympiacos, but this Spaniard provided his defense with some real security. More specifically, his performances against his former club Atletico, or those against Juventus, PSG, Anderlecht and Benfica come to mind when speaking about this friendly giant. It wasn't just his incredible saves. He was also very stable and commanding under the goal, his presence could truly be felt by everyone in the team and they knew that any possible mistake would immediately be corrected by him.

Honorable mentions: Antonis Nikopolidis, Roy Carroll, Dimitris Eleftheropoulos, Jose Sa

Left Back - Grigoris Georgatos: The team has had their fair share of quality players on the left side of defense, yet it seems they're all trying to live up to the standard of this former legend. One of the few players in the world during that time that could even be compared with the greatest player of all time in that position, Brazilian Roberto Carlos, Georgatos would run up and down the pitch with seemingly unlimited energy. He was a skilled defender but where he truly shone was in the opponent's half of the pitch, using his left foot to deliver pinpoint crosses that very usually found their mark and would create a threat for opposing goalkeepers. The ease with which he would dribble past opposing midfielders and right-backs was a sight to behold and after going all the way to the Champions League quarterfinals with Olympiacos, it was no coincidence that a team the size of Inter Milan would come calling for him. Even there, Georgatos continued to stand out, providing valuable assists to strikers such as Cristian Vieri, Ivan Zamorano or even Ronaldo, making their life a whole lot easier. 

Honorable mentions: Kostas Tsimikas, Raul Bravo

Right Back - Vasilis Torosidis: The position of right defender is not really one in which Olympiacos have had what you would call truly high quality players, but there were some exceptionally hard workers who were committed to the team. None among them signifies this better than Vasilis Torosidis. A player that came from the Xanthi academy in Thrace to eventually become Olympiacos captain and eventually the club's team leader, "El Toro" as he is known demonstrated incredible fighting spirit on the pitch and gave his all so that the team could go as far as they could. A player of many layers, he would be just as comfortable playing in the right side of defense as he would in the heart of midfield, organizing play. He was one of those players that coaches love to have on hand as he always makes their lives that much easier. But just because he was a defender, that doesn't mean he didn't know how to score goals. In fact, Torosidis has scored some of the most influential goals in the history of both Olympiacos and the Greek national team. He was deadly with both his right foot and his head from set pieces, as he knew how to position himself within the opponent's defense. A true great.

Honorable mentions: Christos Patsatzoglou, Dimitris Mavrogenidis, Omar Elabdellaoui

Center Back (1) - Olaf Mellberg: Just as it is with Georgatos in the position of left back, so is it with Olaf Mellberg in the heart of defense. No player has been as calm, clinical or influential in keeping the Olympiacos back line under control as the former Swede international. It was as if his mere presence terrorized opposition attackers. And how wouldn't it? He had spent over eight years in the Premier League and another three at Italian champions Juventus before moving to Piraeus. Not to mention participating in more than a few professional tournaments with his national team. Strong defense was his middle name and he cleaned up with very little effort for the red-and-whites, especially in the Greek League. Alongside Avraam Papadopoulos and Ivan Marcano, they made a solid defensive line up that even some of the toughest European frontlines had issues breaking down. Even to this day, Olympiacos fans have made a bit of a legend out of Mellberg's name as no defender can seem to live up to the impossibly high standard left by the humble Swede.

Center Back (2) - Gabriel Schurrer: Not many Olympiacos fans may remember Gabriel Schurrer. They may go for the more closer to home Manolas, Siovas, or even Karataidis, Anatolakis or Papadopoulos. There was even the great Eric Abidal for a short while. Yet Gabriel Schurrer was within one of the best teams in Olympiacos history. Joining the club during the same transfer period as the great Rivaldo, Schurrer was a highly experienced defender that came from Spanish giants Deportivo La Coruna (they may be in the second division now but back then they were championship competitors) in order to close down any holes in the heart of defense. And he did that with great success. Even though his partner was a much older Giorgos Anatolakis (in his early 30's), Schurrer was able to go up against some of the strongest forwards in Europe (such as Saviola, Morientes, Pauleta, Baros, etc.) and still come out on top. It was his efforts that kept the team's net unviolated for all of their three home games in the 2004-2005 season in the Champions League. An underappreciated player.

Honorable mentions: Kostas Manolas, Dimitris Siovas, Ruben Semedo

Defensive Midfielder (1) - Yaya Toure: This guy came literally out of nowhere to become one of the best players in the world in his position. I can still remember seeing him during a pre-season friendly match in Valencia where he literally took on the entire home side defense on his own to set up Haruna Babangida twice, only for the Nigerian winger to walk away with the "Man Of The Match" award. Back then, all eyes were on Babangida. No one truly understood the true value of Toure. All we knew was that he was Kolo's younger brother. But as the days went on, as he played next to Rivaldo and proved himself even more valuable for the team than the Brazilian former Ballon d'Or winner, the more everyone would come to realize that this isn't just your run-of-the-mill defensive midfielder we're looking at here. This is something truly special. The way he would just charge in towards the opposition defense, using his wide step as a way to get away from opponents, the unpredictability of his passes, the clever way he would set up his teammates, this guy was unstoppable. It wouldn't take long for Olympiacos fans to realize that the boundaries of Greece are just too small for a player of his talents and they would soon need to say their farewells to him. Unfortunately, besides Rivaldo, Djordjevic (who were at the twilight years of their careers) and Nery Castillo, there wasn't really anyone else to support the team back then and so Yaya's efforts were largely unrewarded until the day he made his move to AS Monaco.

Defensive Midfielder (2) - Guillherme: I could've just as easily given this spot to Christian Karembeu, considering he was a European and World Champion before he even moved to Pireaus, but I feel that Guillherme accomplished more with the club, at least on the European front. Yet another Latin American to join the team from Deportivo La Coruna - only this time from Brazil - Guillherme was a calm and collected type of player that would organize the attack from the back. He wasn't as attacking minded as the aforementioned Yaya Toure, but he did possess the necessary creativity to make a dangerous situation with a single long pass from behind. He also rarely missed the target with his passes, he knew how to weigh his long distance volleys. His run against the Wolverhampton Wanderers but also his magnificent shot against AC Milan will forever remain in the annals of Olympiacos history. He was passionate when he needed to be, but usually a very controlled player that put the team on top of his own self. His recent departure to the Emirates left a massive hole in the Olympiacos midfield, but one that thankfully Frenchman Yann M' Vila has been able to fill more than adequately.

Honorable mentions: Christian Karembeu, Moedim Ze Elias, Dudu Cearense

Attacking Midfielder - Rivaldo: Not much to say about the guy. If you don't know who he is, you should just go to YouTube and check him out. Go on, right now. You done? Good! Now you know that we're talking about a former Barcelona and AC Milan legend, one of the players that will see his name in the record books alongside those of the late Diego Maradona, Pele, Yohann Cruyff, Gary Lineker, George Best, Zico and all those other people that made the sport what it is today. No one ever really believed that this sort of player could come to Greece for any other reason than a simple vacation. It all started as a joke... During the celebrations for the seventh consecutive championship by the team that were held at the port of Piraeus, a group of over 100,000 people chanted towards then president of the club, Sokratis Kokkalis: "Please bring Rivaldo to Olympiacos!" After all, he was known as a big spender that had a knack for bringing well-known international players to the club (Giovanni and Karembeu most notable among them.) But no one thought he would be crazy enough to pull this off. And yet a few weeks later, there he was, landing besides his latest signing and 2002 World Cup winner Rivaldo at an airport full of over 10,000 overjoyed Olympiacos fanatics. With the scenes that unfolded, you would've thought that their team had just won the Champions League or something. It was truly out of this world, leaving even the Brazilian at a loss for words. But what's even more crazy is that this player wore the Olympiacos jersey for two whole seasons. That would be like if Messi joined the club today. Could you imagine?

Honorable mentions: Ariel Ibagaza, Alejandro "Chori" Domingez, Kostas Fortounis

Left Winger - Predrag Djordjevic: I swear, after watching him play for all those years, I could never understand what it was that made Djordjevic such an important player for Olympiacos. He didn't have the speed or dribbling skills of Georgatos. He didn't possess a knack for passing like Yaya Toure. He didn't have a passion like Stelios Giannakopoulos or Torosidis. He wasn't any good with his head. So what was it then? For what reason did all Olympiacos coaches choose to give this player a position in the starting lineup before even players of the quality of Giovanni, Rivaldo, Karembeu or Castillo? Well, the answer to that ended up being fairly simple: he was the team's leader. He was always that player the ball would go to in a difficult situation. He was always the one his teammates would seek out to start a counter attack or to create a dangerous situation from the left. He would be the one to step up for all the set pieces and dead ball situations. He had the confidence to take on all the challenges inside the pitch. Even when all those other highly experienced players joined the club, the coach (no matter who that may have been at the time) would always make sure it was well known that the leader here is Djordjevic. He scored so many crucial goals for the club and set up so many others, it would be hard for him not to be the team's leader. Additionally, when he was approached by a few high profile clubs from top tier European leagues (rumor has it that Juventus offered him a contract) he turned them all down, choosing instead to seek European glory with the red-and-whites. They owed it to him to keep him as their top player, no matter who else they signed. Because Djordjevic signified a whole lot more than the simple skill on the pitch. He was the personification of faith and dedication towards the club. Which is why he will always be the Olympiacos captain.

Honorable mentions: Joel Campbell, Nery Castillo, Sebastian Leto

Right Winger - Stelios Giannakopoulos: He may not be the most talented or skillful winger out there, but not many can say they have the persistence or have left their mark in the history books of the club as this Euro 2004 winner. A transfer from Panetolikos during the 1996-97 period, Giannakopoulos didn't really seem like much to look at initially, but through his hard work and dedication he fought his way to the first team and managed to score what is considered to this day one of the greatest goals in Champions League history in his competition debut against FC Porto. But he did not stop there. The following season Giannakopoulos continued to score for his club, helping them find success both domestically and internationally as they made their way to quarterfinals of the Champions League. Stelios was featured in most matches within the starting lineup, while he managed to score the crucial equalizer in Zagreb against Croatia that helped his club advance from the group stage in what was only their second participation! Giannakopoulos' knack for scoring crucial goals is what truly separates him from the other players on this list as it was his shot that gave Greece a shock away win against Spain in Zaragoza back in 2003, in what would prove to be the team's turning point in their journey to win the Euro of 2004. Olympiacos may have had better right wingers, but none have had the "golden touch" of crazy "Stelaras".

Honorable mentions: Luciano Galletti, Daniel Podence, Matthieu Valbuena

Striker - Giovanni: There can really be no one else. He didn't have the scoring proficiency of Mitroglou, Alexandris or El Arabi, nor was he as fast as Choutos or Okkas. He might not even had the strength of Lua Lua or Konstantinou. Some might even argue that he wasn't even a real forward. Like his former coach at Barcelona, Luis Van Gaal, that used to place him in the position of right midfielder. But when it comes to Giovanni, none of that matters. When you watched him play, you were simply mesmerized by the simplicity with which he would perform even the most complex maneuvers with the ball. For a few moments, both fans and opponents would become one in order to see what he was going to come up with next. It was like the whole pitch was his canvas and the ball was his pencil (that part's stolen, I didn't make it up!) For real though, over the five years that he played in the Greek League it was as if his presence alone increased its overall quality. People would tune in to watch the games just to see what crazy stunt he would come up with. I remember going to a Greek Cup game against Iraklis when I was young and seeing Giovanni score two of the most magnificent goals you could ever see. Eventually, the opposing coach, one of the grumpiest men in the history of Greek football known as Angelos Anastasiadis stood up, walked over to him and gave him his hand, as a sign of recognition. I know that today there are players coming and going all the time but I feel very fortunate as an Olympiacos fan that I got to witness the era of Giovanni and see what real football truly looks like.

Honorable mentions: Kostas Mitroglou, Javier Saviola, Youssef El Arabi

And there you have it! A complete list of what my top eleven Olympiacos players of all time looks like! Although there is a high chance this may change over time (for example, Yann M' Vila, Ruben Semedo and Armildo Bruma all look like they have a their fair chance of entering the list), currently this is what it looks like. Hopefully, the European success of the club gives me many reasons to change my mind but, for now at least, this is it. I hope that whoever read this had a good enough time as I did writing it and remember to keep following the team, despite all the ups and downs. Cheers!