A great, legendary experience lies ahead of us! ICC, this tournament of global acclaim that the Legend will attend this summer, is drawing near! The US is ready to welcome Olympiacos amongst other major clubs.
Our side will confront its group contesters, Manchester City, Liverpool and Milan. Olympiacos holds a strong relationship with the first two, whereas a link also exists with the Italians!
Taking Liverpool first into account, it doesn’t take much to find this link. These sides’ relation is very close, since the Reds and our “Red-and-whites” share many things, the most important of which is the need for memories and intense feelings. Both clubs have suffered the loss of some fans. They have lost dear and loyal young friends, as did all Olympiacos and Liverpool fans. Gate 7 and Hillsborough… 1981 and 1989. Two dire twists of fate that spread sorrow amongst all sports-involved people, and beyond. Our Legend’s 21 casualties remain a symbol of ever-lasting love. Liverpool’s 96 souls lost remain a symbol of eternal loyalty. They will always live in our red and red-and-white hearts, keeping their own seat in the Anfield and the G. Karaiskakis Stadium…
The friendly match played by Olympiacos last summer in the Anfield to honour Liverpool’s great captain, Steven Gerrard, was another shinning proof of the outstanding ties between these two great European clubs. Gerrard himself has thanked Olympiacos for its presence in Liverpool, whereas the Legend’s President, Mr. Vaggelis Marinakis, paid honour to the Steven Gerrard Foundation by donating 100.000 λίρες!
Olympiacos relationship with Liverpool is undoubtedly stronger than the one with Manchester City and Milan.
Touré and transfers!
With respect to the Citizens, there is a tie there as well. A football player particularly loved by the “red-and-white” supporters, although he played under our honoured flag for only a year, he is currently the main link between these two clubs. We apparently refer to Yaya Touré who, once left the Legend in summer
2006 has built up a great career that finally brought him to Manchester City. It is also notable that, as an Olympiacos player, the Ivorian midfielder has played –and actually scored- against Manchester City in England during a friendly match in August 2005!
Touré has had a great spell with Olympiacos and returned back in 2010 to play in G. Karaiskakis Stadium for the “Match against Poverty” hosted by Olympiacos. He attended our side’s match in Old Trafford against Manchester United; and he always expresses himself, no matter in which occasion, in the best way for Olympiacos, acting thus as a perfect ambassador for our Olympiacos!
Although the most important, this is not the only tie Olympiacos fosters with Manchester City. One way or another, players who have also played for Manchester City joined in the past or still features in Olympiacos.
Vladimir Weiss, who played for Olympiacos last year, had been a Manchester City player, as it is the case for Abdisalam Ibrahim acquired by Olympiacos last year. Our last signing, Omar Elabdellaoui, joined Manchester City at a young age and now continues his career in Olympiacos, following his transfer announced in June 18th.
The first one and “Ele”
but even with Milan, there still is a… connection! These two clubs, although they don’t have so many things to share, or past encounters or transfers to recall, they do have (at least) two significant points in common. One of them is Dimitris Eleftheropoulos, a player who originally built his career in Olympiacos, and enjoyed a brief stint in the Campionato with the Milan jersey during 2005-06!
However, this is not what matters the most. Olympiacos and Milan had staged a historic fixture –for Greek football history- way back in 1959! The Legend had been the first Greek team to feature in a European Cup tournament (the then European Champion Clubs’ Cup) and our opponent during that match had been Milan. The G. Karaiskakis leg ended 2-2 (on 13/09/1959) and a few days later, on 23/09/1959, our side was defeated 3-1 in San Siro. Yet, that has been the stepping stone for the Legend’s spell in European campaigns…
So, as we can see, Olympiacos has more or less something to link it with all the teams to play against during this year’s ICC! This is an additional reason why this legendary trip to the USA becomes more significant!
