Olympiacos celebrates its birthday on 10 March, its founding date in Piraeus in 1925. On 10 March 2027 the "Thrylos" turns 102. Its story starts in a harbour tavern and reaches all the way to the first European trophy won by a Greek club.

An evening at Moiras's tavern

The founding meeting took place, according to the sources, at Moiras's tavern in central Piraeus. Sailors, merchants, former soldiers and young athletes gathered there. Among them were the industrialist and later mayor Michalis Manouskos, the naval officer Notis Kamperos and the Andrianopoulos family.

The new club came from the dissolution of two Piraeus teams, Piraikos Podosfairikos Omilos and Piraeus Fans Club. It is worth noting that sources do not fully agree on the date: English Wikipedia says the club was founded in May 1924 and officially recognised on 10 March 1925.

The name and the laurel-crowned youth

Kamperos proposed the name. He wanted something that evoked strength, ethics, fair competition and the Olympic ideal. Manouskos added the rest, and so Olympiacos Syndesmos Filathlon Peiraios (Olympiacos Fans Club of Piraeus) was born.

Kamperos also gave the club its emblem, the laurel-crowned youth, inspired by the ancient Olympic Games. It is one of the most recognisable badges in Greek sport.

Red and white from day one

According to club historians, the colours were chosen by Yiannis Andrianopoulos. Red for the passion for victory and white for purity and noble rivalry.

The first shirt had seven stripes, four red and three white, long sleeves and a V-neck tied with a lace. It had no badge yet.

The first big change came in 1946-47, with a round neck and short sleeves. The youth appeared on the chest in the early 1950s and moved to the left side in 1970-71.

In 1974-75 a manufacturer's logo appeared for the first time, Umbro's, and from 1982-83 a sponsor. That was also when alternative kits became established: all white, all red, blue and later black.

For the centenary in 2025, Adidas made a collector's shirt with ten stripes, one for each decade, with the matching year beneath each one. It had old-style buttons and a gold-embroidered logo.

Why "Thrylos"

A few weeks after its founding, the team beat the crew of the French warship Jeanne d'Arc 6-0. The five Andrianopoulos brothers formed an attack that went down in history.

The nickname "Thrylos" ("Legend") was given by the press after the unbeaten run of 1926-1929. It became official after the successes of the 1950s.

From the start the founders wanted to protect the club's values. That is why they created a closed group of lifetime members, the "100 immortals".

From the Velodrome to the night at AEK Arena

The first home ground was the Neo Faliro Velodrome, on the site of today's Karaiskakis stadium. Olympiacos has won more league titles than anyone in Greece and twice won seven in a row, in 1997-2003 and 2011-2017.

On 29 May 2024 it wrote its greatest page. In the Conference League final it beat Fiorentina 1-0 in extra time, with a header by Ayoub El Kaabi in the 116th minute. It was the first major European trophy won by a Greek club.

Legends who wore the shirt include Giorgos Sideris, the club's all-time top scorer, Rivaldo, Giannakopoulos, Đorđević and Yaya Touré.

Celebrate with us

From Moiras's tavern to the Conference League, Olympiacos carries on its chest a youth who never grows old. Happy 102nd birthday to the Legend of Piraeus!

See our Olympiacos jerseys at sportarena.gr.

Photo: Karaiskakis Stadium – Erik Drost, Wikimedia Commons, licensed under CC BY 2.0.