Olympiacos President Evangelos Marinakis attended a special event at Melrose Ballroom in New York, celebrating the club’s 100-year anniversary. The Olympiacos fan club in the United States honored the club’s leader, under whose guidance the team triumphed in the UEFA Europa Conference League and the UEFA Youth League during the 2023-2024 season!
The honoring plaque was presented to Mr. Marinakis by the fan club’s president, Giorgos Tsampas, who expressed his gratitude for Marinakis’ immense contribution to Olympiacos and for personally attending the fan club’s celebration.
Amid thunderous applause, Mr. Marinakis, following his award, stated:
«100 Years – And it’s still not enough for our Club.
I am truly delighted to be here with you tonight. The past year has arguably been the most significant in our club’s history. We won two European titles. We are the first team in Europe to have claimed two European titles in the same season.
We are especially proud because the journey was incredibly challenging at the beginning. We faced numerous obstacles and ups and downs along the way. But we never gave up. We made the necessary adjustments, took the right decisions, and, in the end, we reached the grand final and emerged victorious.
For our youth team, I believe their triumph in the UEFA Youth League was just as important—perhaps even more so. This victory proves that Greece has talent and can compete at the highest level in Europe—and not just in Europe. When we traveled to Brazil to play the final at the Maracanã Stadium, we may not have won, but we played an exceptional game. As many there said, we deserved the victory. This is incredibly important for our young players.
Olympiacos is one of the very few teams—perhaps the only team in Europe—that regularly fields four homegrown players in the starting eleven, aged 17, 18, and 22. These players are making their mark both in Greece and across Europe. This is crucial for all young athletes, for the children of Piraeus, and for the children of Greece.
We decided to take the trophies on a journey across Greece and to countries with large Greek communities. We have already done so in Europe, and now the trophy has arrived in America, in New York, and will soon be in Chicago. We are thrilled because we witnessed two million people celebrating across Greece, as well as hundreds of thousands of fans coming to take photos with the trophy, to touch it, to kiss it. Among them, we are certain, were many who are not Olympiacos supporters but proud Greeks, celebrating for their homeland.
Our mission is to continue. We are conquerors of new heights, and it’s not just in football. Olympiacos holds another European first, excelling in volleyball, water polo, and athletics. We continue to win European titles and to lead the way across the continent. This is a remarkable achievement, and only Olympiacos can do it.
We need you by our side. Wherever we can, we will be close to the Olympiacos family, here in America, here in Astoria. We all feel at home, just like in Greece—perhaps even warmer, because we witness the immense love of the people.
Thank you all. Stay well!».
Attendees at the celebration had the unique opportunity to take photos with both European trophies, which captivated both young and old fans alike. Notably, at St. Demetrios Schools in Astoria and St. Nicholas School, hundreds of children welcomed the two European trophies with enthusiasm and emotion. They also thanked Olympiacos President Evangelos Marinakis for giving them the chance to take pictures with the trophies and for helping them maintain strong ties with their homeland, Greece!
