Greek Football Report - Part 2: The Road to Europe opens
In part 2 of AGONAsport’s four-part series entitled Greek Football Report, we delve into the increased number of Greek players plying their trade in European leagues as well as the Greek Super League becoming a gateway for players to move to some of the continent’s top leagues.
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Greeks Abroad
The players that Greece produced that played their football abroad in the 1980s and early 1990s could be counted on one hand. From the time Giorgos Sideris signed on to play for Antwerp in the early 1970s to when Nikos Anastopoulos played one season for Italian side Avellino in 1987-88, Greek players plying their trade abroad were a rarity. That all changed in 1995 when the Bosman ruling revolutionized the way transfers were conducted in European football.
Since then, the numbers of Greek footballers playing in Europe and the rest of the world has risen dramatically. A recent study conducted by the CIES (International Center for Sports Studies) Football Observatory ranked the top countries in the world by the number of footballers they export.
The study took into account 186 national football federations, which had at least one player from a country playing abroad. This covered 141 leagues in 93 countries. Brazil, with an amazing 1,600 footballers playing abroad easily topped the list followed by France, Argentina, England, and Spain.
Greece figured highly in the list, ranking as 33rd thanks to the 146 players from the nation that play their football in foreign countries. In terms of confederation, Greece were 20th amongst all UEFA nations. Greece finished just behind the likes of Mexico, Ireland, Paraguay, Switzerland, Japan, Austria, the USA, and Cameroon.
Greece did manage to beat out other notable countries, finishing ahead of such nations such as Scotland (134 player exports), Australia (124), South Korea (121), Venezuela (113), Romania (112), Slovenia (110), and the Czech Republic (105) amongst others.
A Stepping-stone Country
The Greek Super League may not be considered one of the top tier leagues in European football, but it remains an active player as a stepping-stone league. According to another recent CIES report, Greece is 16th amongst all countries in the world in propelling players towards the big five European leagues. Eighteen players or 1.6% of players that featured in the Greek top-flight over the last two plus seasons have made the switch to one of the English Premier League, Spanish La Liga, German Bundesliga, French Ligue 1, and Italian Serie A. The big-five leagues actually top the charts. Besides the existing big five leagues themselves, and Brazil and Argentina, Greece actually come in 9th in Europe in having players move to the top five leagues.
Alongside some big football nations, Greece is holding its own as a stepping-stone league with its ability to send players to bigger and better football leagues.
Olympiacos: Greece’s best Stepping-stone club
Amongst the top clubs that produce players who go on to play for a club in the big five leagues, Greek side Olympiacos is consistently proving it has become the best Greek side in exporting players to those leagues. Olympiacos are tied for 16th amongst all clubs in the world in providing players for Europe’s best leagues.
With eight players from the Piraeus side having made the switch to big five clubs in the last two seasons, Olympiacos are level with traditional talented football producing clubs such as River Plate, Leeds United, Le Havre, and just behind the likes of Boca Juniors and FC Barcelona B.
SUMMARY
While Greece’s coefficient ranking in UEFA has dropped dramatically over the last 15 years, this is a boom time for Greek players to be joining foreign teams. There is an all-time high with regard to the number of Greek players playing professionally abroad. This includes 146 players participating in all of the top European leagues, the slightly lower-tier ones such as the Netherlands, Portugal, and Belgium, far-flung places such as Australia, India, and South Africa, and even lesser-known football outposts such as Malta, Singapore, and Indonesia. Previously confined to the domestic league, the borders have opened for talented and average Greek players alike.
Greece’s status as a competitive European league may be on a downward trend, however the country is still exporting players to the best European countries. Leading the way is traditional power Olympiacos, but other Greek clubs have also chipped in with sending players to the continent’s biggest leagues over the last few seasons as the nation continues to prove its worth as a stepping-stone league toward Europe’s finest.
