Piraeus the place for second chances

Ruben Semedo is the latest in a line of players who have turned around their careers at Olympiacos.

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The last 10-15 years has seen Olympiacos make the full transformation to a selling club to some of Europe’s top clubs and leagues. Finding talented players and offering them a chance to grow in Greece along with gaining invaluable experience in European competition has seen the Erythrolefki make a series of lucrative transfers to the biggest and best on the continent. However, there is also growing evidence that the team are becoming a second-chance saloon of sorts. There are several players whose stuttering careers have received a timely boost after coming to Piraeus. Ruben Semedo is the prime example this season, but there have been several before him. 

AGONAsport takes a look at those players who in recent times have kick-started their careers thanks to a spell with Olympiacos.  

Ruben Semedo

The 25-year-old made a promising start to his career coming through the ranks at Sporting Lisbon. After going on a couple loan spells to gain experience, Semedo’s progression began to stall. The center-back eventually landed at Villarreal, however things went downhill quickly for the player. After being arrested for displaying a pistol in public he then went on to serve jail time after an altercation brought charges of assault, burglary, and attempted murder. In prison for four months, Semedo was finally was loaned out to Huesca in another loan move that did not quite work out. 

When he arrived in Greece last July not much was expected. The Portuguese player has since embarked on a revival of his career and fortunes. Fantastic displays in Greece and in Europe have brought Semedo into the fold of the Portugal national team. It has been a massive turnaround for the player whose future now looks vastly different than it did even a year ago.  

Kevin Mirallas

Mirallas was a player who left an indelible mark on Olympiacos during his time there between 2010-12. Considered surplus to requirements at the start of the 2010 season by Saint-Etienne, Mirallas arrived in Greece without much fanfare. He ended up winning two Greek Super League titles and a Greek Cup making 67 appearances and scoring 34 goals in the process. His dynamic play and goalscoring prowess earned him a move to the Premier League with Everton where he spent six seasons.

Luka Milivojevic

Milojevic was another unheralded player who Olympiacos identified as having potential. Plucked from Anderlecht where he had lost his place in the squad, Milivojevic’s time at Olympiacos from 2014-17 saw him rise in importance and he eventually became captain of the team. His performances in defensive midfield saw Crystal Palace take notice and they signed the Serbian in 2017. He has starred at Selhurst Park since, making 117 appearances for the club and scoring 26 goals in the process.  

Lubomir Fejsa

Fejsa’s time at Olympiacos was marked by a solid 2012-13 season where he made 20 appearances for the team. In the season before that he had featured only eight times after coming over from Partizan Belgrade. That 2012-13 campaign was enough though for Benfica to become interested in signing the player. He joined the Portuguese giants in 2013 and has gone on to feature for the club in 160 games, becoming a real stalwart for the team in midfield. His time at Olympiacos not only alerted Benfica as to his worth, but it was then when he really became a mainstay in the Serbian national team. 

Roberto

The joke about Roberto when he was at Benfica was that he could not even catch the jokes of the supporters. A long-time journeyman goalkeeper, the Spanish player joined Olympiacos on loan from Atletico Madrid in 2013. He became an instant hit with supporters and established himself as the club’s first-choice keeper immediately. A series of tremendous displays followed over the next few seasons as he signed a permanent deal with the club. He would eventually end up in the Premier League at West Ham, his current club, after a move back to Spain and time with Espanyol and Malaga (loan). 

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