Super League tribute book details top 10 foreign players
The top ten foreign players of all-time based on appearances are listed in a new publication produced by the Greek Super League.
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Recently, the Greek Super League came out with a tribute publication as part of its 60th anniversary. The collector’s book details much of Greece’s domestic football history (information about the book or ordering can be made by sending an email to social@slgr.gr).
Part of this publication covers the influence of foreign players over the years in Greek football. Players from abroad slowly made their way into the Greek game during the 1970s. Eventually, the Bosman ruling opened up the borders across Europe, and foreign players became much more common in leagues across the continent. This was the case in Greece, and many of those players went on to become household names in the country.
The publication lists out the top ten most appearances by foreign players in Greece’s top-flight. The list reads as a who’s who of some of the best players to ever come to the country from abroad.
Legendary Polish striker Kristof Warzycha tops the chart for most appearances ever by a foreign player in the Greek league. Warzycha played for Panathinaikos for 15 seasons amassing 390 appearances and 244 goals in the Greek first division, known then as the Alpha Ethniki.
In second place on the list was Predrag Djordjevic. The longtime Olympiacos winger began his career in Greece with Paniliakos. He moved to Olympiacos in 1996, and his time there helped kickstart a golden era for the club. The ever-present Serbian made 375 appearances for Olympiacos before retiring in 2009.
Next on the list was AEK midfielder Toni Savevski. Born in Yugoslavia, Savevski came to Greece in 1998 to sign with the Kitrinomavri. He proceeded to make 356 appearances for the club over the course of 13 years.
Memorable names such as Daniel Batista and Noni Lima round out the top five with 316 and 293 appearances, respectively. It’s ironic that Lima, who played for Panionios, was actually Batista’s uncle. Batista played for several clubs, including Ethnikos, AEK, Olympiacos, and Aris, in addition to playing 14 times for the Greek national team.
Below is the top 10 list of all-time appearances for foreign players in Greece’s top-flight:
Kristof Warzycha - 390
Predrag Djordjevic - 375
Toni Savevski - 357
Daniel Batista - 316
Noni Lima - 293
Jozef Wandzik - 280
Neto Guerino - 273
Ivan Jovanovic - 271
Veridiano Marcelo - 263
Mladen Furtula - 250
