Alekos Alexandris – The ‘Hitman’

There is something inherently stressful about being a striker. In football, no other position is so unforgiving, so denied the right to err. A shot on goal either hits the target or it doesn’t. There’s no middle ground, no room for subjective interpretations. The numbers are merciless. Score and you’re a hero. Miss

Forwards don’t have the luxury of building a play, like midfielders, or a defender’s opportunity to make up for mistakes. They live and die in the penalty area. And yet Alekos Alexandris endured, excelled and dominated in this harshest of environments.

In 1994, the realities of Greek football weigh heavy on the Reds. Panathinaikos is at the peak of its dominance, AEK Athens is clinging to the top, and it’s been seven years since Olympiacos won a championship. The players are under immense pressure to live up to the Club’s legacy, and the fans are devastated: seven years without a title was little short of cataclysmic for the Piraeus supporters.

In the meantime, Greek football is plagued by bad officiating, dodgy administrations, and an endless series of “puzzling” results straight out of the pages of the pulpiest fiction.

Scoring a goal was never for him a mere matter of aesthetics, but a duty. And he fulfilled it consistently

Alekos Alexandris is already a household name. He arrives from AEK Athens, where he just won three consecutive championships and was the top scorer, but there’s a lot more to him than his stats. Alexandris is an instinctual goal scorer and he has the look of player who knows a goal is never just a goal. That it’s an event, a moment that brings time to a temporary halt.

His arrival at Olympiacos is more than just another transfer; it’s a turning point for the Club. For the first time in years, the Olympiacos fans can revel in a player who can slot the ball into the back of the net with a consistency that literally changes the course of the Reds’ history.

The first thing a modern fan would notice about Alexandris is how different he is from the “technical” strikers of today, who are obsessed with “how” they score. Alexandris hasn’t the slightest interest in style or camera angles; he doesn’t care how good or bad the goal will look in the next day’s sports round-up. He’s only interested in the result.

He might score with a brutal bolt from 25 meters or a simple tap in from a foot away. His goal might come from a scissors kick or a penalty, it could be a random rebound that ended up in the net because he happened to be in the right place at the right time.

In 1996-97, Olympiacos break their nine-year “curse” and return to the top. The championship is Red again. Alexandris finishes the season with 23 goals. The top scorer in the league. He’s taken on the burden of building a footballing legacy from the ground up.

And then, the reality turns out to be harsher still: football isn’t about “one big moment,” but lots of little ones that require the self-same intensity every single time. And Alexandris takes the team in hand again. 1997-2003. Seven championships. Olympiacos is totally dominant. Alexandris scores every season, every year, with the same passion, the same dedication, the same obsessive focus.

On leaving Olympiacos, he plays briefly for Atromitos and then heads for Cyprus, before bringing his playing career to an end. However, his passion for football didn’t end there. After his retirement, he gets involved in coaching and youth academies, where he passes on his experience and his instincts to the upcoming generation.

Alexandris remains an iconic div for Olympiacos fans and for Greek football in general. His name is synonymous with efficiency, consistency and absolute commitment. Even now, years after his retirement, he continues to influence Greek football as an inspiration for younger forwards who want to make their mark on the sport.

During his time at Olympiacos, he worked with coaches including Dušan Bajević, Takis Lemonis and Oleh Protasov, adapted to their individual philosophies each time. Each of them had their own vision for the team, but Alexandris found a way to fit into each system, as either a center-forward or attacking midfielder. His ability to maneuver in different formations reveals his football IQ and ability to contribute wherever he was played.

At that time, with players like Gogić, Djordjević and Amanatidis, Olympiacos was a machine producing footbal triumphs. Alexandris knew how to make the best possible use of his teammates’ talents, to make space and take advantage of opportunities when they presented themselves. He wasn’t only a scorer; he was a member of a powerful attacking line that made mincemeat of every defense in the Greek League. His cooperation with Djordjević in particular, and the way they joined forces so flawlessly at crucial moments, was unforgettable.

His trademark shot: his incredible volleys One of those goals sport shows use in their opening credits

Alexandris’ character exuded dedication and a willingness to work hard. He was an incredibly disciplined athlete who was intensely committed to scoring just as often as he could. But he was more than a scorer; he was a leader on the field, who inspired his teammates with his passion.

The highlight of his career may well have been the goal he scored against Real Madrid at Athens’ Olympics stadium. A magical moment when he was at the received end of a pass from outside the area, controlled it perfectly, and sent an explosive shot into the back of Iker Casillas’ net. The stadium erupted as the fans went wild and Alexandris celebrated as he always did, by sprinting with his hands held high. That goal wasn’t just a flash of brilliance, it was confirmation of his quality as one of the best Greek strikers of all time.

There is something almost poetic about the inevitability of Alexandris’ return to Olympiacos, and to a role that requires insight, experience and a deeply ingrained knowledge of the game. Alexandris isn’t just another div in the history of the Club; his name is a code word among fans, a slogan that triggers memories of specific goals and special celebrations in an era when football seemed less mediated and more authentic.

His transition to scouting for the academies was more than a change of professional direction, it was is a natural progression; it’s almost as if he was destined to return, to preserve the Club DNA for future generations. What he definitely isn’t is a veteran taking on a symbolic role. As Olympiacos’ DNA bearer, he is responsible for passing it on to the players who will continue the red-and-white legacy.