Thanasis Moustakidis – ‘Avanti, maestro!’

Thanasis Moustakidis was not just another great volleyball setter; he was the heart and the brain of Olympiacos in one of the volleyball department’s most glorious eras.

His arrival in Piraeus in 1987 marked the start of an unprecedented dominance that would change the course of Greek volleyball.

A physical education

and sport science graduate from Soufli, in the extreme northeast of Greece, who started out in sport at the Evros club in his Thracian hometown, Moustakidis initially made a name for himself with Aris Thessaloniki. However, it was his transfer to Olympiacos that turned him into a legend.

He would go on to win eight Greek championships (1987-1994) with the Reds, along with five Cups and the European Cup Winners’ Cup in 1996; he would also lead the team into four Champions Cup Final Fours. He was the soul of an Olympiacos team that, far from restricting its ambitions to Greek volleyball, set its sights on making a mark in Europe, too.

Moustakidis brought a unique philosophy of play with him to Olympiacos, a rare balance between discipline and creativity. On the court, he was the player who set the pace and set up the plays with a clear mind and pinpoint precision. He knew when to dial up the intensity and when to bring the team back down. He was the definitive playmaker.

In essence, the second great era in Olympiacos volleyball began in 1987, the year Moustakidis donned the red-and-white jersey for the first time. Having arranged for Moustakidis’ transfer to the Club, Giannis Laios also took over the team’s technical leadership and began to put together a team that would rapidly achieve total domination in Greek volleyball.

Moustakidis would be the maestro of that team. As the setter, he dictated the rhythm, directed the plays, and kept the team balanced throughout every game. He was the player who made the right decisions at crucial moments, and who became the leader of a team whose every member was outstanding. Alongside him, a core of great players included Triantafyllidis, Fakas, Gountakos, Theodoridis, Dragovic, Amarianakis, Kazazis, Lykoudis and Xerovasilas.

When asked whether he regrets his decision to stay at Olympiacos, he answers with confidence: No. After all, the team reached the final of the European Champions Cup that year.

A winning streak like no other

With Moustakidis pulling the strings, Olympiacos achieved something unprecedented: eight consecutive Greek championships, from 1987 to 1994. No other club has managed to achieve such total domination since. It was the era of the “red-and-white powerhouse” and Moustakidis was the player who set the pulse, both in terms of play and psychologically.

He was more than the setter—he was the voice of the team, the link between experience and enthusiasm, the player both the coaches and his teammates trusted. When Giannis Laios handed over to Vladimir Kondra, the team remained centered on Moustakidis, pressing ahead with the same dedication.

Moustakidis’ career with Olympiacos was not only rich in titles, it was also packed with moments that have gone down in the Club’s history. From the red-hot clashes against Panathinaikos to the battles in Europe where Olympiacos looked legendary teams straight in the eye, he was always present, leading his teammates by example.

He was also a pillar of the Greek team. With 413 appearances in the national colors to his credit, no other player comes close. His international career culminated with bronze at the 1987 European Championships in Ghent, a highlight in Greek sporting history which put Greece among the top volleyball powers in Europe. And since he achieved all this when he was already at Olympiacos, he also helped to cement the Club’s prestige at an international level.

A victory machine

His name isn’t only associated with titles and distinctions. Thanasis Moustakidis was a model athlete: combative, hard-working, modest. He never chased publicity, and he earned the respect of everyone on the court. His every pass, every move, every play brought the team closer to victory.

Moustakidis’ role remained unquestioned: he guaranteed the quality of the team’s play and its team spirit.

Olympiacos’ success in the Moustakidis era wasn’t only due to the quality of its individual players. It was primarily a result of chemistry, discipline and proper coaching. And Sakis Moustakidis embodied all three. In him, tactics were combined with passion, experience with teamwork, and the present with the future.

His Olympiacos wasn’t simply a good team: it was a victory machine. And Moustakidis, ever-present at its core, was the heart and soul of this “golden era”.

Mutual respect

Always honest to a T, Moustakidis remembers the summer of 1992, when Greek volleyball officially entered the era of professionalism. That was the year, he explains, when players were allowed to sign contracts for the first time. He had already been with Olympiacos for five years, and the time had come to sign his first professional contract with the team.

As he recalls, he had made a verbal agreement with Aris Poilas and Leonidas Theodorakakis, who were in charge of the department’s administration at the time. But something unexpected happened shortly afterwards: he was approached by Pavlos Giannakopoulos, who wanted to bring him to Panathinaikos.

When asked how much the Greens’ historic president offered him, he answered without hesitation: 50% more than he was earning at Olympiacos, and in cash, because Olympiacos had agreed to remunerate him over three years.

But despite the impressive proposal, Moustakidis didn’t have second thoughts Instead, he answered Pavlos Giannakopoulos respectfully, saying: “Mr. president, I am deeply honored by your offer, but I’ve given these people my word.”

According to Moustakidis, Giannakopoulos respected his decision. So much so, in fact, that he would call and send him flowers every year on his nameday. It was an act of mutual respect between two sportsmen with principles.

When asked whether he regrets his decision to stay at Olympiacos, he answers with confidence: No. After all, the team reached the final of the European Champions Cup that year, which was a huge moment in the Club’s history, as well as a victory that cemented the players’ powerful bond with their team.

Sakis Moustakidis (left) with Vassilis Xerovassilas and Stefanos Polyzos. An unbeatable ‘troika’ of a of another era.

A landmark year

1996 was a landmark year for Olympiacos and for Sakis Moustakidis personally. It was the season when the young Gourdas and Christofidelis made their explosive debuts with the team, and the Cubans Hernandez and Sanchez brought a new dynamic to the roster. But the player who really stood out for his composure, wisdom and insight was the veteran Olympiacos setter.

And in his last moments playing in the red-and-white, Sakis Moustakidis would be the catalyst for the Club’s greatest ever triumph in Europe. Because it was Moustakidis, with his leadership skills and vast experience, who led the team to its first European title.

In a packed Peace and Friendship Stadium, Olympiacos defeated Germany’s Bayer Wuppertal 3-2 in a thrilling match to win the European Cup Winners’ Cup. The 5th set went all the way to 15-12, and the Peace and Friendship Stadium reverberated with the roars of the fans as they cheered their team, and its setter above all, as Moustakidis lifted the trophy with his trademark modesty, bringing his great career with Olympiacos to a triumphant close.

Today, he continues to inspire as a professor at the Democritus University of Thrace, where he offers upcoming generations unmatched insights into technical aspects of the game, but also—and even more importantly—passing on his mentality and values. His legacy to Olympiacos and Greek volleyball has been as lasting as it’s been profound. The fans will always remember him with pride, because Moustakidis played a part in all the Club’s greatest triumphs.

Thanasis Moustakidis was also a finalist in the European Champions Cup in 1992 in the legendary final against the incomparable Messaggero Ravenna. His contribution to the Club was not limited to titles, though; he also made Olympiacos the team of success, loyalty and fair play it is today.

A living legend of Greek volleyball and of Olympiacos, Moustakidis embodies dedication, ethics and love for the sport.