François Modestocurrent technical director of Monza but in the past sporting director of Olympiacos, described the Athens team to the microphones of GianlucaDiMarzio.com: “It all starts with the president, Evangelos Marinakis. He is a huge fan: for him Olympiacos is pure passion, not a business. He thinks about Olympiacos twenty-four hours a day, he does everything he can for the good of the team. He has invested a lot, in the players but also in the structures, from the stadium to the sports centre. I was the first signing of his era as president, in the summer of 2010. He had just taken over the club, making his dream come true, and brought Valverde back to the bench. From there a special relationship was born, which goes far beyond football.”
More on Olympiacos: “Winning is in Olympiacos’ DNA, the shirt weighs a lot. After a championship you celebrate for one night, no more: the following day it’s already time to think about the following season. Few clubs in the world have this mentality. Marinakis told us “We have to go and win everywhere in Europe”. He was right.”
On the Conference final: “Fiorentina must be attentive and will be: they are a strong team, used to these competitions, and have an incredible fan base. But Olympiacos have always played in the Champions League and in the Europa League for the last thirty years: challenging them in Greece is difficult, in international challenges the level rises”.
On the Olympiacos squad: “Mendilibar is a good coach and since his arrival in February he has expressed good game ideas. Two to keep an eye on? El Kaabi, the centre-forward, is very strong. He has scored 32 goals this year, including five against Aston Villa, who will be in the Champions League next year. And then there’s Fortounis, a player I had and am in love with: he has an extraordinary talent, everyone will understand that he was one of the best of the club’s history”..