Nikos Alefantos (, 3 January 1939 – 23 June 2020) was a Greek professional footballer and football coach. He is regarded as one of the most innovative football managers of the 20th century, known in Greece for his phlegmatic personality, short temper and famous quips. He is often regarded as the greatest Greek manager never to have won one of the two major domestic titles (Alpha Ethniki and Greek Cup). In his 35-year managerial career he managed 28 different teams, most notably Olympiacos (1983–84, 1994, 2004) and Iraklis, whom he guided from the relegation zone to a 4th-place finish in 1985–86, after what was dubbed the "Play-off of Shame" in Greece.

Raised in Athens during the Second World War, Alefantos' talent led him to embark on a football career aged just 13 at Rouf, beginning as a midfielder. He was a key member of Olympiacos' Double winning 1958–59 season aged just 20 years of age. Afterwards, he'd help Atromitos Piraeus to its singular promotion to the newly created First Division in 1960 before shifting to an attacker in his later years after leaving Atromitos, most prominently at Panegialios, before retiring with Vyzas Megaron aged 30 to pursue a managerial career. He never featured for the Greek national football team, but had played in the national youth team in 1959.

Alefantos became a prominent manager on the Greek football stage in the 1970s, achieving promotions to the Alpha Ethniki with PAS Giannina and Pierikos, quickly gaining a reputation for his idiosyncratic character and tactical innovations – inspired by his future mentor Ernst Happel – and having various spells in the top division before taking charge of former club Olympiacos in 1983. His relationships with club executives and fans were often strained; he had notoriously frequent short spells, including at Kastoria, Kalamata and Fostiras, where he was fired before completing more than one official match. His stint at AEK Athens in 1987 also ended in acrimony after falling out with star player Thomas Mavros and assaulting a journalist after his sacking.

Despite attaining only the Cypriot Cup with APOEL in 1997, Alefantos had successful spells at Olympiacos, Panionios, Iraklis and Ionikos, achieving promotion with the latter, becoming a cult figure and gaining admirers and critics for his uncompromising attitude, which led him being imprisoned twice, in 1979 and 1987, the latter following his AEK Athens tenure. His teams suffered no relegation with him in charge, earning reputation as a relegation specialist. At his final managerial role at Olympiacos in 2004, his team controversially failed to stop rivals Panathinaikos from completing a domestic double, which invoked a feud between him and referee Giorgos Douros, ending Alefantos' career.

Outside of football, he became a prominent TV host in the final two decades of his life and died in 2020 aged 81, prompting an outpouring of grief across Greece's football scene. He was buried in the First Cemetery of Athens. Some of Alefantos' quotes have entered popular culture in Greece, which he acknowledged in his 2013 autobiography Τα Πάντα Όλα ("All and everything").

Career After playing football in the streets in the years of WWII and the Greek Civil War, his talent was spotted by Asteras Exarchion, the club from which he would later start his long and memorable managerial career. He would sign for P.A.O. Rouf at age 13 and embarked on a 16–year footballing career which included being one of roughly 30 players who have appeared for both eternal enemies, Panathinaikos and Olympiacos. At the latter, the club he supported for all his life, he played a vital role in the club's Double in the 1958–59 season. After noteworthy spells at other clubs, he retired in 1969 aged 30 and immediately embarked on a lengthy career in managemenent.

Alefantos managed several clubs in the Alpha Ethniki, including Olympiacos during 2004. He also had brief spells leading AEL in 1975 and 1990.

Alefantos gained notoriety for his unusually short tenure as the manager of Fostiras in 2002. He was appointed manager of the club, replacing Vlachos in September 2002. One of Fostira's players, Dimitrios Moutas, immediately refused to train with Alefantos, and then Alefantos resigned later that day after failed contract negotiations. Eventually Alefantos appeared in ART channel of Greece, participating in a sport TV program called "Dokari Kai mesa" presented by Giannis Karatzaferis.

He died from a heart attack on 23 June 2020, aged 81.

Managerial statistics TeamFromToRecordGWDLWin %Asteras Exarchion28 July 19696 June 1970P.A.O. Rouf6 June 19708 June 1973PAS Giannina29 July 197324 March 1974Pierikos4 July 197430 June 1976OFI8 August 197618 November 1977Kastoria14 Μarch 197827 March 1978Pierikos2 January 197926 June 1979PAS Giannina5 July 19794 December 1979Korinthos8 December 197930 June 1980OFI1 July 198126 October 1981Doxa Drama3 February 198330 June 1983Olympiacos30 November 198312 March 1984Panionios7 May 19845 April 1985Iraklis8 October 198530 June 1986AEK Athens30 December 19867 May 1987Iraklis7 October 19877 January 1988PAOK29 January 19899 April 1989Apollon Kalamarias22 June 19894 July 1989Doxa Drama5 July 198922 January 1990Apollon Kalamarias26 March 199023 April 1990AEL25 October 19904 December 1990Ionikos18 April 19917 May 1991Ionikos1 July 199128 September 1992Kalamata1 July 199325 July 1993Skoda Xanthi6 December 199319 December 1993Olympiacos27 January 199416 September 1994Panionios27 November 199529 January 1996APOEL28 February 199731 May 1997ILTEX Lykoi2 February 199823 February 1998Ethnikos Piraeus25 March 19984 May 1998Proodeftiki26 November 199827 September 1999Panachaiki1 January 200014 February 2000Ethnikos Asteras1 July 20014 February 2002Fostiras11 September 200211 September 2002Olympiacos (caretaker)19 March 200415 June 2004Total

Olympiacos managerial statistics ClubFromToCompetitionRecordPWDLWin %Olympiacos (first tenure)30 November 198312 March 1984Alpha EthnikiEuropean CupGreek Football CupOlympiacos total (first tenure)Olympiacos (second tenure)27 January 199416 September 1994Alpha EthnikiGreek Football CupEuropean CupUEFA CupEuropean Cup Winners' CupOlympiacos total (second tenure)Olympiacos (third tenure, caretaker)19 March 200415 June 2004Alpha EthnikiGreek Football CupUEFA Champions LeagueOlympiacos (caretaker) total (third tenure)Totals |

Honours As a player Olympiacos Panhellenic Championship: 1958–59 Greek Cup: 1958–59

As a coach APOEL Cypriot Cup: 1996–97

PAS Giannina Beta Ethniki: 1973–74 (Group 1)

Pierikos Beta Ethniki: 1974–75 (Group 3)

References

Notes

External links Alefantos Biography