Andreas Papaemmanouil, the legendary Greek footballer of the Sixties, passed away on 1 March, following two months of hospitalisation in a Maroussi clinic. He was 81.

Born in Neo Falero, Athens, on February 18, 1939, Papaemmanouil played for Panathinaikos between 1958 and 1969, scoring 80 goals in total, before transferring to AEK where he scored another seven goals from 1969 to 1972. Furthermore, Papaemmanouil, nicknamed “Kounelos” (The Buck), wore the Greek National Team’s jersey 16 times scoring another seven goals.

Greek Australian fans may remember his 1969 match in Sydney with the Canterbury Marrickville Olympic squad.

Papaemmanouil, considered a cornerstone of Panathinaikos’ rebirth in the Sixties, started off as a striker, but was later moved to the position of left wing back by manager Stjepan Bobek, teaming with Takis Loukanidis at the centre and Mimis Domazos on the right wing. For the record, Papaemmanouil is the sole Panathinaikos player to ever score a hat-trick against Olympiakos in its own home field (Yeorgios Karaiskakis stadium), and the first-ever to score in a European Champion Clubs’ Cup (nowadays Champions League) match, when Panathinaikos beat Juventus 1-0 on September 20, 1961.

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He was put to rest at the Zographou Cemetery at noon on Wednesday, covered in the green flag of Panathinaikos, the team he served so well for decades.

Fans and stakeholders of Panathinaikos showed up to farewell a player that is among the greatest Greek football players in the history of the sport.