One of the greatest players of Olympiacos and Greek football legend, Nikos Youtsos, died. The veteran striker passed away November 7, at 81, leaving behind a very long career in the Pirate team and the Greek national team, whose jersey he wore in 15 games, scoring six goals.
Youtsos, who became a motto on the lips of the Olympiacos fans with the unforgettable “Enter Youtsos”, was hospitalised in the Intensive Care Unit of the Metropolitan Hospital with a respiratory problem (pulmonary oedema). In recent days, his health condition deteriorated, and the day before yesterday, he had to be intubated. Still, he did not succeed in the most challenging fight of his life.
Nikos Youtsos was born on April 16 1942, in Makrochori, Kastoria. However, he grew up in Hungary, where he fled as a political refugee with his mother and sister.
His involvement with football began with a refugee Greek team, Olympos, only to be followed by joining Hungarian Csepel in 1960. After four years, 36 appearances and 11 goals for the Hungarians, a transfer to Olympiakos followed in 1964.
He played for Olympiacos for a decade and retired in 1974, having made 276 appearances in red and white and scored 100 goals. Youtsos found a footballing home at his fellow Olympiacos club, Ethnikos Piraeus, where he played from 1974 to 1976 (43 appearances, 2 goals) and subsequently finished his career.
The right-handed striker and prolific scorer “recorded” his first appearance for the representative team on May 23, 1965, against the USSR, away, for the qualifying phase of the 1966 World Cup.
Source: AMNA
