Vasilis Botinos – The ‘Red Torpedo’ 

100 YEARS OLYMPIACOS

Vasilis Botinos was a legendary fig successful the past of Olympiacos, and anyone who saw him enactment his... magic agrees you’d beryllium hard-pressed to find his lucifer today

Vasilis Botinos’ beingness could beryllium turned into a screenplay without immoderate embellishments astatine all. Projected against a red-and-white background, there’s nary uncertainty what the rubric would be: «He didn’t springiness an inch!» Because Olympiacos’ towering near winger adjacent stood up to the subject junta without a 2nd thought.

He kept his caput held high, adjacent erstwhile the Colonels’ henchmen threatened him with a pistol successful the Georgios Karaiskakis locker room. And when, successful a crippled against Apollon Athens astatine the Karaiskakis stadium, fascist cronies wouldn’t let him backmost onto the transportation for the 2nd half, the Olympiacos fans kept shouted for Botinos until the goons backed down and fto him play. He was a antithetic benignant of leader for the larboard team, and we accidental antithetic because, rather simply, nary 1 since has been capable to capable Botinos’ shoes. Those who saw him play wax lyrical astir the winger who worked… wonders.

As they archer it, there’s thing Botinos couldn’t do, and the impervious is successful the chants they sang for him astatine the Karaiskakis stadium. «The torpedo», the assemblage successful the stands would outcry arsenic they watched the legendary ace dribble the shot past his opponents similar they were lasting still. «Crazy Botinos» was the chant arsenic the ambiance astatine the Karaiskakis stadium pulsated with the fans’ expressions of emotion for the ace from Volos.

He could person easy been a sprinter with his awesome speed, portion arsenic a younker helium played h2o polo and basketball. Botinos was a immense property successful Greek sports.

The transfer

Botinos was calved connected October 19, 1944 and started his shot vocation successful Volos successful 1962. He played successful the Thessaly state successful cardinal Greece for 2 years arsenic a halfway forward, and his achievements determination attracted the involvement of galore teams. But it was Botinos’ destiny to play for Olympiacos, which is however the «torpedo» became a nonmigratory of Piraeus. Having transferred to Greece’s main larboard astatine the property of 20, helium would marque past there. And if it hadn’t been for his superior injuries, helium could person reached the shot «stars» and achieved adjacent much with Olympiacos.

As it was, helium won 2 championships and 3 Cups successful the red-and-white strip, and helium volition spell down successful past arsenic 1 of the champion wingers successful the club’s archetypal 100 years successful existence. Interestingly, Vasilis Botinos could conscionable person easy ended up a way athlete, fixed his awesome speed, portion helium had played polo and hoops successful his youth, arsenic well. All successful all, helium was a larger-than-life fig successful the annals of Greek sport.

Standing up to the Colonels

Botinos wore the Olympiacos stripes for 7 years, from 1964 to 1971, scoring 42 goals successful in 134 appearances. That helium ever enactment successful sterling performances successful the team’s all-important derbies was, of course, 1 of the reasons helium was specified a favourite with the Olympiacos fans.

Not adjacent the junta could bring Botinos up short, and everyone has heard the communicative of however helium stood up to subject officers from successful the Colonels’ regime. Νone of america hide the incidental described above, erstwhile a subject serviceman threatened Botinos with a pistol and the «torpedo» didn’t truthful overmuch arsenic blink. That’s wherefore the authorities was truthful keen to extremity the vocation of an Olympiacos subordinate who’d had the courageousness to basal up to them.

Real friendship

What is besides noteworthy is the adjacent relationship that developed betwixt Botinos and Giorgos Sideris. When Botinos transferred to Olympiacos astatine the property of 20 and moved to Piraeus, helium initially stayed successful a edifice successful the city.

But determination was ever a sheet of blistery nutrient for him circular Sideris’ house, and Botinos would ne'er hide this kindness, oregon however overmuch Giorgos Sideris and his household helped him erstwhile helium archetypal came to Olympiacos, and aft that, too.

Botinos worked with Marton Bukovi, a manager who has himself go a legendary fig successful Olympiacos lore.

The Hungarian appreciated Botinos’ endowment and imaginable and ever spoke highly of the Legend’s winger. But Botinos besides had a peculiar spot successful his bosom for Bukovi, successful appreciation of however overmuch the large Hungarian manager had helped him.

The lone happening Bukovi tried to alteration astir Botinos—albeit unsuccessfully—was his overfondness for dribbling. Still, Bukovi couldn’t halt himself smiling, if somewhat ruefully, each clip helium saw him dribble from 1 extremity of the transportation to the other.

«Crazy Botinos” loved to permission the absorption for dust, due to the fact that helium knew however overmuch the Olympiacos fans adored to spot him bash it.

Bukovi asked him to walk the shot sooner and to chopped down connected the «tricks» with the ball, but the Olympiacos winger couldn’t defy driving the fans crazy. «I similar to spot the Legend’s fans happy,» helium utilized to accidental astir his benignant of play.

The Leap to the Heavens

Botinos besides played for the Greek nationalist team, and the extremity helium scored against Switzerland successful the 1970 World Cup qualifying lucifer volition ne'er beryllium forgotten. The Olympiacos winger bushed the Swiss goalkeeper successful the aerial with an astonishing leap that was destined to spell down successful history.

It was a leap to… the heavens, and Botinos liked to speech astir his astonishing goal.

Some years later, during a travel to Zurich, the Olympiacos ace was amazed to spot graffiti astir the extremity successful question connected the broadside of an flat building. No further commentary was needed, due to the fact that the graffiti creator said everything determination was to accidental astir that peculiar goal.

Things could person been adjacent amended if the elephantine of a subordinate hadn’t had to woody with truthful galore superior injuries. Those torn muscles outgo him dearly, arsenic they prevented him from rising to the levels helium could have

Injuries

Vasilis Botinos’ endowment was undeniable and his vocation successful Olympiacos volition spell down successful history. Still, things could person been adjacent amended if the elephantine of a subordinate hadn’t had to woody with truthful galore superior injuries.

Those torn muscles outgo him dearly, arsenic they prevented him from rising to the levels helium could have.

In fact, since Botinos often had to clench his teeth conscionable to enactment connected the transportation and play, the concern rapidly reached the constituent of nary return.

Everyone agrees that without these problems, he’d person had an adjacent longer vocation with the Reds. Even so, helium had a endowment for lasting retired and for starring Olympiacos.

Botinos played for the larboard metropolis squad for 7 years. When helium near successful 1971, helium wore the Panaigalios jersey for a twelvemonth earlier capping disconnected his vocation astatine Panionios successful the 1973-1974 season.

He passed distant connected February 16, 2022 astatine the property of 77, defeated by the coronavirus.

But the «red torpedo» volition ever person a salient spot successful the aureate annals of Olympiacos, and the Legend’s fans volition ne'er halt chanting «Crazy Botinos”…