Sotiris Silaidopoulos: The Greek Coach Making History in European Football

Sotiris Silaidopoulos has quietly built an impressive reputation in European football.

A former player turned coach, he has already achieved multiple historic milestones – winning the UEFA Youth League with Olympiacos U19 before lifting the UEFA Europa Conference League as part of the club’s senior coaching staff last season.

While legendary names like Raúl and Marco Rose have also triumphed in the UEFA Youth League, Silaidopoulos stands out with the best unbeaten record in the competition’s history.

In April 2024, he led Olympiacos U19 to victory, making them the first Greek team to win a UEFA trophy at any level. Even more remarkably, they did it with an all-Greek squad – a rarity in modern football.

Premier League Links & Rising Stars: His success has not gone unnoticed.

Brighton & Hove Albion and Brentford have explored the possibility of bringing Silaidopoulos on board in previous seasons, recognising his ability to develop young talent – a highly sought-after skill in the Premier League.

Both teams have built reputations for unearthing and nurturing emerging talent to compete with clubs boasting much larger resources. The success of Silaidopoulos with Olympiacos in achieving similar feats has placed him firmly on the radar of English sides.

What a performance by Olympiacos 🙌
Your 2024 #UYL champions 🥇 pic.twitter.com/unrfMCPXCI
— UEFA Youth League (@UEFAMensYouth) April 22, 2024

Players from his Youth League-winning squad, such as Charalampos Kostoulas and Christos Mouzakitis, are now attracting interest from top clubs including Arsenal, Manchester United, and Real Madrid.

The teenagers have stepped into the senior side with ease this season, in an Olympiacos team top of the table and chasing a first Super League success since 2022. Kostoulas has scored six goals in the Greek Super League this season and does not celebrate his 18th birthday until May. It is no wonder leading sides are taking a keen interest in the Athens academy, of which Silaidopoulos’ ability to nurture elite prospects is clear.

A history making moment 🙌
Three players from the 2023/24 #UYL finals started in the @EuropaLeague game between FC Porto and Olympiacos 👏 pic.twitter.com/GUKuOMwfkz
— UEFA Youth League (@UEFAMensYouth) January 24, 2025

Beyond Olympiacos, Silaidopoulos has been instrumental in Greek youth development for over a decade, previously working with Panathinaikos and coaching notable talents including Georgios Vagiannidis, Vasilios Zagaritis, Sotiris Alexandropoulos, and Dimitrios Serpezis.

Following his Youth League success, Silaidopoulos joined Olympiacos’ first-team staff as an assistant coach under José Luis Mendilibar, playing a role in the club’s historic UEFA Europa Conference League victory.

No Greek side had ever won a senior UEFA competition but an extra-time final win over Fiorentina sparked wild celebrations in the Greek capital.

In Mendilibar, he has an ideal head coach to learn from. Winner of European honours with Sevilla and Olympiacos, alongside a La Liga Manager of the Season award at Eibar, it’s an impressive résumé.

For now, Silaidopoulos will want to focus on improving an already flourishing reputation of his own. With a proven track record of developing top talent and delivering success on the European stage, Silaidopoulos is a name to keep a close eye on in the future of football coaching.

Read – Five things to look out for during the international break

See more – Six potential debutants during the international break

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