The tradition of strikers who celebrate ala pistolero is continued at Olympiakos by 17-year-old Babis Kostoulas, who has Youssef El Arabi as one of his great role models.
Kostas Mitroglou was undoubtedly one of the best Greek strikers ever. With the colors of Olympiakos, Benfica, our national team and more… he was hitting the opposing nets. The now 36-year-old Kavaliotis, once a striker, was also a player who rose to prominence through Olympiacos, where he scored 82 goals in 186 matches. Mitrogol had pistols as his trademark in his celebrations.
Mitroglou himself had a period of time when Sokratis Kokkalis allegedly made remarks to him about his celebration with pistols and on this he told FOS: “No, he didn’t tell me anything like that. He only asked me what the pistols I do mean. I told him that I grew up like that in Germany and that I did it since I was a little kid with my friends when they scored goals.
He didn’t tell me not to do them (he means the guns).” When asked if he asked him not to do them, Mitroglou had said: “I wouldn’t do it. Because he is the president and we must respect him.” He had made it clear that this celebration was only for Olympiakos and that he always…goes crazy when he scores a goal.
In the post-Mitroglou era, Youssef El Arabi emerged as one of the top strikers who have ever been involved in Greek football from abroad but also who have worn the Olympiakos jersey. In 225 matches at Olympiakos, he scored 94 goals and some of them were unforgettable, such as in the epic – by its standards at the time – qualification over Arsenal in London. El Arabi, one of the most beloved players for the world of Piraeus, also celebrated with pistols.
Continuing on… today we find Babi Kostoula. A… student of El Arabi in the sense that he had and has him as a great role model. El Arabi himself had posted about Kostoulas after his first ever goal in the red and whites that made him the youngest Piraeus scorer in the history of the Championship: “My little brother.” The Greek striker, on the other hand, had said after the Toumba match in MEGA about El Arabi’s message: “I certainly admire Youssef (El Arabi) as a player. I am very happy (about El Arabi’s message about him). I dedicate the goal to my family, of course.”
𝐡𝐢𝐭𝐭𝐢𝐭𝐭𝐢𝐭
17 years, 5 months and 11 days
The youngest scorer of Olympiakos in the history of the Greek league! / Olympiacos’ youngest scorer in the history of the Greek Championship! pic.twitter.com/23sKfoFTLo
— Olympiacos FC (@olympiacosfc) November 11, 2024
The 17-year-old Kostoulas, son of Thanasis (once the captain of Piraeus), who had already celebrated with pistols his goal in PAOK – Olympiacos (2-3). Three distinct cases of strikers and three generations of players. The two have written their history. Now young Kostoulas has taken over with his future looking bright.
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