How Youth League triumph inspired Olympiacos' historic European double
Wednesday, April 23, 2025
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Vasilios Prekates and Stavros Pnevmonidis describe what it meant to win the 2024 UEFA Youth League for Olympiacos and how the senior and youth teams inspired each other to silverware last season.
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The 2023/24 season was historic for Olympiacos.
In April 2024, their Under-19 team lifted the UEFA Youth League after beating Milan 3-0 in the final, the club’s first ever European success.
Just weeks later, capitalising on the positive energy, the men's team completed a continental double by winning the UEFA Conference League final 1-0 against Fiorentina in Athens.
Ahead of the 2025 Youth League finals in Nyon on 25 and 28 April, two key Olympiacos players from the 2024 edition reflect on their victory, the impact it had on the first team, and what the competition means for progression to senior football.
An emotional victory
When the final whistle blew on the 2024 Youth League final, Vasilios Prekates struggled to process what his team had achieved.
"I remember the physiotherapist coming up to me", Prekates says. "I was on my knees crying and he said, 'We’ve won the cup! We’ve won the cup!' I wanted to believe him but I couldn’t."
The defender played the entire 90 minutes of the showdown, which Olympiacos won via goals from Christos Mouzakitis, Antonis Papakanellos and Theofanis Bakoulas – a sensational overhead kick – in a six-minute burst in the second half.
He adds: "The main feeling was relief, because of our hard work, and then satisfaction with our achievements."
Team-mate Stavros Pnevmonidis says: "I remember the celebrations after each goal and how we were getting closer to what we wanted to achieve.
"The team has always been that way. We have a winning mentality."
Conference League inspiration
It was just 37 days later that the club's first team made their own history, beating Fiorentina 1-0 in Athens to win the Conference League – their first major European trophy.
Prekates believes the Youth League win created a feeling within the club that more success was possible.
"I think winning the [Youth League] trophy helped the first team's mentality. It really gave them a big boost."
Pnevmonidis agrees, adding: "I remember on the same day we played our semi-final [against Nantes], the first team qualified for their semi-final in Türkiye [after beating Fenerbahce].
"I believe we helped each other."
"A sense of responsibility"
In Development at its Heart: The UEFA Youth League, a documentary celebrating the impact of the competition since launching in 2013, winning coach Sotiris Silaidopoulos outlined how representing Olympiacos and their country as a whole also motivated his side.
He said: "It was important for us to respect our club, our academy and Greek football.
"Greek players and a Greek coach, it’s something that gives us a sense of responsibility."
Pathway to the first team
That UEFA Youth League glory has also provided a springboard for several young players to advance their careers in 2024/25.
Midfielder Mouzakitis has become a fixture in the Olympiacos first team, including multiple Europa League appearances, and has played twice for the Greek national side, making his debut against Finland in the UEFA Nations League in November.
Charalampos Kostoulas has also been a fixture in the Europa League, while Papakanellos has appeared for the seniors, too.
They are among the latest players to graduate from the Youth League to senior UEFA competitions, with more than 1,000 doing so since the competition launched in 2013.
Pnevmonidis says: "We are very happy for those guys. A few months ago, we were together and now we are seeing them do very well. It gives us extra motivation.
"It shows that [the Youth League] is the biggest event a player at this age can take part in.
"It’s beneficial to experience a higher level of competition. It prepares you for European nights."