Day: May 11, 2012

Greek Fever: Olympiakos SupportersGreek Fever: Olympiakos Supporters

Olympiakos fans are renowned for their passionate and fervent support to their team, with the atmosphere at home matches regarded as intimidating.

Olympiakos traditional fanbase comes from the city of Piraeus, where the club is based, as well as a good part of the rest of the Athens area.

The club’s popularity increased during the 1950s after winning consecutive titles and setting several records, and they became the best-supported football club in the country.

Olympiakos used to represent the working class, but the club has always attracted fans from all the social classes and their fanbase is not associated with any specific social group anymore.

Traditionally, Olympiakos ’ main rival is Panathinaikos and their so-called derby of the eternal enemies is the classic rivalry in the Athens area and Greek football in general. The two teams are the most successful and most popular Greek football clubs, and the rivalry is also indicative of social, cultural and regional differences.

Tifosi del Napoli. Hell is colder then San PaoloTifosi del Napoli. Hell is colder then San Paolo

Napoli is the fourth most supported football club in Italy with around 8% of Italian football fans supporting the club. Like other top clubs in the country, Napoli’s fanbase goes beyond the Italian border; it has been estimated by the club that there are around 5 to 6 million fans worldwide.

Napoli have several rivalries, the most significant of which is with Roma. In terms of location Napoli and Roma are quite close, together they compete in the Derby del Sole (“Derby of the Sun”), a rivalry which was at its peak in the 1980s. There are also strong rivalries with Lazio and Hellas Verona, as well as local Campanian ones with Salernitana and Avellino.

Conversely, the fans of Napoli have a long standing friendship with Genoa, which goes back to 1982, and with Palermo and Catania. On the last day of the 2006–07 season, the club drew 0–0 with Genoa ensuring both were promoted back into Serie A; Genoa ultras could be seen holding up banners saying “Benvenuto fratello napoletano“, meaning “Welcome, Neapolitan brother”.

Portuguese Superstar: Luis FigoPortuguese Superstar: Luis Figo

Luís Figo is one of the best players Portugal ever had. He played as a midfielder for Sporting CP, FC Barcelona, Real Madrid, and Internazionale, during a career which spanned over a period of 20 years. He retired from football in 2009. He won 127 caps for the Portuguese national football team, a number that makes him the most capped Portuguese player in history.

Figo was the 2000 European Footballer of the Year, the 2001 FIFA World Player of the Year, and was named amongst the FIFA 100.

Figo is one of the few football players to have played for both the Spanish rival clubs FC Barcelona and Real Madrid. He had a successful career highlighted by several trophy wins, such as one Portuguese Cup, four La Liga titles, two Spanish Cups, three Spanish Super Cups, one UEFA Champions League title, one UEFA Cup Winners’ Cup, two UEFA Super Cups, one Intercontinental Cup, four Serie A titles, one Italian Cup and three Italian Super Cups.