At this time, his funeral is taking place at the Papagou cemetery Nikos Sarganis.
Nikos Sarganis passed away on Sunday (8/12/2024), plunging Greek football into mourning. The 70-year-old veteran goalkeeper was hospitalized in a coma at “Henry Dunan”, but he could not beat the cancer either.
Greek football became poorer, as it lost a hero of the sport who raised it to many levels. He was a goalkeeper who made each of his teams feel at ease under the goalposts and managed – with the way he made interventions – to turn the eyes of the fans of the game – AND – towards the goal.
On Tuesday morning (10/12/2024), his relatives, friends and fans said goodbye to the legendary Nikos Sarganis at the Papagos cemetery.
At the last farewell, there were, of course, top “figures” of Greek football, such as Antonis Antoniadis, people from the political and artistic fields, such as Nikos Hardalias and Kostas Prekas, while wreaths were sent by all the teams he played for as well as Vangelis Marinakis.
Nikos Karoulias appeared particularly moved. The veteran footballer was devastated by the death of his good friend and former teammate, Nikos Sarganis, stressing among other things that “he left with dignity, we will never forget him”.
“Our friend, friend of all Greece, flew with those huge wings he had for hands. Covering the goal, the pitch, the sky. He left with dignity, as his course in life was also dignified. Proud, he fought until the last moment, without projecting his problem. And he always sent optimistic messages to us and our friends,” said Nikos Karoulias, referring to the greatest goalkeeper of all time.
“He stood up for his beliefs regardless of whether some people didn’t like it. He was uncompromising when it came to justice. And social work he offered, many children learned the art of goalkeeping from him. Nikola, people die when we forget them, we will never forget him” he added.
Nikos Sarganis, the goalkeeper who changed the facts under the goalposts
The great Nikos Sarganis managed to “write” an incredible career in the 80s, to be adored by the friends of Olympiakos and Panathinaikos, to lift the Cup with Kastoria and to become the first goalkeeper to compete with four different teams in the finals of the institution. At the same time, he managed to make the kids want to wear the gloves of the goalkeeper, instead of playing in the attack.
Nikos Sarganis caught up with the clay courts, at the beginning of his career, he managed to compete at “Old Trafford” with Athinaikos in its … lapses, impressing everyone, but also to honor in his own unique way the jersey of the Greek National Team. In his debut with “Galanolefki”, after all, the opponents – Danes – and the nickname “Phantom” “stuck” on him.
In his enviable career, the “Phantom” of the Greek stadiums won five Greek Championships (three with Olympiacos in 1981, 1982, 1983 and two with Panathinaikos in 1986, 1990) and five Cups (one with Kastoria in 1980, one with Olympiacos in 1981 and three with Panathinaikos 1986, 1988, 1989), while he wore the jersey with the national emblem 58 times.