Thanasis Bempis

Thanasis Bebis (; 26 June 1928 – 23 July 2017) was a Greek professional footballer who played as a midfielder. He is deeply connected to Olympiacos, where he spent most of his career and won 24 titles. He made 17 appearances for the Greece national team scoring one goal. He was given the nickname "Pinocchio" as he deceived the opposite defences with his dribbling skills and moves with the ball.

Club career Bebis was born on 26 June 1928 in Votanikos, and during the German occupation he started playing football in Prasina Poulia of Petralona. After a move to the neighboring teams Enosi Agiou Andrea and Akratitos, the young Athenian joined the roster of Fostiras at the age of 19. On 12 July 1948, he signed a letter stating: "I declare that I will be a loyal follower of him and I will never leave my favorite club Fostiras". Later, however, he accused the management of his team of forgery, revoked his declaration of allegiance and the case ended up in the courts without any outcome.

Style of play He was short, slender, incredibly active, he usually dribbled with his head held high, he was usually referred to as a classic "number 10". Initially, he played as an attacking midfielder, but as the years went by, he became a central midfielder. He was a football genius in that his playing style is reminiscent of players like Raymond Kopa and Lionel Messi. His control and pass were smart, he controlled the rhythm of the game, while his most spectacular skill was daft dribbles or "tunnels" to the opponents. The most important disadvantage was of course, the headers, in contrast to his scoring skills despite not being a pure striker. When Bebis was running, a still tuft stood out as an extension of the back of his head, a trademark of his outward appearance, in combination of course with the little boy. He generally liked to dodge opponents with dribbles and tricks, he was cunning and sloppy whenever he needed to be, but in some cases he was vindictive. Bebis used to say about his famous dribbles: "Even before the opponent gets too close to me, I have made sure that I will kick the ball in the opposite direction from what I am thinking. So the other one is tricked, moves sideways and the dribbling starts. The opponent is not that stupid. He quickly finds his composure and tries to block my way. But I trick him again, passing the ball under my feet, pushing it sideways with the inside of my left foot. Immediately after, I turn my body sideways, forcing the opponent to either lose his balance, or try to tackle me, which, I always anticipate and always avoid. The decisive point of the dribble: the opponent must be so fooled that… he is looking for the ball behind me. Whenever I do that, my dribble is considered successful." His playing skills were praised by friends and "enemies". His nickname, "Pinocchio" probably came from the Greek Cypriot poet and journalist Pavlos Krinaios.

Managerial career After his playing days were over Bebis returned as a coach to Olympiacos for 4 occasions, as a caretaker manager. Specifically, from 10 May to 15 June 1969 he managed 6 victories, from 3 May to 17 February 1980 he recorded 1 win and 2 draws which included a lost cup final. On 27 November 1983 the victory came with 5-0 against Egaleo, while from 18 March to 6 May 1984 he achieved 5 wins and 1 draw. Finally, Bebis recorded 3 wins and 2 draws from 5 May to 16 June 1985, completing his spell with a total of 16 wins, 5 draws and no defeats. In addition, he worked as a manager at Vyzas Megara in the seasons 1968–69, 1969–70 and in Korinthos for 2 matches of the 1987–88 season. In May 1970 he served at Koropi as a temporary replacement for the manager, Georgios Darivas.

Death "Pinocchio" died at the age of 89 and took with him another huge part of the romantic era of Greek football. The moment he kneels and kisses the flag of Olympiacos will forever be engraved in the memory of his fans. Mimis Domazos, legendary figure of the rival Panathinaikos posted on the social media "From a young age I admired and respected him. I remember when we played opponents in the last games of his career. Have a good trip Thanasis. " Domazos, like many non-Olympians, recognized even after his death the value of that great player who "left" on 23 July 2017.

HonoursOlympiacosPanhellenic Championship: 1950–51, 1954–55, 1955–56, 1956–57, 1957–58, 1958–59 Greek Cup: 1950–51, 1951–52, 1952–53, 1956–57, 1957–58, 1958–59, 1959–60, 1960–61, 1962–63 Piraeus FCA League: 1951, 1952, 1953, 1955, 1956, 1957, 1958, 1959 Balkans Cup: 1963Individual' Panhellenic Championship top scorer: 1950–51