Nikos Sarganis

Nikos Sarganis (Greek: Νίκος Σαργκάνης; 13 January 1954 – 8 December 2024) was a Greek professional footballer who played as a goalkeeper.

Club career Born in Rafina, Attica, (however, his families origins are from the village of Papadianika, Peloponnese where he received an honourable reward from the village) Sarganis started his football career as a full-back at Ilisiakos. He switched to goalkeeper under the guidance of his coach, Christos Ribas, himself a capable goalkeeper of the 1930s. Sarganis moved on to Kastoria in 1977 and played for the furriers until the end of the 1980 season. He was part of the team that shocked the Greek football world by winning the Greek Cup in 1980. Following that triumph, he transferred to Olympiacos where he played from 1980 until the end of the 1985 season. Sarganis then controversially joined Olympiacos' arch-rivals, Panathinaikos and played for the greens for the next five years. On 8 May 1988, Sarganis helped win the Greek Cup for Panathinaikos in a penalty shootout by saving two Olympiacos penalty shots while scoring one himself. In 1990, he continued his career at Athinaikos where he played for two seasons before he retired.

Internantional career Sarganis was capped 58 times by the Greece national team. His international high point came on 15 October 1980, when he preserved a 1–0 Greek victory in Copenhagen against Denmark. The Danish press gave him the nickname Phantom by which he would be known throughout the rest of his career.

Personal life Sarganis had a wife and a daughter named Mirella. He was an active member of Veteran team of Olympiacos.

Death Sarganis died from cancer in Athens on 8 December 2024, at the age of 70.