Lefteris Milos: AEL’s Northern-Epirote Cult Hero

Lefteris Milos: AEL’s Northern-Epirote Cult Hero 

By Michael

For the club representing Thessalia and Alexander the Great’s horse, Bucephalus, AEL are enduring tough times under the ownership of Alexis Kougias. However, AEL enjoys remembering past glories such as winning the Greek Cup in 1985 and 2007, the historic 1987-1988 championship winning season, and even memorable European nights coming up against Dynamo Moscow in the 1985-1986 UEFA Cup Winners’ Cup quarterfinal, marking their first appearance in the 1988-89 European Cup (Now called UEFA Champions League) and UEFA Cup 1st Round tie knocking out Premier League side Blackburn Rovers to qualify for the Group Stages.

Furthermore, the aftermath of winning the Alpha Ethniki in 1988 in historic fashion witnessed the collapse of the Crimsons in the space of 8 years up until 1996 earning relegation to the Beta Ethniki. Star players either aged or departed the club as the squad started to thin and vulnerable, therefore AEL became a mid-table side from the start of the 1990s.

But, during the 90s, there was one player who stood out for AEL and was admired by the fans and the rest of Greece.

His name was Lefteris Milos; introduced himself to Greece back in 1991 when he signed for AEL. Lefteris Milos (Lefter Millo in Albanian) was born on 2nd of April 1966, in the town of Dervitsani to Greek parents in the municipality of Dropolis located in the Greek-inhabited region of Northern Epirus, which is today part of Albania.
Early Life & Career in Albania

Early in his life he endured black moments caused by the communist regime of Enver Hoxha and Ramiz Alia, which culminated in the torture of his brother Sokratis in the Albanian prisons. He also lost his father at an early age, with the result that his mother lifted the burden of survival for him along with his four brothers.

By the time Milos turned 11-years-old, he was trying to forget all the problems that occurred in his young life by starting to play football at his local club, Dynamo Gjirokaster (Argyrokastro In Greek). He brother Vangeli also joined him and both played for the same team, with Lefteris playing in the midfield and Vangeli in central defence. Both showed they had great potential and were recognised as future talents of Albanian football.

However, only one went on to make a professional career. That was of course, Lefteris Milos. By the age of 16, he made the decision to transfer to the academies of Luftetari FC and would eventually graduate from the academy and debut for the club on 19th of February 1984 against KF Skenderbeu Korce, two months before his 18th birthday.

It was in the 1984/85 Albanian league season where he made his breakthrough, even scoring his first professional goal against Partizani Tirana, one of the biggest clubs in Albania. With hard work and endless hours of training, even training without his football boots, Lefteris Milos became the second leading football player in the wider region of Northern Epirus after the late Panagiotis Panou (Panajot Pano in Albanian), who was another ethnic Greek and was selected the Golden Player of Albanian football history, and was also nicknamed “The Little Puskas”. On the other hand, Lefteris Milos was nicknamed “The Tractor”. It may seem rather peculiar nickname, but as soon as he emerged on the football pitch, he showed his endurance, fighting spirit and the fact he ploughed through the field with his attacking intelligence and creative abilities are the reasons why he was given that nickname.

Into his early 20s, Milos enlisted for the Albanian army, in order to gain more chances to join Partizani Tirana. Meanwhile in Tirana, the Partizani coach Neptun Bajko casted his eyes on the Northern-Epirote and expressed his desire to have him in his squad. Kiço Mustaqi (Kitsos Moustakis in Greek) was the Deputy Minister of Defence of Albania during the mid-80s and communicated with Bajko to make the transfer possible as it was proving to be very difficult to sign Milos. Luftetari attempted several times to keep him, but with Mustaqi’s determination Milos eventually joined Partizani Tirana in 1986 and be crowned champions with the club in the 1986/87 league season, then later appear in the European Cup against Portuguese giants Benfica, where Partizani lost 4-0 in Lisbon.

As for Lefteris Milos national team duties, he had competed with the U18s and U21s before joining the senior squad of Albania. His performances for Partizani was recognised by head coach Shyqiri Rreli and eventually called up the Northern-Epirote. On 6th of August 1988, Milos made his national team debut against Caribbean nation Cuba in a 0-0 draw.
The Move to Greece

By the time the early 90s arrived, Milos became an integral part of Partizani Tirana and was the soul of their midfield. However, it was the 90s where Albanian football not only transitioned but changed forever.

The winter of 1990-1991 was marked by the collapse of the communist regime of Hoxha and Alia, which among other things, led to thousands of people cross the Greek borders of Epirus to seek better living conditions in Greece. Lefteris Milos belonged in this category of people but was part of the minority of Greeks from Northern Epirus that migrated to the motherland.

Meanwhile, in the Thessalian capital of Larissa, AEL’s attacking midfielder Vasilis Karapialis, considered to be one of the best Number 10 ever produced in Greek football, was sold to Olympiakos in 1991.

AEL eventually signed Lefteris Milos as Karapialis’ replacement. However, he would join the reserves for the time being as AEL awaited approval of the transfer from Partizani to be legalised and officially joined the Crimsons in summer 1991, as the Costas Samaras administration covered the financial demands of the transfer, thus became the most expensive footballer in AEL’s history.

When Milos joined, the team had already been disintegrated and weakened as star players departed, but he along with Romanian international Stefan Stoica offered AEL the required dynamics of the team’s attack and were the main attraction of the fans as well as kept the club afloat during the 90s. 

Lefteris Milos quickly adapted very well into the Greek climate and was also welcomed and admired in Larissa. In his first Alpha Ethniki season with the club, he truly showed exactly why he was called The Tractor back in the mid-80s by Albanian sports pundits. In the seventh round of the 1991/1992 Alpha Ethniki, AEL faced Panathinaikos at the OAKA and were victorious 1-3 to claim all 3 points. This was the game that highlighted the link up play between Milos and Stoica, but mostly showed Milos’ endurance, attacking intelligence and storming through the field, which was one of his best performances in the shirt. 

Unfortunately, AEL were never the force they once were during the 80s, the Golden Age of the club.  Although, they were kept afloat by the prowess of Milos in the 90s. He was the main leader of AEL from 1991 to 1996, also continued to play for the Albanian national team. During his five years with the club, Milos was one of the main contributors to AEL’s stay in the old Alpha Ethniki until confirming their relegation in the 1995/1996 season. It was disastrous, as Milos barely featured and only made four appearances due to a season ending injury. It was up to Stoica to do the job, but without the presence of his teammate Milos, AEL were left for dead. It clearly showed how vital Milos was to AEL during the 90s, which is particularly why he is regarded a cult hero of the club.

Iraklis & The End of the Road

After AEL were relegated to the Beta Ethniki in 1996 after 18 years in the top-flight, it was without a doubt Lefteris Milos was on the verge of departing Larissa to continue his career elsewhere. Despite his intention to stay in the Thessalian capital for many years, which he had opened a business, Milos departed and travelled up to the capital of Macedonia, Thessaloniki, and signed for Iraklis in the summer of 1996.

The transfer had caused a stir in Thessaloniki, as PAOK had shortlisted the midfielder to reinforce their squad for the new season. After recovering from a long-term injury, Milos appeared regularly in the Iraklis until suffering another long-term injury, rupturing his anterior cruciate ligament, against Apollon Smyrni at Rizoupoli on December 8th in the 1996/1997 football season.

In the winter of 1997, Iraklis changed managers and hired Alketas Panagoulias to replace Vasilis Antoniadis. Once the managerial change was completed, Panagoulias did not favour Milos despite being out injured and was released immediately. Much to the disappointment, he never succeeded in Thessaloniki.

After leaving Thessaloniki, Milos cited problems at the club, pointing the main problem at both Antoniadis and Panagoulias, firstly stating that Panagoulias should not have judged players within weeks of his jobs but only the administration of Iraklis can do so, and secondly stated that Antoniadis pressured him and his teammates too much which negatively impacted the team’s performances.

Furthermore, Milos was confident that he would back playing again when he recovered in the upcoming summer of 1997. Meanwhile, there were ongoing reports that Lefteris Milos met with AEL President Nikos Papanikolaou for a possible return to AEL and wear the maroon jersey for the second time.

Unfortunately, the transfer never occurred. One month before his 31st birthday, Lefteris Milos tragically lost his life in a car crash in Giannouli, located just outside of Larissa, in the early hours of Saturday morning, 2;45am on the 8th of March, colliding head on with a taxi driver as he drove on the wrong side of the road. 

A real pity for the Greek from Northern Epirus, who had lived through the horrors of the Hoxha and Alia communist regime of Albania, and at the moment of his life enjoying the fruits of his labours and the love for his people, and suddenly the thread of his life was cut off.

In 2009, the Albanian Football Federation awarded him the posthumous title of "Football Legend", as it was included in the top eleven stars of Albanian football of the last century, which includes Panagiotis Panou, while on 9th of March 2013, the bust of Lefteris Milos was unveiled in his village of Dervitsani, at a commemoration event organised by Albania’s Minister of Labor, Social Affairs and Equal Opportunities, Spiro Ksera, another ethnic Greek politician (Spyros Xeras in Greek), as it was his desire to commemorate his fellow villager.

The event was attended by Greeks from Larissa and Thessaloniki, Albanians and former teammates and friends and shed tears for this day.

The stadium of Dervitsani was also named after the last midfielder who bore the name of “The Tractor”. Despite not winning a title in Greece, he was loved enough for his ethos and, by an overwhelming majority, was appreciated for his value due to his presence and recognition in Greek Football.

Lefteris Milos – Gone, but never forgotten

Career Statistics:

CLUB:
Luftetari FC: 46 games (2 goals)

Partizani Tirana: 147 games (9 goals)

AEL: 121 games (13 goals)

Iraklis: 15 games (0 goals)

INTERNATIONAL:

Albania: 20 games (0 goals)

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