Stefan Ortega: Imanol Alguacil’s Man Behind Olympiacos Rebuild

Olympiacos have started the season strongly; having accumulated 19 points from their first 8 games of the 2026-27 edition of the Super League Greece, Thrylos currently sit in second position on the league charts, a mere 2 points behind leaders Panathinaikos, who have collected 21 points in the same number of games played. In its 8 matches, Olympiacos registered 6 victories, one draw and one loss.

The Greek club have also started their European campaign on a very strong note; from their first 3 UEFA Europa League matches, Olympiacos have managed to collect 9 points by winning all the games, and are currently in 5th position on the league phase points table.

A very important part of Olympiacos’ strong start to the season has been its impeccable defence, which has been very helpful in stopping the attacks of their opponents. The team has kept clean sheets in 6 consecutive fixtures, and across all competitions so far this season, Olympiacos' defence has registered 8 clean sheets. The team's defensive success has depended heavily on the performances of the new summer signing from English club Nottingham Forest, goalkeeper Stefan Ortega. The shot-stopper, according to media outlet Thrylos 7 International, has prevented almost 4 goals in this run of fixtures.

In a post published on its social media handle on X, Thrylos 7 International wrote, “While it's very easy to highlight the goal scorers and other offensive goal contributors, it's important to recognise the contributions of our goalkeeper Stefan Ortega.”

The post further said, “6 clean sheets in a row and 8 clean sheets in the season so far with almost 4 goals prevented.”

Ortega’s shot stopping skills were proved again in Olympiacos' last game against Greek side Kalamata, wherein the German goalkeeper again managed to keep a clean sheet while his outfield teammates proved their attacking prowess, scoring 5 goals on their opponents. Winger Jota Silva scored a brilliant hat-trick in the game, while Marius Mouandilmadji and Leon Bailey scored one apiece.

After Greek goalkeeper Konstantinos Tzolakis left the club for English side Hull City during the summer transfer window, Thrylos' supporters had been worrying over the goalkeeper situation as Tzolakis had been an integral part of Olympiacos' success in the recent seasons. However, Ortega has, till now, proved very dependable between the sticks. As reiterated by Thrylos 7 International in its post, “After Tzolakis was sold there was a lot of concern over Ortega because he was a free transfer. He's proving to be an effective shot stopper and a vital piece in restarting possession for us.”

Whether Stefan Ortega manages to hold on to his brilliant form throughout the course of the season is a matter of debate; however, if he does so, Olympiacos will surely have a brilliant run and will definitely be aiming for multiple trophies.