He returned to Athens, Greece as the assistant coach of the Greece national football team, under the famous Northern Ireland coach Billy Bingham, in 1972. In the next year, he became head coach of the Greek National Football team. He coached the Greek team from 1973–1981, including the first appearance of Greece in the Euro of 1980, in Italy. That remained the only time Greece had qualified for the Euro tournament until 2004, when they won the championship. He coached the famous Olympiacos C.F.P. from 1981–1983, earning the championship title in 1982 and 1983.