George Vayannidis: “I would play for free, but now I have the contract and the role I want in Panathinaikos”

He recently renewed his contract with him and explained what that means for him and his presence in the team from which he began his career. In an interview on PAO TV, George Vayanidis remembered his course in the “trifyllios” academies, his rise to Panathinaikos’s first team, his transfer to Inter, and his return to the “greens”, while he did not hide that his goal is to try again in the future to compete abroad. CORVERSE Vayanidis’ statements Why he chose Panathinaikos: “The choice to come to Panathinaikos was not as much mine as his father’s, because he had grown up in L. Alexandra as a boy and was a fan of the team”. How he felt in his first training with the men’s team: “I remember characteristically this first training I had done when he was Marinos Uzoudis coach. There were four or five of us. I remember our shock. How different the rhythm, the pressure and the way you perceived the game. It is, of course, also a reward that at the time you do not feel so much because of the pressure and anxiety you have. My first big shock as a footballer was my first practice with the men’s team.” For the value of the academies for the group: “The years I was at the academy were probably at her best. With Samara in charge there was a method. We had a 12-year-old therapist. From 10 to 20 years we all played in a common way. So we assimilated the game. I think that, even though I don’t have a good picture of what’s happening at the academies now, good work is still going on. I think of myself as an example of the fact that I came from the academies and narrowed myself down to the first team. CORVERSE Panathinaikos in recent years has not given opportunities to children of the academy either because there is the pressure of the league or because it has raised the level and because of the players coming. This has been a difficult process. A healthy club is required to use some children from its academy. It’s the club’s identity. Without these kids, the club doesn’t have that. The Greeks who are made by children on the team know what the club and its jersey mean. We need the team to invest in their academies and children. It will do her a lot of good.” About what he wants for his future: “The truth is that I had a dream at some point many participations with Panathinaikos’ jersey, but it is my dream to compete at some point and at a higher level than Greece. If that never comes, then maybe the best option for me is to stay on the team I grew up in. My dream and the goal is not to stay here forever. I want to set great goals and challenges for myself. But my years here are a dream come true. If there is any sale in the future, it will do the club good, not only for money, but also more generally, to reach the highest level.” About the step he took abroad and Inter: “I was very young. It was a tough step enough. I can’t tell if I did wrong or right. If I hadn’t taken that step and eaten the slap, I wouldn’t be here. I used it. The fact that I went from Inter to Panathinaikos’ second team and played on National Stadiums that you know is and managed through this process to emerge again is my greatest success in my career. More psychologically not playful. I had to shoot too. You went there because you think you’re someone. You went for the money. I had to drop my ego and say “You made a mistake or a choice that didn’t come out, I do what was best for you now and come back. Of course I saw a lot of things there. Another world completely. If I hadn’t passed it, I wouldn’t be on this level now.” For the role of DJ in the locker room: “I got this role, because only I have taste in music. You also saw the results on Instagram with what Spotify got. We need to evolve a little, because we’re back to that part. At first I was told “What do you hear, my boy” and then it became “Put this piece on a little”. For the new contract: “The difficult thing for me was this whole two-year period, which I have not yet been rewarded for what I have shown as a player and as George. I don’t know what the rest of them think of me, but personally, they never gave anyone a right to think that I’m going to rest or that the question for me is money. But as a player of Panathinaikos who has given enough to the team, I thought that the natural consequence is renewed with the contract that corresponds to me and that alone I would feel the security and comfort of fighting here as best I can. If the team told me to play for free by the end of the year, I would. But as everyone knows, when you sign a good contract for yourself, then you play in another way on the field. Not because of the money, but because of the loyalty and confidence you feel on the field. That’s what I’ve been looking for all this time. Now I feel it intensely on the field. That I have the contract and the role I want on the team. All these years I’ve been looking for weight and responsibility. If anyone knows the team well the weight of this whole Panathinaikos situation is me. Go ahead and know two or three more so well. But like me no one knows.” George Vayanidis has now won a key position in Panathinaikos.