THE Panathinaikos tested tonight in Peristeri (12/03, 19:00) against Fearlessas part of the 26th and final matchday of the Stoiximan Super League regular season.
Speaking to Meso in his hometown, Mr Laszlo Kleinheisler he referred to his first impressions of life in Greece and Panathinaikos, while among other things, the 28-year-old Hungarian spoke about big goal of the “greens” which is none other than winning the championship.
At the same time, he stated that his nickname in the team is… Paul Scholes, because of his physiognomy which refers to the legend of Manchester United!
Laszlo Kleinheisler’s statements in detail:
As to whether he has acquired a Greek… name like Lorad which became Lorantidis: “No, I don’t know anything yet. But it’s already known here that my nickname is Scholes, because I look like the former Manchester United midfielder, and that’s what they call me here. I think the adjustment here is going well, I feel great. I have Croatian and Slovenian teammates, an Albanian named Enis Čokai, who has played in the Croatian league, and I immediately found common ground with them.”
On how his transfer to Panathinaikos came about in January: “Everything happened very quickly. It was a few days until the end of the winter transfer window and my manager Vladan Filipovic called me to tell me about this opportunity. The team wanted me, the coach wanted me, I didn’t have to think about it, I immediately said yes and we traveled the next day. I was very happy to be in such a famous team, it’s a huge opportunity.”
On how easily he and his family coped with the move to Athens: “We really like living here and summer is coming, which will be even better. My wife is from Croatia but she had no problem coming. Our young son, Noel, is five months old and my wife’s daughter from our first marriage also lives with us. Now we live in the area of Glyfada, a beautiful area, which, although it is a suburb, has the character of a center. Now we are looking for a house with a garden because I have a small French bulldog and it will be better for him to play in the garden.’
On whether Panathinaikos’ claim to the championship played a role: “Yes, it gives me a very important motivation, as well as the team. I have won the championship with Videoton and a Hungarian Cup with Ferentzvaros, but becoming the champion of Greece will be a special feeling. I can imagine how big the celebrations will be after 13 years of waiting. Every team plays each other in the playoffs, every game is a battle and everything will be decided in these last ten games.”
For the difference in pace compared to the Hungarian and Croatian leagues: “Yes, he is stronger. When I came here, I suffered a lot in the first part of the training, it was very intense. The pace of the match was similar to the national team games. This is good, because I can also use it in the national team, I will have more power. The training sessions are very good, recently I trained with the second team, the pace was excellent again. And that’s very important: the pitches at the training center are of great quality, the grass is perfect, and that helps us play fast.”
On the combativeness that characterizes his game: “I’ve always been like that. I admit that when the game is not going well, I always pick myself up and fight for every ball. Sometimes it doesn’t work out, you might get sent off, but if you fight hard, no one will say anything bad, not the coach, not the fans.”
On whether Sporar is the star of Panathinaikos: “He’s very good, but there’s also ex-Brazil international Bernard and Argentina’s Sebastian Palacios, who are quick and threatening in attack.”
For what must be competition with Mancini and Palacios: “Up until now, I’ve usually been a substitute in their position, or them in mine, but that’s not necessarily the rule, because I can also play behind the striker, so there are options. I take care of myself, the most important thing is to get in the best physical shape again and then a place in the starting line-up will be mine. The left side is the best position for me, I like playing there and in Osijek that’s where I got the most chances. Of course, I can imagine changing positions, even during a match.”
On the 3.5-year contract he signed with Panathinaikos and how he sees his future: “We don’t know what the future will bring. I have already played for one or two good teams, to name just two of the former green teams, Werder Bremen and Ferencvaros. I am already proud of what I have achieved so far. Why shouldn’t I be? I have gained a lot of experience abroad and all I can say is that I will stay in Greece as long as possible and achieve great things”.
For the Hungarian national team and the Euro qualifiers: “There are no big names as opponents, but our group is not easy with Serbia, Montenegro, Bulgaria and Lithuania, the opponents are mainly expected to defend, the Hungarian national team has respect. I trust the team, I’m sure we can get good results and in recent years we’ve shown what we’re capable of. We are looking forward to the games, before the match against the Bulgarians for the qualifiers, we will have a chance to experiment against the Estonians, and it will help us prepare for the group games.”
Source: Sport Fm
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