Panathinaikos: “Our Marcus Berg”

THE Marcus Berg announced his decision to end his career and Panathinaikos remembered his great appearances and successes with the green.

“Our own Marcus Berg“, is the title of this green PAE’s tribute to Berg which states…

“Marcus Berg’s decision to end his football career also closes a big chapter in the history of Panathinaikos.

10 years and almost three months ago, on July 8, 2013, Panathinaikos announced the acquisition of Markus from Hamburg. At the age of 27, at a prime footballing age, the Swedish striker was convinced by the plan presented to him by the people of Triphyllio and above all he saw – absolutely correctly, as it turned out – an important opportunity to return to a high level.

Berg became a symbol at Panathinaikos! And how could it happen otherwise, since the effectiveness in the way the team played was huge, more than anyone else. And of course the numbers cannot hide the skill of scorer Markus. 95 goals in 151 appearances in four years! By simple maths, one goal per match and a half played!

In Berg’s face, the answer “after Cisse who?” was finally found, while for the older players the comparisons with the top of the top scorers, Christoph Vazeja, had begun. No one knows where Marcus would have ended up if in the summer of 2017 he had not made the decision to continue his career at Al Ain. What is certain is that his 95 goals rank him second in foreign scorers and seventh overall in the history of the club, while his 151 games in the green jersey bring him to the top ten of the most “loyal” foreign footballers!

Thanks to his presence at Panathinaikos, Berg not only returned to the Swedish national team, but in the end he became what he was destined for: he succeeded the unsurpassed Zlatan Ibrahimovic! He played in the final phase of both the World Cup and the European Championship, leaving his mark on the national team as well.

At Panathinaikos he signed three different contracts. The first in 2013 with which he became a football player of Trifyllios. This was followed by the one in 2015 with the renewal lasting until 2018 and the last one in January 2017 with a contract extension until 2019. Finally, Berg stayed for four years, creating indelible memories for Panathinaikos fans and of course winning nationwide football recognition for his skills of. He celebrated the 2014 Cup – with the same absolute protagonist, scoring three times in the final against PAOK – while participating in the Europa League groups for two seasons.

Berg was honored – together with Djibril Cisse – last January by PAE Panathinaikos, knowing the apotheosis in “Apostolos Nikolaidis”. He was loved a lot but he also loved Panathinaikos. After all, he has declared himself a fan of Trefoil!

His achievements at Panathinaikos, as well as the slogan “The Swede is crazy”, will not be forgotten by those who lived through it. We wish Marcus the best of luck in whatever he does from now on.”

King Marcus ??#Panathinaikos #PAOFChttps://t.co/DurB2AtacX pic.twitter.com/HA6fs8zwbH

— Panathinaikos FC (@paofc_) September 27, 2023