Papanikolaou on Ioannidis: “We had a hard time, but he had a magical gift”

Today he would not last a day on the team bench.

Not coaching wise, but with the changing times.

The UK training practices he had on us, with constant pressure beyond the limits verbally and physically, would not be tolerated.

But we shouldn’t judge people from older decades so superficially.

Because then if I remember correctly, the punishments in the School, was standing on one leg, Ruler and pulling the sideburns.

So the comparison of times requires attention to the conclusions, because they, in turn, had other experiences.

Even though we were going through everything, he had a magical gift.

When you were next to him you didn’t want to see him, especially when he took us to mountains abroad for 35 days without many rights…. and with training beyond the limits and on the other hand when you were away from missing him. Maybe because at the same time he made sure you didn’t miss anything off the field.

He made sure that he was the last to eat at the team table, being its leader inside and outside.

The years passed, he became more humane and approachable, we approached him to find out what this tough personality hides inside.

And then you could make him your sidekick.

Now when we would usually meet him with his wife Iula and later with his daughter, we were filled with joy and remembered the past with a different eye.

Today, along with Yiannis Ioannidis, a part of our youth died.