Sporar: “Panathinaikos and Slovan did not find each other in the summer, I want to stop as an Olympia player”

A comprehensive interview was granted by Andraz Sporar on a website of Slovenia and especially on “nogomania“…

With the 29-year-old centre-forward talking about the fact that he does not compete much in the Panathinaikosto confirm the contacts of the “greens” with the Slovan Bratislava last summer for his transfer and to clarify that he wants to return to Olympia Ljubljanaand close his career by winning the championship with her.

What Sporar said in detail:

For Slovenia’s third place in Group B of League B of the Nations League: “It’s not a tragedy. It seems to me that we were emotionally exhausted in the Euros, and the Nations League, let’s face it, is not at the greatest level of the European Championship. We had two strong national teams in our group. We picked up eight points, drew twice with the Austrians, who belong to League A. But we didn’t have the image we had in the Euros, we know that. What was missing were the features that set us apart in Euro. The passion and the will, if we don’t have it, then things don’t go well, because as a national team we are not at a high level.”

For Slovenia’s excellent run at the Euros in Germany: “An excellent atmosphere was created already in the qualifiers, of course the “charge” is clearly different compared to the Nations League, which is not negligible. We players were constantly in touch and looking forward to the matches. It’s hard to describe what exactly happened and it “clicked”, it wasn’t just one thing or event. I am sure that we will be ready again for the World Cup qualifiers. It would be great if the draw was on our side again, as it was in the Euro qualifiers. I’m sure we can do it. I believe we can be in the final phase of the World Cup.”

For the fact that in the last two matches of the national team he was a substitute: “I don’t play much in Panathinaikos anymore, so it was clear to me what was waiting for me. The coach also explained it to me, how and why. In terms of my quality, I fully believe in myself, but in terms of club minutes, other players had the lead at the time.”

For the short time of participation in Panathinaikos: “Panathinaikos is a big club. The situation is specific. We have many players, we are not in the best playing condition. We definitely have to improve it if we want to achieve our goal, which is to win the championship.”

On whether he came close to returning to Slovan last summer: “In my first season in Slovan (since January 2018), we were not champions. When the new stadium was built, however, fans began to arrive and the team’s dominance of Slovak football began. It was great in Bratislava, the city is great. The rumours, yes, were true, they wanted me, but in the end the clubs didn’t agree.”

For the Sporting Lisbon chapter: “I went to Sporting as the third top scorer in the Europa League and I had a lot to manage at that time. I transferred at the end of January (2020), without any preparation, it was not something I could control at the time. I scored 12 goals in 37 games, that’s not enough for Sporting, I understand that. But now we see what Sporting means. A truly top team. Sporting director Hugo Viana, who is rumored to be going to Manchester City, coach Ruben Amorim, who is now at Manchester United, and president Frederico Varadas are responsible for all these successes.”

For Ruben Amorim: “I did the most intense training of my career with him. Often, when a coach is at the club for a long time, he does not supervise all the exercises in the training sessions. He, however, controlled everything, measured and encouraged everyone. It “raises” you every day, constantly, so you feel better as a player. That makes all the difference. That’s why the Sporting players have an excellent pace of play, they maintain a high intensity. He is a great coach. I believe he can upgrade Manchester United, although I don’t know the exact situation there. It doesn’t surprise me that it got so high.”

About how he thinks about the next day and whether he wants to end his career in Olympia: “I hope so! I want it! I haven’t won the championship with Olympia yet, although this title counts for me since I left in the middle of the season. I’m still connected to Olympia, sometimes I talk to people from the club. I intend to lift the laurels of the title as captain of Olympia!”

About his future plans: “We’ll see how it goes. When the body says enough, then enough will be enough. There is life after your playing career. I will live in Slovenia, my home, that’s for sure. I can’t imagine anything else. You have to go abroad, stay there for a few years, and then you appreciate more what Slovenia has to offer. If you think that traffic jams are what you experience on the outskirts of Ljubljana, come to Athens.”