George Samaras shared his memories from the day of his transfer to Heerenveen when he was 16 years old, speaking to the Dutch media. The -now- vice-president of PAE OFI underlined how difficult it was for that time to get a transfer to a team in Western Europe, revealing that even his father, when he heard it, did not believe it, he said in an interview with EFLVoetbal.
In detail what he stated:
“I signed at Heerenveen after ten days of training. Do not forget what the times were like. It was then difficult for a young footballer from Western Europe to go to the Netherlands and start his career. It’s a lot easier now. Whether you are from Nigeria, Bulgaria, Israel and Uganda, there is no problem. Scouts travel around the world and managers fill the internet with photos and videos. Then you had to represent yourself. At the time, Heerenveen was a well-known club that provided opportunities for young players from abroad. The beginning was successful.
After the first training I went straight to the president. He was waiting for me with a large envelope and asked me if I had my passport with me. Then he took out my contract and I signed. I was surprised. I immediately called my house, my father thought I was joking with him. He flew to the Netherlands five days later and to my surprise the beginning was difficult for me. I had to get used to the way of life, the weather, the food. I am grateful as a footballer that in my first steps I met Leen van der Lee, who helped me a lot. I soon realized that Heerenveen was a family club. The new players were coming to a family. At first I was staying in a hotel, then we moved to an apartment complex where other footballers were staying.
For the first two years my mother often came to stay with me. My father could not come because he was the coach of OFI. When his contract expired in 2002, he came and stayed permanently in the Netherlands. We moved to Lemmer. “We still have the house, my father comes and stays two or three times a year and uses it as a base to scout in the Netherlands, Belgium, France and Germany, while I have not been here for the last five years.”
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