Unai: “Things are going very well with Vitoria – We are playing for all three titles”

Panathinaikos and PAOK face off behind closed doors at OAKA for the 17th matchday of the Stoiximan Super League, in the first derby of 2025.

In view of this confrontation, Mr Azedin Unai spoke to Matchday Mag of the “greens” about his adaptation to the team, the course of this season, but also their goals her.

At the same time, he commented on what has changed since Rui Vitoriaboth on a personal and competitive level, but also in the team’s locker room.

In detail, what he reported in MatchDay Mag of the “green” PAE:

You have completed four months at Panathinaikos and in the last few weeks you seem to have improved quite a bit on the pitch. Do you feel the same way? Do you feel that you have adapted to the team and the new environment?

“Indeed, I feel better and better. Every race I feel even better than the last. It is true that I needed some time to adapt to the championship and to life in Greece. If, from one moment to the next, you change city, change country, change environment, it is true that you need some time to adapt. I have also made changes around my environment. Now I have a trainer next to me, who works with me every day. So I think I’m improving and it shows on the pitch. I think that in the next matches I will have reached 100% of my potential…”.

During this time there was also a change of coach. Given that the team had to… reconstitute, did that affect your adjustment?

“From the first moment I signed for Panathinaikos, my goals were and have remained the same. Nothing changed for me. What I wanted, and what I want, is to help the club as much as possible. That’s why I focused on myself. I didn’t see if the previous coach made me play more or less. After all, these are things that happen in football. I remember that in Marseille we changed four or five coaches in less than a year and a half. So it was normal for me. However, it is true that things are going very well with the new coach. We are on a good winning streak, which is a very positive thing. And I believe we will continue at the same pace in the new year.”

It is clear that the arrival of Rui Vitoria has had a positive effect on Panathinaikos. At least, that’s what you can tell by watching the team’s games since the day he took over. Do you players feel the same inside the team?

“There’s no doubt about it! And especially when you have a winning streak, you realize that the change is positive. Mr. Vitoria came up with ideas. And all together we are one team, one family. With the experience I have, either with Marseille or with the National team of my country, I can say that the team – the group – is something very important. You can have excellent and high-quality players, but if you can’t have a team, you can’t achieve anything. So for me the most important thing is the team and the group. And what we feel now is that we exist as a group and as a group. And this group, I feel, will win something this year…”.

Panathinaikos is fighting in a triple tableau: there is the championship, which of course is the big goal. There is Europe, which is always something special for the club, and there is also the Cup, where you are defending last year’s title. Do you feel the team can handle this load?

“First of all I will say that I do not separate the games and the competitions. I am here and I am playing to win all the matches and all the titles with Panathinaikos. I am a man with ambitions. I never say that I will give 50% for the Cup and 100% for the league. I play 100% in all matches! And I see the same in the team as a whole and in the eyes of my teammates. We are in a big club and we are playing for all three titles…”.

This is also evident from the fact that you treat every game as a final. It is something that has been passed on to the team by Mr. Vitoria?

“Yes, exactly! This is the idea that our coach wants to pass on to the players and he is absolutely right. And so are great players, great coaches and great teams. They play for all the titles, they play to win all the matches. And what we feel as a group is that every match is like a final”.

How is working with the coach? What new has he brought to the team?

“When he came he didn’t have much time to work or to change many things because the matches were continuous. But what I liked from the first moment is what I predicted: that he wants us to see every match as a final. During the week we work hard. He passes his ideas and what he wants to the team and we feel that in every match the team is improving and moving up. He is a man with a clear football plan. He has clear ideas, which he clearly conveys to the team. And I have to congratulate him because he tried from the first moment to create a family. Try to make the team a family. With the experience I have both from clubs and at the level of national teams, I think that being a team and a family at the same time is very important”.

You come from a big league like Ligue 1. How do you judge the level of the Greek league?

“Ligue 1 is one of the best leagues and certainly the Greek one is something different. But I, for my part, do not watch the championship. Primarily, I care about myself and being focused on the work I need to do in order to help my team and still be able to enjoy the game. What I want most is to live the joy of the game. I want to be a happy player. Regarding the level of the league, I have to say that the Greek league is a demanding one, where there are 4-5 strong teams and quite difficult games. But what is most important for me is what I do on the pitch and what I offer to the club. So if I can help my team win titles, I will be absolutely happy.”

Panathinaikos’ next opponent is PAOK, a great opponent and one of the teams with which the battle for the title will take place. What must Panathinaikos do to win this derby?

“It is true that we are entering a phase where we will once again find before us the greats of the Greek league. But I repeat that I do not see who our opponent is. I look at myself and my team. So if we are at 100% and follow our coach’s plan, we will win this match as well. As our coach always tells us in the locker room, the most important thing is to focus on ourselves and our game, giving our best on the field. If we do this, we create the conditions for victory. It is certain that in the game against PAOK we will enter the stadium with all our strength to win. And we will give 200% to succeed…”.

How are you in Greece? Have you adjusted to the new lifestyle?

“I really like Athens and life here. So did my family who came to visit me. It is completely different from France. The truth is that I feel much, much better here than in France!”.

Why do you say that?

“The people here are very different, as is the culture they have. There is a difference with France. I really like the culture I see in Greece. I would say that people are more calm. They don’t judge you, they don’t criticize you and they don’t criticize you. They are nice to you. In France, it is true, that many times they criticize people even if they don’t know them. I feel beautiful here!”.

Describe for us a typical day in Athens?

“In the morning I go to training. Then I go back to my house, eat, rest and spend time with my friends. In the afternoon I go to the gym, where I do my program with my trainer. Then I return home again to rest. If I find time, I might go out into the city…”.

What you describe shows great dedication to football. It shows mood, will and ambition. You don’t just rest on your talent…

“I have a trainer who is always with me in Athens. It costs me a lot of course (laughs)! But this is my choice because I want to be at the best level. Since I signed for Panathinaikos, I said that many things happened in Marseille last year. I always tried to give my best. But so many things happened, also outside of football, that made me lose a bit of control over myself and my way of working. Then, and until I came to Panathinaikos, I spent another month – in August – in the market, which was very tough. But even that helped me grow and grow. Of course, I was forced to make changes in my life and work more. I have talent, I know it. But talent is not enough. You have to work hard on an individual level as well. Right now I feel like I’ve progressed in terms of fitness as well as in my private life. I feel good and I feel that I am climbing more and more from race to race…”.

Do you watch other sports or are you a football fanatic?

“Football and only football! I’m a fanatic! I never even watch basketball. I also watched Panathinaikos closely and I really liked it. But football is the sport I like more than anything else…”.

Your goals and wishes for 2025?

“My main goal is to win titles with Panathinaikos. To give joy to our fans, who are always by our side. Both the club and our fans deserve something and we will do everything to give it to them.”