George Printezis, in his statements during the event, spoke about his feelings and made a mini review of his career, wearing the jersey of Olympiakos.
Detailed statements by Printezis:
When I first started, I didn’t expect something like this. I only felt great joy and honor that I could at least train with the team I loved since childhood. As the years went by, as you grow up and are nurtured by a club, it starts to exist in your mind, like a distant dream.
Sportingly, the end was then. A year and a cycle that closed beautifully. Tomorrow will be a very beautiful gesture by the club and the presidents, whom I thank very much.
I’m not well prepared. Or rather, I have prepared, but I can’t manage it. Not only the emotional burden. Even though it’s a moment that people see and say ‘how lucky you are’, and I am indeed lucky, because I am also a bit more emotional, it will be a moment that I will handle with difficulty. Tomorrow, the day after, I might watch some videos and it could make me even happier and I might really enjoy it then. Because at that moment, I don’t know if I will enjoy it.
The faces are what make situations, the daily interactions, the successes, the beautiful moments, but also the bad ones. All of these together can compose a very beautiful puzzle for Olympiakos, and that I hold onto. Above all, human relationships are what matter. Every time we meet, it’s like everything is on autopilot. Human relationships, love, and respect remain.
I can’t say that I miss anything. A very beautiful cycle ended after many years. Many painful, difficult days, with successes and defeats. I think I left full, both from the love of the fans and in terms of results, but also in terms of time. I hope I didn’t tire my teammates or anyone else.
It’s very beautiful to hear the chant “George, soul of Olympiakos.” There is a bond with the Olympiakos fans. I never tried to pretend or show more emotions than I felt, even though those feelings might have been more than what I displayed.
We have been through so much with Spanoulis. I said it last year at his celebration when I was asked if I could isolate a moment. If you isolate a moment, it’s like doing injustice to thousands of others that you have lived through. That’s a reality. How many nights in hotels, in the locker rooms, in victories, in defeats, after great successes. There are so many emotions offered by being in competition and sports that sometimes cannot be translated into words. I say that “Billy” is my basketball brother, because many relationships inside the work are built differently than those outside the court.
I will surely forget many of my teammates from Olympiakos if I take a paper to write them down. I don’t know if it’s due to age. There were years when many players changed, both in Korydallos and after. I might remember about 90%.//DM