George Printezis, during statements made at the event, spoke about his feelings and gave a mini-assessment of his career, wearing the Olympiakos jersey.
Here is what Printezis stated in detail:
When I first started, I didn’t expect anything like this. I only felt great joy and honor that I could at least practice with the team I loved since I was a child. As the years went by, as you grow older and you are nurtured in a club, it begins to exist in your mind as a distant dream.
As for competitive sports, that was the end. A year and a cycle that ended beautifully. Tomorrow will be a very beautiful gesture from the team and the presidents, whom I thank very much.
I am not well prepared. Or rather, I have prepared, but I cannot manage it. Not just the emotional load. Although it is 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 tomorrow, I might watch some videos and feel even happier and truly enjoy it then. Because at that moment, I don’t know if I will enjoy it.
The faces are what create situations, the daily interactions, the successes, the beautiful ones, but also the bad moments. All of these together can compose a very beautiful puzzle for Olympiakos and that I hold on to. Above all, human relationships are what matter. Every time we meet, it’s like everything goes on autopilot. Human relationships, love, and respect remain.
I can’t say that I miss anything. A cycle ended very beautifully, after many years. Many painful, difficult days, with successes, with defeats. I believe I left fulfilled, both from the love of the people and from the results, as well as from the time spent. I hope I didn’t tire either my teammates or anyone else.
It is very beautiful to hear the chant “George, you’re a champion Olympiakos.” There is a bond with the Olympiakos fans. I never tried to pretend or show more emotions than I felt, even though what I felt might have been more than what I showed.
We have been through very, very much with Spanoulis. I said it last year too, at his own celebration, when they asked me if I could isolate a moment. If you isolate a moment, it’s like you’re doing injustice to thousands of others you’ve experienced. This is a reality. How many nights in hotels, in locker rooms, in wins, in losses, after great successes. There are so many emotions that competitive sports and athletics offer you, which many times cannot be translated into words. I say that “Billy” is my basketball brother because many relationships in the job are built differently than those outside the court.
I will surely forget many of my teammates from Olympiakos if I get a paper to write them down. I don’t know if it’s due to age. There were also years when many players changed both in Korydallos and afterwards. I might remember about 90%. //D.M