Spyros Tzavidas quit playing football at 20 to become a scout: ‘The time I didn’t expect has come’

At the age of just 20, Spyros Tzavidas decided to hang up his shoes due to a health issue he discovered in 2020. From that point on, his ergometry was fine, but when he was re-examined in the summer, doctors told him he couldn’t fight.

The Panathinaikos youngster has weighed all the factors but he has listened to the doctors’ advice not to continue playing, a decision he made about a month and a half ago. However, Tzavidas didn’t give up and decided to stay close to football. Specifically, the 20-year-old now works as a scout in a board office that also represents him as a footballer.

Tzavidas was one of Panathinaikos’ promising talents. He was in the Green Academy from the age of 12, while he turned professional on August 27, 2019 during the times of Dambiza and Donis.

He made his debut in the 2019-2020 playoffs in a match against OFI. With the Greens he had played in four games with the first team in all competitions while also having appearances with the minor national teams.

The Message of Tzavidas

“The time has come when I really never expected it, after 14 years on the football field I have to leave it, at least as a professional footballer.

The decision to remove me from the soccer fields has already been finalized due to a health issue that does not negatively affect me off the field. I don’t want to go into details, I just want to thank Panathinaikos and the President of Panathinaikos Mr. Alafouzos for the trust, faith and support they have shown me all these years, all my coaches and coaches, the fans, the Team Colleagues who have always been by our side and especially all my teammates thanks to whom I have lived and learned so much!

With joy and a lot of appetite, I will remain on the football pitch from a different position, trying to convey that nothing should be taken for granted, that we should work every day not to be disappointed and do everything we can to achieve our dreams to realize.

I’m grateful to have lived this journey, ready and strong for new adventures.

Thank you for everything!!!” mentioned in a post on social media.