THE Dimitris Salpingidis spoke on the “Mundial Morning Show” with Andrea Palobarini, Ilias Kallona and Maria Kouvelis.

The first Greek to score at a World Cup finals referred to Fernando Santos and the debate surrounding his decision to bench Cristiano Ronaldo, while also expressing his desire to see Argentina and Lionel Messi win.

At the same time, he commented on Panathinaikos’ progress in the Super League and at the unveiling of Tasos Bakaseta at the PSAPP Awards on Monday (12/12), he explained how difficult it is for a footballer to deal with what is happening to him.

For the World Cup: “The spectacle is pretty good, the results aren’t as expected, we see some surprises and that’s the beauty of football. I want Argentina to win the cup because I’d like to see a great footballer finish his career – if he does resolves to do so – with a World Cup. Another pleasant surprise is that Morocco is in the top four.”

What he remembers from the Greek national team’s trips to major events: “Because I’ve been lucky enough to be in two European Championships and two World Cups, the break is very long. You sleep and wake up with the same guys, you’re a group, a family. What I would say as a difference is the in At a World Cup you see different cultures, the air you breathe is different, the organization is different, it’s hard to describe in words and the truth is that at the beginning you will say what your biggest dream is : ‘play at a world cup’ .

For Greece’s first goal against Nigeria he scored: “It’s a special moment for the whole country. That game was very meaningful because it was our first win. For me it’s probably the most important moment of my career, you can see from my celebration the excitement I get. When I see it, I feel special, I shudder, I’m moved, you remember moments like that. It’s moments that remain engraved in your life.”

For Fernando Santos: “Everyone is judged by the result. It’s normal when a coach decides to manage a great player that way, when victory comes they idolize him, when defeat comes they get some ‘arrows’. He’s a Man who left his mark in world football Objectively Ronaldo’s performance isn’t like previous years but he’s still one of the best footballers in the world so it’s something Mr Santos can pull off and can’t be judged by that decision becomes “.

Whether he maintains contacts with the other national players: “In general, I spent 10 years in the national team, where the atmosphere was pretty good. They were very good years, I kept some friends. Although there is a distance, we are in contact by phone. I am in contact with Nikos Spyropoulos, Louka Vydras, Alexandros Tziolis. They are children that we come into contact with quite often, whenever we can we meet and talk, we reminisce about the old days”.

Whether the national team can qualify for Euro 2024: “He has enough potential and chances. The national team has shown signs of improvement lately. There have always been footballers who had talent and lived up to expectations and could lead Greece to a major tournament. Unfortunately, we didn’t make it, but.” Better ones will come in the next few days. The national team is showing that they are taking on an identity, building foundations and I hope what we have seen over the past few months will continue because duration is very important. The most important thing is to have talent, if you have talent and potential you can achieve something good.

On the unjustified exclusion of the Costa Rican national team, according to Opta: “Anything could have happened. Of course we would have an opponent against the Netherlands in the next stage. The fact that Costa Rica went out on penalties does not mean that we would go there and score 2-3 goals. Every game is special and ever depending on what day each team plays there can be a different development. Holland have always been and always will be a good team so we can’t say that we would reach the final with that much confidence. The thing is that we were eliminated very unfairly. we could go ahead and write the story a little further”.

For the course of Panathinaikos: “I was expecting a good run but not that good. Panathinaikos looks like a very solid team in the league but it’s a marathon not a sprint and you don’t know how things can turn out, especially when it’s that big is pause like the World Cup.We don’t know what the teams will be like when they start again but what stays in the mind and in the eyes of the Greek fans is that Panathinaikos is the team that has the best chance of going to the top stand way to go and stay on top. Of course the AEK, PAOK and Olympiacos are teams that can enter the Greek league by making a streak and having a different development”.

Which pair he wants to look at in the World Cup final: “I want Argentina to play France, Messi deserves a World Cup, I hope he goes and lifts them up. I don’t want France to get him, although I like them enough because they got him earlier. So I would don’t do it.” I don’t want to see back to back, I want something different and I don’t want Morocco to be in the final because they are not at the level of the other teams to see a high level final.

About the feelings when an athlete retires and how he experienced it himself: “The transition is very difficult and maybe a lot of footballers are struggling. I didn’t find it particularly difficult because the time I quit football was a time when I had a family and small children. So I didn’t have much free time to come to a point and say, “What do I do now?” The truth is that I spent 2-3 transfer windows contemplating whether to continue or not, but I probably didn’t want to , I was so tired , mostly mentally not physically, that things came to show and not to make a decision. It’s something that came slowly, it came softly and I think I managed quite well. It’s normal to do something very specific at a young age, from 8-10 years old every day and when suddenly it stops missing you. So it makes sense that I miss the game. I don’t miss the trips, everyday life, I don’t miss anything the rest, the tiredness, the annoyance, the waiting, the schedule.”

Because athletes are now talking openly about psychological problems: “It’s nice to express your feelings, to let the world know what you’re going through. I’m generalizing. It is very easy to judge other people’s lives, saying what the other person is doing is very easy and makes a lot of money without getting tired, but the reality is not like that. We cannot know what everyone is going through in their daily life, in their mental state, in their health, in order to meet the existing demands. Sports are not easy. That is the reality and truth. It’s not easy to play at a high level for many years, to play in teams that have people behind you, and especially when we talk about Greek teams. The Greek fan is explosive and there are many reactions. So it’s not that easy to deal with a situation like that when people in the stands are scolding you, when you have a hard time going to your car or to your house after the game is over, those are uncomfortable things iro is a part of our life, it is not our life”.

On the advice he would give to a boy just starting his career: “What you have to say to a kid who is starting now and has dreams is to chase them, to try to the end to achieve their dream. The path is certainly not easy. Therefore, it needs to make an effort, work, believe in yourself and if he finds an obstacle, look at how he will overcome it, how he will succeed, and not how he will turn his back on it. The work you put in to achieve your dreams and be ready to face the difficulties is very important because in any industry, getting high requires struggling and the road doesn’t come with a red one carpet be paved. You have to fight and win the prizes in your life.”

On the death of Giannis Diakogiannis: “It’s very sad for sport and journalism in general. It’s a voice engraved in the Greek fan’s ear. What can I say, I’m very sorry. Condolences to his loved ones and family, lots of strength” .

Sportish at the 2022 World Cup

Sportish only plays World Cup 2022 and takes you to the World Cup! See it in detail World Cup schedule and World Cup resultsLook out World Cup live in the match center, to register in the push notifications from Sportish and on Youtube Channel to stay up to date and never miss a sport moment!

Sportish LIVE WORLD SHOWS

Tune in to Sportish’s 4 daily World Cup broadcasts: Mundial morning show (10:00 – 11:00), The show must go on (12:00 – 14:00), Pame Stoixima pre-game show (15:30 – 16:00), game night (22:45 – 00:15).