Drago sharpens his teeth for the ultimate reward after winning the championship: the skewers that Allen Pagenk will treat the whole team to! The Slovenian speared everyone at his title and birthday celebrations tonight and is the captain of the Olympiakos volleyball team. Dragan TravicaHe also agreed to this fight.

The 36-year-old and four-time Olympiacos passer admitted to Sportish that he didn’t like the fact that for the first time in his life he was lifting a championship trophy in the dressing room rather than on the field, speaking with the wisdom of a teacher, about physical education, about the hard days of defeat and the easy days of victory.

He stepped on Giannis Antetokounmpo’s word after the Bucks’ exit. He stressed that he was watching him closely, that he completely agreed with him and described his words as wonderful. He also talked about how he got through the tense days of the finals with PAOK.

The London Olympic bronze medalist also referred to his father Lyubomir, who had passed the bank of Olympiakos. He stood by what he taught him and revealed that before he came to our country, he informed him that Olympiacos “It’s like a religion to its followers”. He has witnessed the history of the club he has been playing for since day one and has shared some of his knowledge with Sportish.

“If it really looked like we believed we could win the championship, that’s a sign that we have confidence and strength as a team. But in reality, we’re not always sure if we’re going to win the next game. But we were confident, yes. We believe in our team, our players and our game because we’ve shown all year that we can do incredible things.

What was important was how we react at the end of the long season and unfortunately we weren’t in perfect shape due to the accumulated fatigue. We gave our best on the pitch and put our hearts into it for most of the final series.

Of course, PAOK is a great team and it was difficult to break their resistance. However, in the last game there was a mental explosion from the team, it showed what Olympiakos really is and we won the league.”first emphasized Drago, who knows that he has mature and serious teammates who know the importance of every game.

I like going against myself

That was also the reason why he didn’t stretch out too much with his speech before the finals. “I don’t talk to the kids much before the games. There’s not much to say other than that we have to play well. These are very important games and you don’t need to come up with any motivational reasons, we all know their importance. Before the fourth final there was pressure because of the criticality of the game and they just asked us to play the volleyball we know, with our technique, our tactics, to focus on the game and not be influenced by the stands . We played with a lot of PAOK fans around us.”emphasized the “captain” of Olympiacos, pointing out: “Personally, I like to stand against myself. I respect it, but I also like it. I want there to always be people on the field. That’s part of the sport anyway, sometimes you play with your own fans, sometimes with the opponent’s fans on the field.

Throughout the final I tried to keep a cool head because the pressure was very high. We were at the bottom of the league and sometimes we weren’t playing our best game and I also wanted to keep my teammates calm so that we were always focused on the next ball, just thinking about our game, helping each other.

When we lost the second game, I tried to bring positive energy to myself and the team. It’s a series of endgames and it’s perfectly normal to lose a game too. You have to adapt immediately and think about the next game. Even if you win, that has to be your reaction because you play every three days, travel all the time, don’t rest well and you have to keep your mind clear for the next game.”

His words and the way he commented on the series reminded me of Giannis Antetokounmpo’s speech a few days ago: “I saw the video of Giannis Antetokounmpo speaking after his team was eliminated by Miami. He was amazing, wonderful. I totally agree with what he said. He’s absolutely right. This is sport, it’s a constant lesson. To continuously compete at the top level is not possible, there is also an opponent in front of you, there is also momentum, there are dozens of parameters in sports.

We lost the cup in Kalamata. It was tough for us, but we learned a lesson. It’s part of the sport. You learn from your mistakes to become a better player but also a better person. This is the greatest achievement that can be achieved through sport. Experience makes you stronger.”

Greeks are warm people and I appreciate that

Dragan was raised in sports by his father Ljubomir, who was a volleyball player and coach. “I first learned from my father to be a real person, to be a real man. He taught me a lot. Respect for people, but also for myself, for my work. It taught me to do my best and show that I respect my work and the people who work with me.

To be the kind of person who can entertain the people around you with your behavior. My mother taught me that too. It taught me to support those around me. Sport has also helped me become a better person.

Before I came to Olympiakos, my father told me that I’m going to a team that is a great family, a big family, a multisport club that gives you a lot of emotions. He told me Olympiakos is like a religion in Greece. He told me that life here is very nice and honestly I felt the same way. It looks a lot like Italy. I enjoy the city I live in and the weather in Greece.

Greeks are warm-hearted people and I really appreciate that. The food is not excellent. I love your souvlaki and yogurt. I eat tons of yogurt every day like an animal! (laughs) Today we’re going to Allen Pagenk’s house to celebrate because it was his birthday and he wrote to us: “I’ll bring skewers to make you all happy!”. Impale everyone!”

Dragan opened up a souvlaki conversation, and his weakness for Greek cuisine spilled over like mashed potatoes in overloaded pitas. Coupled with the euphoria of winning the championship title, the jokes and encouragement began: “Maria, eat a nice souvlaki today where you are. It doesn’t get any better.”

From the mastery required for a good souvlaki, we returned to his. In his competitive intelligence, but also in the recognition he enjoys from his teammates. Reportedly, after winning the Challenge Cup, Raphael Koumentakis referred to his quality on Sportish and replied:

“Did Koumentakis tell you I’m like a teacher?” Maybe because I’m much older than him. (laughs) I have a really amazing relationship with Rafa (Raphael Koumendakis). I love him. I really love this guy. He helps me a lot and I have a lot of respect for him. He’s great, he’s got a big heart, he’s super smart and of course a great player. I thank him for helping me throughout the year and I am very happy that we are teammates.”

People let you know that Olympiakos is their religion

In the final series with PAOK, there was something that surprised him and he didn’t hesitate to mention it: “For the first time in my life I saw a trophy handover in the dressing room and it was really bad. I’m not used to it. Sometimes you win, sometimes you lose. That’s the value and price of sport. There are winners and losers, but at the end of the day we are all athletes and we have to accept that sometimes we lose, sometimes we win.

It’s part of sport and part of life. Not getting the award we deserved because of the atmosphere in the stands is something that we hope not to experience again, but also not allow it to happen again. And the reason is that sport is there, above all, to teach people respect.”.

However, he was celebrating winning the championship when the team arrived at “Melina Merkouri”. “On our return from Thessaloniki we got a lot of love from our fans. We saw it too after our European game against Panathinaikos when 300 people waited until late at night to say thank you for qualifying. The same happened with the championship.

They give the impression that Olympiakos is their religion! They give everything for Olympiakos and fans like that are hard to find anywhere in the world. Bringing joy to so many people is your greatest achievement. It’s more than a trophy and a medal. It is fantastic to receive this joy.

It’s like giving them the most beautiful gift. They cry for your team, they scream for your team, and if you make them so happy, you’ve done something special for them. Olympiacos is a popular team, part of the people. That’s how it was created. This is his story. Outside of the ordinary world, this big family was created, and when you make this world happy, it’s wonderful.”.