Although he was born in Brazil, Lucas Rangel became Greek after six years in Greece. He never hid his love for our country, but also for Panathinaikos.

The Brazilian centre-back may have come to our country for PAOK, but he has developed a special bond with the Greens and he doesn’t hide it. Also, he has been wearing the Panathinaikos shirt for five years and as he says he would wear it for many more years if he had it in his hands.

Lucas Rangel spoke to Sportish about winning the championship, his special relationship with Greece and the Friends of the Greens and made it clear that staying on the team of his heart was his priority.

Our discussion could only begin with the game in which the title was officially settled, against Olympiakos. “Coach Andreopoulos prepared us well, both tactically and psychologically. Block defense and counterattacks worked very well throughout the game and that was the key that brought us the win.” said the Brazilian headquarters.

At the end of the set, Panathinaikos was the one who scored the most critical points, and Lucas Rangel has his own explanation for that: “Of course, the will and concentration to do your best is always the key to success. We were totally focused on what we had to do. We didn’t care that much about the score. We fought for every point one by one and the result came from our effort.”.

“I would rather bring it to our headquarters and not to an empty stadium”

Last but not least, Lucas Rangel knows the importance of these games after playing in our country for years. But how did he feel about the fact that Panathinaikos won the championship in the homeland of the eternal opponent: “It was really a nice feeling, but I’d rather capture it at our HQ to celebrate with our fanatical fans. It was just us, there are no fans like Panathinaikos, they only support them when they win.

Ours support us everywhere and always. So I wish it had happened at our headquarters. “Even so, winning the trophy at their headquarters on an empty stage is a great story.”

Of course, Panathinaikos fans awaited the team’s mission to the avenue to celebrate the championship conquest: “We had our own party again. Two years ago they went back to the same place to celebrate. This is how they show us their love. You support us and we celebrate together. It’s the best feeling in the world.”

The celebrations for the Greens aren’t over yet, because on Thursday afternoon (April 28) the game against Finikas turned into a fiesta. Lucas Rangel expects the best night of his life: “I hope OAKA is packed to celebrate a difficult season in which we fought everyone and everything and got back to the top. I think of it as the best night of my life and we will definitely give our all in this game.”

Love for Greece and the difficult year

In the years he has been with us he has celebrated five titles in total, three of them with the Panathinaikos shirt. How does he feel about what he has achieved in our country: “Of course it’s really nice to win titles and especially with the team that I love so much. I’m proud of the hard work I put in every day and my dedication to what I do. It it’s no surprise that we won the championship, we worked hard and ‘we deserved it. I think it’s incredible that the team of my heart is at the top.”

After six years in Greece, Lucas Rangel has every reason to feel a little Greek. Of course he talks about Greece as if it were his second home: “Greece is definitely in my heart. I feel at home even though I’m alone here. The country is beautiful, the culture, the energy, the food, the people. I really love Greece more than any other country I’ve been to.”

However, the year does not end here for Panathinaikos as the League Cup goal is yet to come. The Brazilian headquarters clarified that the Greens want to achieve his conquest: “Surely the year is not over yet. We’re going on and training at the highest level. We also want to win the League Cup. That’s also an important title for us. The last two times I’ve won another trophy alongside the league this season. I hope to do the same this year”.

He himself has repeatedly pointed out the difficulties that have arisen this year, but what were they: “It was a difficult year with a lot of travel, a lot of injuries and at the same time we played in four tournaments that had big trips like the one in Europe. I think we did our best in every tournament. Only in Europe maybe needed a little more, but we are still looking forward to next season to get better there as well.

This season has been conducted differently as the champion emerged from a mini-championship and opinions differ on the conducting system. “Personally, I prefer the playoffs. They have more emotion. But winning the table is fair because it seems which team was better.” mentioned features.

The heart of Panathinaikos and a clear desire to stay

Our discussion then turned to people who played their own role in the Panathinaikos team. In fact, we’re talking about four people who are part of the history of the green volleyball department. According to Lucas Rangel, Roulis Agrapidakis, Dimitris Andreopoulos, Pavlos Karamaroudis and Sotiris Pantaleon are the heart of Panathinaikos.

“These people are the basis of Panathinaikos. They are the heart of Panathinaikos. They showed us what Panathinaikos means, how big it is and how important it is to be a member of this family.” he characteristically mentioned when we spoke to him about it.

Finally, we couldn’t help but ask him if he will stay on Panathinaikos, although his answer would have been slightly predictable from what he said above: “My wish will always be to play and fight for my heart’s team, Panathinaikos. We are in negotiations and I am sure that this cooperation will continue for many years if the case depends on me.”