On Thursday evening (April 28), all players and technical staff of the Panathinaikos volleyball team experienced something unique. Something that was unprecedented as more than 7,000 Friends of the Greens gathered at OAKA to worship the Greek champions and join them in celebrating capturing this year’s title.

Even players who have played in Europe and in some of the top leagues like Protopsaltis and Bram Van Den Dries were treated to an unprecedented experience that will remain unforgettable forever.

This was evident, among other things, from the Belgian country cross in an interview with Sportish after the end of the game with Finikas and the Greek Championship award. The 33-year-old “Bomber”, 2.08 m tall, not only admired people for his presence at the fiesta, but has stood at the crucial point for Panathinaikos to achieve the title throughout the year and expressed his will to the new season to stay in the open.

The 2013 Europa League MVP is also self-critical, admitting he hasn’t had the best year possible and hasn’t offered what he could, at least earlier this season, while closing the interview by saying he wants on Panathinaikos to stay and that he has already learned the … “is a magic weed“.

The first question could not be anything other than Thursday’s fiesta and the atmosphere created by more than 7,000 Panathinaikos friends:

“I’ve played in front of so many thousands of fans in the past, but the atmosphere they created today (Thursday) was incredible, unrepeatable. Not only today in OAKA, but all the games we played in Maroussi have been excellent. Living such moments is something very pleasant and despite the ten years I have at the professional level, I have not experienced anything similar and I want to thank them. I’m very happy to have gotten the title for them and I want to dedicate it to them for the support they’ve shown us throughout the year“.

Winning the playoffs against PAOK in Thessaloniki gave us the title

At the end of the game, OAKA Stadium was filled with friends from Panathinaikos, who came in to celebrate with the Clover players, take a picture with them and thank them for winning the championship:

‘”Everyone congratulated us and thanked us for the championship, but I think we should say thank you because they have been by our side all year and we know that when we have them by our side we are invincible“.

But what was the key point for Panathinaikos to claim the title? According to one of the best foreigners to ever play in Greece, defeating his former team PAOK turned the title on its head:

“The crucial point for the championship was the first game against PAOK in the playoffs. They were two points ahead of us and if we hadn’t won there I think they would have won the championship. We beat them and then we beat Olympiakos. We made a big difference in the playoffs. In the regular season, if you look at it because at the end the points were cut, yes, it’s important to win, but the most important thing is to win in the playoffs“.

I didn’t have my best season to stay and offer more

De Dries wants to stay at Panathinaikos in the new season and offer what he can, as he stated with all sincerity that he knows he’s had a mediocre year this year and that his performance in the playoffs has increased:

“I’m very happy at Panathinaikos. I know how to complain that it wasn’t the best year, I had a hard time, especially in the first part of the season. I was better in the playoffs but it still wasn’t my best year and if I had the chance I’d like to stay another year“.

And of course he knows better than anyone that the Greens expected more of him than they got: “Yes, I think the team expected more, just like I expected more from myself. I think I could do better. I feel better now, I showed that in the playoffs“.

Panathinaikos won the title in the house of the eternal opponent, in a match with a small crowd in the stands, and the Belgian stood in renti in the difference between the full OAKA and the empty closed:

“Our fans are amazing, they are with us every moment, in good moments and in difficult moments, and even when we’re not playing well and we’re struggling, they push us to help us and do better and that makes the difference. On the other hand, we played Olympiakos’ home stadium and the stadium was almost empty, although they still had chances to win the championship“.

The 33-year-old Cross, who despite not having booked time with Panathinaikos, already has a favorite slogan: “It’s the magic grass, I can sing it“Sent a message to the world about the League Cup fixtures to come against Finikas:”I want to thank our people for their support and I invite them to be by our side on Sunday as we want to take the first step towards the League Cup“.

In order to change something regularly against Finikas, we also want the League Cup

The Belgian, who played under the watchful eye of his family, including his only 3-month-old daughter, would love to play in OAKA again, although he explained it was a little strange the first time around as everyone lost their sense of space and it showed in the many lost services:

“yes i would want Of course it was a bit strange because we just trained here on Thursday morning. It’s a huge stadium and it changes the sense of space, the synchronization that you have to have. Of course there is something fantastic about playing in a packed OAKA“.

On Thursday (28/4) there was a game in OAKA where champion Panathinaikos was defeated 3-0 by Finikas but according to the Belgian everyone was thinking about the prize while that game was part of the preparation for both League Cup games again against the Syros team:

“It’s uncomfortable that we lost 3-0 sets, but we thought more about the title than the game and now we have to prepare for Sunday. Also theThe training sessions we’ve had over the past few days have been the toughest and we’ve been preparing more for Sunday’s game because we know that this game will be a game everyone will take their time to attend. Now we have to be 100% ready on Sunday“.

De Dries concluded by emphasizing that he would like to end the season with another title:

“Now we have the League Cup ahead of us, the games with Finikas that always make it difficult for us, but I think that maybe we will change some things regularly and if we use them properly we will be ready. We want to pass and then take another title and dedicate it to our world“.