One on One with Chris Kalantzis
He dazzled the Greek supporters there with his skills and pace and got them out of their seats whenever he received the ball, he was a true entertainer.
His performances as a young man at Sydney Olympic brought him to the attention of several clubs. Olympiakos showed great interest and Kalantzis was all set to sign for the Piraeus club, before Panathinaikos swooped in to steal him from right under their nose. He would have 5 successful seasons with the Greens, before eventually finding his way to Olympiakos, where he spent another 5 great seasons.
Here is our 1 on 1 with him.
How did you end up at PAO and were there any other Greek clubs interested in your services at the time?
Playing at Sydney Olympic in Australia two scouts from Olympiakos and Panathinaikos came to watch me play for a month. The scout from Olympiakos approached first wanting my services and offered me a ticket to Greece, then Panathinaikos scout offered the same deal but without a ticket so I took the Olympiakos offer and flew with my manager Tom Doumanis to Athens. When we reached Athens and was waiting at customs I saw a heap of Olympiakos fans at airport and was excited.
As I'm waiting in line I get a tap on the shoulder from a PAO official saying give me your passport and we can bypass this line and visit PAO owner Vardinogiannis. Although skeptical I went and met Vardinogiannis on a massive boat. My parents who were holidaying in Greece at the time where on the boat too which was surreal. I was offered a 5 year contract with an initial lump sum to settle into Greece. I was confused and said Olympiakos flew me over here so I need to see them but Vardinogiannis said it is okay and he will smooth it over with Olympiakos. I told him I won't sign right now as I need to think about it. I headed to my uncle's house and word must of gone out as Olympiakos officials were waiting for me at the house with about 150 Olympiakos fans outside. They also tried to me to sign then and there although the offer wasn't as good as the PAO one. I ended up signing with PAO as it was a better deal for me plus Lou Christodoulou another Australian was there and it helped out.
What was the transition like from playing in Australia to Greek football?
Big difference. I thought I was good in Australia but it was a different world in Greece. I had to re-train and push myself harder. I did not sit back, I wasn't scared so I went in hard, I made mistakes but learnt. Players in Europe were shrewd, they were always looking at two plays ahead instead of just the pass moving forward. It took me about 3-6 months to pick up, luckily I was strong and fast so it was more about me acclimatising to European football.
Did the fans in Greece treat you like a Greek or an Australian?
I was an Aussie to them. They would call me Kangaroo. My Greek wasn't that good at the time but they were great and friendly, there were no issues everyone was nice..
What was the first derby match against Olympiakos feel like?
Unbelievable, hair raising feeling, passionate fans but you needed to get used to it and quick. We had to blank out the noise as a job was needed to be done. 100% focus on winning the match otherwise the fans would let you know.
How did the move from PAO to Olympiakos happen?
After 5 years at PAO, an Olympiakos official calls and offers me a deal to go to Olympiakos. I took the deal but I had to go hiding in the Greek islands for a week or so as I was first player ever to move from PAO to Olympiakos and I had people telling me that Vardinogiannhis was freaking out and people were telling me don't do it. but I did and it was the right decision.
Opportunity came with the scissor kick, I had practised it many times at training and thought it's looking good so i’ll do it... and it came off. It was such a great feeling but equally I was like what just happened. I ran to Olympiakos fans with flares being shot at me from all over the place. It was one of the best feelings ever.
Which club do you feel you have more of an affinity with or do you love both clubs equally?
Love both clubs equally, but at the time PAO was very family orientated club and offered the time and patience to produce good footballs. Vardinogiannis was always around and made sure everything was close knit and tight. Olympiakos was buying players at the time and there wasn't as much a family feeling.
From your time at both clubs who were the standout players you loved playing with?
Vassilis Karapialis was a top player, Krzysztof Warzycha, Predrag Djordjevic, Ilija Ivić, Dimitris Saravakos. I can go on. There was some amazing players at the time.
Any funny stories about your time in Greece you wanna share?
George Karagounis' dad worked behind the bar at PAO and he would open up soft drinks with his teeth. We all were freaked out by this but never said anything to him. As he was always at the club his son who was a kid at the time George would want to play and train with us af6ter our sessions where we would just kick a ball around so we let him. He wasnt anything special back then but you could see the desire he had to make it as a footballer so it was amazing to follow his career and see him succeed the way he did.
Any predictions for the upcoming derby?
Donis is my mate, our wives still keep in contact. I think it will either be a draw or Olympiakos to win by a couple of goals. It's all dependant on how the players react as this is a special game.
Thank you for your time Chris.
By Hellas Football.
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