Greek star Sotirios Kyrgiakos has played at the highest level of European club football.
But when he received an offer to play for NSW Premier League club Sydney Olympic he took the opportunity with open arms.
Kyrgiakos, 34, will play for Olympic in two league matches starting with the home clash against Blacktown Spartans at Belmore Sports Ground on Sunday.
Defender Kyrgiakos will be in action again for Olympic against St George at Belmore on Sunday 6 April.
It is a bold move designed to raise the profile of the club and the competition it plays in.
Having played for Panathinaikos, Glasgow Rangers, Eintracht Frankfurt, AEK Athens, Liverpool and Wolfsburg, Kyrgiakos said he was thrilled to be given the chance to turn up for Olympic.
He also played 61 times for Greece.
“I’ve come here for the experience of playing outside of Europe for the first time,” he told a press conference held at a Greek restaurant in Sydney.
“Sydney Olympic is a historic club in Australian football.
“I hope that my experience with my previous clubs will help the young players at the club in their development as footballers.
“I want to give my best and show why I achieve what I have achieved so hopefully many fans will come to the games.”
Kyrgiakos said the reputation of Australian football in Europe was growing and he said he wanted to see for himself what it is all about.
“I am aware of the new A-League and how football is trying to raise the bar in Australia,” he said.
“I see the quality of big-name marquee player that the league has attracted since its start as a good thing for the game in this country.
“This raises the profile and awareness of the league in Europe among clubs, players and supporters.
“I hope that I can make a significant contribution to the growth of football.”
Club chairman Chris Tsioulos said he had no doubt that the club’s players would benefit from Kyrgiakos’s short stint at the club.
“Brett Emerton (who played for Olympic before he went to Europe in 2000) recently said that he never forgot the experience of training with Ian Rush as a youngster when the Welsh striker was here at the club,” Tsioulos explained.
“He talked about the small experiences he had of talking to Rush and watching him and how it helped in his direction.
“So the fact that we will have Sotirios among us is a bonus for our players.”
Kyrgiakos is one of the finest talents to emerge from Greece in the last decade.
He would have been selected in Otto Rehhagel’s squad for EURO 2004 in Portugal but injury ruled him out of the tournament that would give Greece its first major honour.
“I suffered a serious knee injury four months before the tournament started so I missed out on the Euros,” Kyrgiakos said.
“I was devastated at not being able to be there but I was overwhelmed and delighted by my country’s final result at the tournament.”
source: sbs.com.au
STUDIO 3 NEWCASTLE AUSTRALIA 