During the main preseason stage, most players are glued on their smartphone’s screen, others don’t tire of playing table tennis, but all of them keep thinking that they have still 25 days to spend in a hotel room.

In the midday summer calmness at Elatochori, there is a new arrival catching the eyes. A young guy, with the beginner’s stress written all over his face, carrying his football boots in a bag and a few clothes makes his appearance at the hotel lobby.

A few hours later, the young guy comes to the pitch, ready to fight for his opportunity to chase after his dream. He is no longer feeling awkward there, because he has learnt to fight since he was a child. Fight against bigger boys, against the odds, against logic. Giannis Mystakidis has learnt to win. Through his persistence, effort and will power.

These characteristics accompany him since he was a little child. At the age of 6, he got “promoted” from his neighbourhood’s park and joined the “Andromachi” Academy. His father, Konstantinos, was waiting for him there. His coach. The man who is constantly pushing him to his limits, urging him to never stop trying.

His own… Tudor

“It’s tough to have your father as coach, because emotions get in the way –it can’t be helped”, Giannis says. “He is a man of discipline and always liked hard work, he would never say ‘well done’. He does the same even today. When we speak after my matches, he always points out my errors. He congratulated me only after I scored in the Kalloni match and after the encounter against Borussia Dortmund. When I was a child and I would make an error, he would kick me out of practice, just like Mr. Tudor did in the friendly encounter against Veria. He even justified what the coach did then: ‘It serves you right’, he told me”.

His father’s strict stance didn’t discourage the young player. On the contrary, it made him tougher, able to endure football’s hardships and pick up on bigger guys without having his brothers Polychronis and Grigoris to protect him.

Mystakidis Bros formed one of the toughest football teams at the streets of Katerini. “Each neighbourhood had their own side and we would play tournaments. Matches were held in the park near home. There were some circular toys that we turned to goals. I was the youngest. There were children even five years older than me, but I remember that we would win the ‘championship’ most of the times”.

In Germany via Olympiacos

Winning matches, even in the neighbourhood, became a habit for him and he joined Vataniakos at the age of 10. He worked hard, aiming to constantly improve and fulfill his dream of becoming a football player. “I would miss the school excursions as well, in order to stay and do individual training with my father”, he says.

His destiny changed at the age of 15. Vataniakos belong to Olympiacos’ academies network and he participated in the annual tournament at Rentis. No, erase that. He didn’t just participate. He won the tournament, by scoring the only goal of the final and defeating Olympiacos 1-0.

As a reward, Vataniakos travelled to Germany to represent Olympiacos’ academies network in an international tournament, against the youth sides of FC Bayern München, FC Shakhtar Donetsk, VfB Stuttgart, TSG 1899 Hoffenheim, Bayer 04 Leverkusen and TSV 1860 München. The talented youngster of Vataniakos caught the eye of football scouts and his father’s phone started getting a stream of calls.

Giannis went through trial trainings at TSG 1899 Hoffenheim, but didn’t surrender right away. He weighed the situation and, although he was enthusiastic about the experience, he chose to join Svoronos for half a season, in order to play in the 4th tier.

He packed his suitcase in January 2010. “I received offers by big clubs’ academies, but had decided that it would be best for me to go abroad. I like tough situations. I wanted to go to Germany right from the start. It was very important that my parents were always by my side –and I am grateful for it”.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

First hardships abroad

Adjusting to his new life was far from easy. Giannis suffered swine flu and had a rough time on his first days at Hoffenheim: “I was dizzy, fainting and couldn’t train properly. Luckily, my father was with me that first months and the club helped me considerably, by taking care of everything”.

When he recovered, he devoted himself to football. “I lived in a village of 2.000 habitants. My mind was on football and I worked all the time. I would also go to Greek school in Mannheim every day, while learning German as well”.

At TSG 1899 Hoffenheim, he played for 18 months in the U17 and U19 teams and then was given on loan to Mannheim. He left the village and settled in the city, where he met his… second parents, the Mantzaridis family. “They helped me a lot. They treated me as their child and made my stay there very enjoyable. Even today I go to visit them whenever possible”.

His injury

His matches for Mannheim’s U19 team attracted the interest of SC Freiburg. They want him for their U19 side, coached by the man who selected him for TSG 1899 Hoffenheim.

New move, new surroundings, yet another adjustment period. In 2012-13, Mystakidis played for the U19s and got promoted to the next level in the following season. Everything was going according to plan. In Christmas 2013, he was the youngest player participating in midseason training for the U23s. But he suffered a major setback then…

“We were training in Turkey. During a session, they shoved me as I was dribbling, landed badly and hurt my knee. I was sidelined for 3-4 months, because I didn’t undergo surgery right away –that was what the club had decided”.

Returning to Greece and PAOK

This injury came at the worst possible moment. A few months before the expiration of his contract. “I was very upset about it, but I knew that I would bounce back and would claim a second opportunity. I didn’t get it though”.

SC Freiburg released him and he was faced with a dilemma. Should he remain in Germany or return to Greece? He chose the latter, because “I didn’t want to spend yet another season at a U23 league. It wouldn’t help me improve. I thought it would be best to play even in the second tier, but at a seniors’ level, in order to check out my potential, prove my worth and eventually return to the Bundesliga”.

And we returned to the afore-mentionned summer of June 2014 at Elatochori. “Mysta” puts on the black-and-white kit, following a recommendation letter sent to PAOK FC administration. “My father never told me who pointed me out to PAOK”, he says.

Having been sidelined for so long took its toll and “Mysta” couldn’t stand out, but he proved anyway that there was something about him. He signed his deal and went on loan to Pierikos. At home, near the park of his childhood football games, where he would defy all the odds.

Back in his home town, he regained the strength for the restart of his career. He stood out in the Football League and, one year later, he was tested by Igor Tudor. He had a rather shaky start and most people believed that the Croatian coach wouldn’t include him in his roster for preseason training. But Mystakidis made it at the last moment. He hasn’t looked back ever since. “Sometimes you need to take a step back in order to gain more power and run forward”…

• Giannis Mystakidis’ life story was published in the 3rd issue of Toumba Magazine. The first five issues of PAOK FC official magazine are available on store.paokfc.gr and you can purchase them and receive them at home free of shipping throughout Greece.