Europe, we are back…
For PAOK Academy, international tournaments are like oxygen. They are essential for the training and education of young footballers, and invaluable for the experiences they offer. Unfortunately, due to the pandemic, our "little ones" were deprived of these trips of a lifetime, essentially for two years. Only from the spring of 2022 could we return to Europe. And we are very happy about it indeed!
Under-15s
The Under-15 (2007) side won the Rimini Cup, held in May 2022 in Hausen, Frankfurt. They beat St Pauli 2-0 in the final after knocking out Mixed Bavaria 3-1 in the semi-final, having qualified from their group with two wins and a draw. PAOK even won the tournament’s top scorer award, with Anestis Mythos claiming the prize.
Under-13s
The Netherlands and Rotterdam more specifically was the destination for the Under-13s from June 4th to 6th in the high-level СVV Zwervers tournament. PAOK finished 10th among 12 teams.
The Double-headed Eagle’s Under-13 side, however, also took part in the Medimurec Tournament in Croatia in August, which they won! PAOK beat Standard Liege on penalties 4-3 (the match had ended 0-0)). Before that they had beaten Sparta Prague 3-0 in the semi-final and Hajduk Split 2-0 in the quarter-final, while previously they had topped their group with two wins and one draw.
Under-12s
The Under-12 side also participated in a tournament in the Netherlands, traveling to Utrecht from June 10 to 13 for the SO Soest Cup. The Double-headed Eagle claimed eighth place among 16 teams, including Ajax, Midtjylland, Feyenoord, Genk, and Twente.
Under-11s
The Under-11 side started their European travels from Madrid and the Iber Cup, which they participated in April 2022. PAOK were among the best eight teams of the tournament (they had finished first in their group with three wins, one of which was over Atlético Madrid), along with Real Madrid, Benfica, and Sporting Lisbon.
From the 3rd to 6th of June the team were in Dusseldorf for the Pfingst Cup, in which PAOK were fifth out of 120 teams. They were only beaten by Bayer Leverkusen, who went on to win the tournament.
Then, from June 10 to 13, they also participated in the Raddatz Cup in Hanover, where they took seventh place among 40 teams.
Under-10s
The Under-10 team won second place in the Raddatz Immobilien Cup, held in May 2022 in Hanover, with the participation of teams such as Benfica, Schalke, Hertha Berlin, and Galatasaray. The underdogs topped their group with four wins, then beat Schalke 1-0, Galatasaray 3-0, eliminated Benfica on penalties, and were beaten in the final by Lech Poznan.
In early June they were in Dusseldorf for the Pfingst Cup Vorrunde, where they finished fifth out of 120 teams, and from the 17th to 20th of June they returned to Germany for the PT Sports Verl, where they finished eighth out of 72 teams.
Under-9s
The Under-9 side traveled to Cologne for the Pfingst Cup from June 3rd-6th, where they finished 15th out of 160 teams. They continued with the Dragan Mance Cup from June 18th to 20th in Belgrade, where they finished 16th out of 40 teams.
Under-8s
Belgrade and the Dragan Mance Cup was also the destination and competition for our Under-8 juniors were also present, claiming eighth place. A total of 40 teams participated in the tournament.
