Educational week of the U20s in Madrid
This generation of PAOK Academy players has been groomed through their participation in European tournaments. As they ascend the ladder towards professional football, the experience gathered abroad is gaining on importance. PAOK U20s returned from Spain undefeated and thrilled by their voyage.
The expedition of PAOK U20s reached Madrid on Monday 9 April and remained there for seven days. They were hosted by Rayo Vallecano and worked in their training facilities on a daily basis under the watchful eye of Pablo García and his assistants. Rayo were the first team PAOK faced on Spanish soil. They also lead the standings in their Primera División U20 group, αhead of the respective sides of Real Madrid and Club Atlético de Madrid. PAOK prevailed 1-0 thanks to Gargalatzidis’s goal.
The youngsters of the “Double-Headed Eagle” also played against Leganés, thrashing them 6-2. Papadopoulos netted a brace, with Aidonidis, Gargalatzidis, Markovski and Doumtsis also on the scorers’ sheet.
Apart from their match commitments, the expedition of PAOK visited the city of Madrid, with Pablo García, a former Real Madrid player, as their guide. The youngsters also got the opportunity to take the Santiago Bernabéu tour.
The players of PAOK U20 side were visited at their hotel by Club Atlético de Madrid vice-captain Diego Godín. The Uruguayan centre-back, old team-mate and friend of Pablo García, spent almost an hour chatting with the young footballers.
The squad of PAOK U20 squad in Madrid consisted of: Aidonidis, Balogiannis, Chatzistravos, Diamantis, Doumtsis, Gaitanidis, Gargalatzidis, Kozak, Lyratzis, Maniotis, Markovski, Meletidis, Michailidis, Mišković, Papadopoulos, Papathanasiou, Syllektis, Moutzouris, Voutsas, Tsaousis, Tzovaras, Siampanis.
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