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Goal-scoring minifootball vote-winner speaks of 'pride'

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1_insideLeonidas Papadopoulos (pictured) came out on top in a Europe-wide vote to find the best goal scored in minifootball this year and declared: “It’s the best thing I have ever done.”

Leonidas was playing for host nation Greece when he scored his stunner against Turkey in the opening game of the miniEURO2014 tournament in Rethmynon, and was delighted to win the vote of thousands of people.

“The goal was my best moment there because it was the first match of the tournament,” he said. The game, versus Turkey, attracted a crowd of 4,000, and Leonidas spoke of the atmosphere in the stadium: “I have played more than 600 games of mini-football but that was something special,” he said. “When they called us to play in the competition I didn’t understand how big it was! It was the best thing I have done in my life.”

Greece were knocked out in the second round of the competition, losing to Germany on penalties, after another highly-charged fixture and Leonidas admitted he would swap his personal glory if it meant the team had got further in the competition, commenting ruefully: “I am proud of my goal of course, but I would be more proud if we had won the tournament.”

Leonidas’ goal came top in a poll conducted on the European Minifootball (EMF) website, which saw the ten best goals picked from the European Championships for the vote, and, according to EMF President Razvan Burleanu, that is exactly why the competition exists in the first place.  “We want to be a sport that makes the amateur player a star,” said Burleanu. “We and millions of sports fans around Europe saw the tremendously high skill levels on view during the course of the tournament. These players are not professionals, but even if just for a few days a year they can feel like it, by playing for their countries in front of huge adoring crowds. Our motto is ‘You Play’ and it is more than just words. We give ordinary people an extraordinary opportunity. I send my very warmest congratulations to Leonidas for winning this award.”

The miniEURO Championships will take place again in 2014, with a venue still to be decided, Leonidas admitted he couldn’t wait for another go and added: “This time Greece intends to win the competition!"

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