Anthony Pantazopoulos has a lot to celebrate this year.

The freshly turned 18-year-old is enjoying all of the perks of legal adulthood like getting his drivers license, but was also pinched from his previous team of around 11 years, Brunswick City, to play with the seniors at the Oakleigh Cannons.

“It was the end of 2019 when I got a call from Chris Taylor, the coach at Oakleigh just to head over and have a training session with them and then from there I ended up signing with them,” Pantazopoulos told Neos Kosmos. 

Taylor wasn’t the only person who saw potential in the young Pantazopoulos. The defender first started playing thanks to not only his persistence in nagging his parents to get him out on the pitch, but to his own father who played for historic Greek team, the Port Melbourne Sharks.

“He was the one that was predominantly taking me to the park, staying with me when I was yelling at him and you know, cracking the shits with him. He’s taught me how to play with both feet from a young age which has been lifechanging for me. It’s made life so much easier. A lot of that comes down to my dad,” he said.

“In the way I say I’m a hard working person, I’d say he’s the same. He’s always worked hard to get what he wants, which is something I try to follow.”

With an unbeatable work ethic and stellar support on his side, Pantazopoulos hopes to make it overseas one day to play football as a profession.

For now, he’s got his mind set on improving his game and finishing off his final year of high school.

Pantazopoulos talks playing in China, his hidden musical talent and always pushing on forward.

READ MORE: Perfecting the juggling act: Q&A with Heidelberg forward Cleo Taliadoros

What drew you to football?

The was a park right at the end of my street and I just happened to love playing soccer and I’s always ask my dad ‘can we go to the park? I just want to play, I want to play, I want to play!’ So I guess from about four or five, I was itching to go to the park every day.

It’s game day, what do you do to get in the zone before the match?

For me, one thing is waking up, having eggs. So it’s a very strict food routine on the game day. Then I enjoy listening to some music that puts me in the mood.

Top 3 training songs?

It probably changes over time. Right now I’d go with The business, Got me feeling and interestingly enough, Sweet Caroline.

What do you find most challenging about the game?

Probably the mental side of things. Staying switched on for 90 minutes straight without a mistake is pretty hard, but you have to learn and I’m still learning. That’s probably the toughest thing.

It’s about not having mental lapses during those 90 minutes.

What has been a highlight in your sporting career thus far?

There’s a few. One would be signing at Oakleigh at my age and playing with the senior team. Another one would be when I played a tournament in China with Melbourne City which was good. It was like an affiliation kind of thing. That was in 2018, for I think three weeks.

How has football impacted your life?

It’s been something that I’ve always turned to no matter what the time is. I guess that really showed through COVID when I couldn’t do anything but I just kept going to the park because it was the one thing I could do and it’s one thing I’ve just done my whole life.

If something isn’t going well at home or school, I just go to the park and feel good. Everything’s forgotten.

What is something you learned about yourself through playing the game?

Probably resilience. I’ve learnt that throughout tough times, I’ve been able to keep going no matter what.

What do you hope to achieve in the next year?

Just to keep gaining senior time, more experience and just learning more about the game. Outside of soccer, becoming more independent.

What’s something someone might be surprised to learn about you?

Maybe that I played saxophone up until only a few years ago, that might be a bit interesting. I just started it playing it one day and then that turned into years and years.

Look, it would probably take me a few months to get back to what I used to be.

Favourite way to unwind after a game?

I like to sit around with the boys that I’ve played with and talk about the things that happened in the game whether that be good or bad. That’s pretty much it.

I like to dwell on it [the game] a bit but I don’t let it be the only thought in my mind. I try to play the game, learn what I did wrong and right and then move on to the next week.

What are you most looking forward to in 2021?

Just gaining more experience and learning from some of the older boys at Oakleigh, because I’ve already learned so much from them. I’m looking forward to that.

What is something you want to be remembered for? 

I want to be known as a hard working player who wants to do the best for the team always. Something I pride myself on is always working hard.