Adelaide United centre-back Bart Vriends says the emergence of Panagiotis Kikianis as a leader at the club has set the young defender on course for a bright future in football.
The 34-year-old joined the Reds last season and quickly formed a partnership at the heart of Adelaide’s defence with Young Socceroos star Kikianis, who Vriends has witnessed grow into a leadership role through his time at the club.
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Vriends said the 20-year-old defender has grown from a lively personality into a genuine leader within the squad ahead of Adelaide’s clash with Melbourne City at Coopers Stadium on Friday night.
“Since I’ve got to know him last year, he’s a bit of a character, he’s a personality,” Vriends said. “He’s a very good player, and I’ve said before he’s got a bright future. But I was basically waiting for him to step out and speak out more as a leader as well.”
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According to Vriends, that moment arrived over the course of the previous campaign, with Kikianis steadily becoming more vocal and more assertive on the pitch.
“He deserves it,” Vriends continued. “He’s one of the leaders in the team now, and that’s because of the way he’s playing, but also because he’s a vocal centre-back – and that’s what we need.
“With me and him together, hopefully we have two players who try to communicate in the centre of the park, and that’s really important,” he added.
For Vriends, Kikianis’ willingness to learn is what sets him apart. He sees the teenager’s growing leadership as a natural next step in a development curve that continues to rise sharply.
“That’s the next step in his improvement,” he said. “He’s taking it, he’s grabbing it. He’s very eager to learn and to improve. As I’ve said before, there’s hopefully a bright future ahead.”
