Anthony Pantazopoulos is enjoying a breakout season with Western Sydney Wanderers as he emerges as one of the most talented centre-backs in the Isuzu UTE A-League. The 21-year-old speaks to aleagues.com.au about how he got here and proving the naysayers wrong.
Twice in his formative footballing years Anthony Pantazopoulos was reduced to tears.
Each was for very different reasons, but both shaped the course of his career.
Pantazopoulos has emerged as one of the most talented centre-backs in the Isuzu UTE A-League amid his breakout season with high-flying Western Sydney Wanderers.
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But back when Pantazopoulos was seven years of age, one primary school teacher said he would never make it as a footballer. It made him cry. It has also been a source of motivation for the 21-year-old.
“It definitely gives me satisfaction,” he told aleagues.com.au.
“I think (every) big moment that’s happened in my career, once it settles down I seem to remember it.
“I’m like, she told me this one day. Now I’ve done this, so I’ve done that. I guess I want to thank her for what she said, because it has given me that extra drive and fire in my belly.”
The other tearful and career-altering moment came around seven years later.
His coach at the time, John Karavitis, left a 13-year-old Pantazopoulos stunned.
“He was the first person to ever say to me and to my parents that I’ll be a centre-back for Australia one day,” he said.
“This is 100% true and I actually started crying because at that time, I was like I can’t think of anything worse than being a centre-back. It does not look fun, it does not look enjoyable.
“I saw him last when we played Perth away, and it was like you were right. I don’t know how you were right, but you were.”
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Pantazopoulos was not always a centre-back. In fact, he only started playing in that position four years ago.
Since then, he has been likened to retired Socceroo Sasa Ognenovski by Network 10 analyst Andy Harper.
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“Growing up, I was a number 10, up front sometimes, then kind of just slowly transitioned back like I was 36 years old, gone from six to centre-back when instead, I was 16 years old, gone from 10 to six to centre-back,” he recalled.
“I used to try and mirror my game off Wayne Rooney.
“Funnily enough, it was just one pre-season game at Brunswick City, and it was in an U20s game and the centre-back couldn’t play, and the coach just said, ‘Look, can you just go play there one game?’
“I kind of played there and everyone was like maybe you’re a centre-back and then from then on, it’s pretty much just been centre-back since, a bit of left-back, bit of right-back, but my home is definitely at centre-back.”
Pantazopoulos has not looked back in those four years.
The Brunswick City junior has gone from the NPL in Victoria to one of the brightest young defenders in the Isuzu UTE A-League alongside the likes of Adelaide United’s Panagiotis Kikianis and Western United teenager Dylan Leonard.
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A teenager at the time, Pantazopoulos helped the Cannons pull off one of the biggest upsets in the history of the cup.
It also led to a trial with Newcastle Jets during Arthur Papas’ tenure in the Hunter region.
“After the Australia Cup season with Oakleigh, I went to Newcastle for maybe a month and a half, two months,” Pantazopoulos said, with his former Brunswick City coach Ric Marchioli also part of Papas’ coaching staff at the time.
“The situation was obviously a bit tough at the club. So (I) was wanting to be signed there, but certain circumstances, monetary, just it couldn’t happen.”
While a Jets move did not materialise, it prepared the Victorian for what was to come next.
“Disappointing, but at the same time, I took a positive out of it because I got to train with them for quite a few weeks, and then also realising that I can actually play with them.
“Training well, playing well in friendlies. Then once I came to Wanderers, I kind of already had that little bit of taste for it. I somewhat knew what to expect.”
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Pantazopoulos first made the move to Wanderland in 2023 but he has come into his own this season under Alen Stajcic.
The Young Socceroo – who ranks fourth for aerial duels won and eighth for clearances and interceptions among defenders in the competition this season – has made a career-high 18 A-Leagues appearances, while scoring his first professional goal.
He is also known for his incredible ball-striking ability.
One of his former coaches said Pantazopoulos is the best striker of the ball in the A-Leagues. This is a player who is often seen taking goal-kicks which almost cover the entire length of a field, as seen against Auckland FC.
It is now a “weapon” for the Wanderers.
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“I had a park a few streets away from where I grew up, which was Brunswick City,” he said.
“So I was there almost every day with my dad, and it kind of got to the age where I was maybe, I want to say, 10-11 and I would just at the end of whatever we were doing, I’d go to the other side of the pitch and just kick the ball as far as I can.
“It kind of got to a point at Brunswick City where it’s a little bit of a small pitch, and I was kicking from one goal all the way to the other goal and I was kind of like, wow, I can actually kick the ball pretty far and then I just forgot about it for a few years playing at Oakleigh.
“Then when I first came here, and I think it was a game against Melbourne City, Staj just kind of said ‘try this’. I know you can probably kick the ball far, and I surprised myself with the goal-kick.
“I think it beat the whole back four and kind of landed just outside the box. From then, it’s kind of been like this weapon now, so we may as well try and utilise it.”
In his words, “no one is beating me” for distance at the Wanderers.
It has even stunned his superstar teammate Juan Mata – a player he used to watch at 2am with his dad while the Spaniard was playing for Manchester United.
“He doesn’t know how I don’t get a sore back, doesn’t know how my quads have coped. He just says I have to get extra massages during the week,” Pantazopoulos smiled.
