The chronicle of the predicted death ended with the sad news that Mr. Igor Sipnevsky passed away yesterday morning, just a week before his 48th birthday. Haunted by his personal demons, this charismatic Poland striker snuffed out a promising career in alcohol, which he resorted to, believing it would help him avoid depression. He was a Panathinaikos player for three years (1998-2001) while in Greece he also played for OFI, Kavala, Kallithea. He previously tried to commit suicide and spent time in prison when he hit his partner while drunk.

None of his old teammates were surprised to hear the news, especially at Panathinaikos, where he played for three years and developed a closer relationship. Seeing his great psychological changes and knowing that he considered alcohol to be a “cure” for everything that tormented him in the evenings, they all understood that if he did not do something drastic to get rid of this addiction, the end would be fatal. Igor repeatedly received calls from teammates to undergo a rehabilitation program, but he himself believed that he had the situation under control and did not make premature decisions, although he admitted that he saw a dead end ahead.

Panathinaikos also forced him to turn to experts. He did not cause any particular problems with his behavior in team competitions (competitive or non-competitive), but his problem with addiction was obvious and affected his performance in training and matches. His unwillingness to cooperate and take a difficult step early on was one of the reasons why he did not stay at Panathinaikos for more years, although in his good days he was especially spectacular and had a positive impact on the team’s play.

In the green jersey, Shipniewski made 85 appearances and scored 20 goals in all competitions. He scored in the Champions League against Arsenal in London and his stunning performance at Old Trafford against Manchester United will be remembered for a long time as Barthez denied him a goal on several occasions. He came to Greece in 1997 for Kavala (18 matches – 7 goals), and after Panathinaikos he played for OFI (10 matches – 1 goal), and a few years later – to Kallithea, where his condition worsened, and he played only two matches. .

He vividly described his long struggle with alcohol, pills and depression. In a book he wrote in 2014, he spoke openly about his addiction, his attempts to detox in special centers, the times he almost died, the days he spent in intensive care when he was found unconscious on the street. But he was a football player, gifted with rich talent, an excellent master, able to break through any defense from the left flank of the attack. If he wasn’t so emotionally vulnerable, his imprint on life and football would definitely be bigger and more intense…