In the continuation of the global version of the legend of the Greek freak, there is no one from the big and talented Antetokounmpo family, as well as any other Greek from the world of basketball, from which world-class stars invariably grow.

This role unexpectedly fell into the hands of a ferocious young man named Giorgos Karlavitis, whose enormous achievements led his coach to the decision to “christen” him with the nickname of the most famous Greek athlete, and no one considered this “blasphemous”.

And even a comparison with a real Greek freak, Giannis Antetokounmpo, is an unbearable weight that could bring even experienced super athletes to their knees, but this young man’s back was too strong to allow him to bend.

In the country that gave birth to him 22 years ago, on April 3, 2001, George Karlavitis was almost unknown until a week ago. When the Kansas City Chiefs selected him 30th overall in the NFL Wizarding World last April, his big success touched few people in Greece.

American football is the most popular sport in the United States, and an endless dance of billions revolves around its stars every year, but in our country it remains a completely unknown sport for the vast majority of fans, whose relationship with it basically dries up to some extent. scenes from Hollywood movies.

What if “rookie” Karlavitis signed a 2020 NFL champion who was in contention for a replay a year later? What if he was teammates with the “legendary” Patrick Mahomes and Travis Kelsey, next to whom he was asked to be the main character and not just an assistant?

The news passed by in the small print and was of little concern in Greece until last week’s Super Bowl 57 triumph of the Kansas team became the world’s first sports topic, and Karlautis did a great job and created his own personal legend.

Thus, the NFL Greek freak became the second Greek in history to win the prestigious title, with the difference that Chris Maragos, who paved the way first, was the child of immigrants and did not live in his homeland.

On the contrary, Karlautis was born and raised in Greece, where he left in 2014 due to the sudden death of his father, but without breaking away from his roots. As he himself stated, he talks to his grandfather every day in Greece, and his familiarity with the language or Greek customs is sharpened during the summer when he spends his holidays at the family’s summer home in Paros.

A 22-year-old expat’s path to an American football title, Greece, the untimely death of his father, and Panathinaikos.

After all, he is connected with Greece by a pathological love for Panathinaikos and Fira 13! It is no coincidence, of course, because he himself was an athlete of the club, wore a goalkeeper polo cap in his small team, but also in the national children’s team, a teammate of the now “arrived” Papanastasiou, Skumbakis and Dzhuvetsi.

His passion for Panathinaikos was instilled in him by his father, Matteos, the director (and, as far as possible, financier) of the polo department, until the thread of his life suddenly ended at the age of 44, when his heart betrayed him in June 2014. on Kos, where he spoke at a conference as an assistant professor at the National Technical University of Athens.

Matteos (Matt) Karlavitis was also an athlete in the US before deciding to return to Greece to pursue an academic career. For Amy, his American wife, moving to Indiana after losing him was a one-way street. George, Giannis (world judo champion at age 11), Ani and Nikos saw their lives change drastically, but found balance in their new home, quickly adapted and began to thrive when the eldest sibling took over motherhood, incompatible with his age. .

For 14-year-old Giorgos, playing sports was a one-way street. Due to the lack of polo infrastructure in his area, and for all his versatility, he first turned to shot put before timidly discovering the world of American football.

His first high school coach said the kid was out of touch with America’s national sport. His questions were hilarious—he knew absolutely nothing about the sport other than how hard it was, from his father’s stories of his severe head injury while playing for the varsity team. George was not afraid and walked this mountainous road with incredible determination and a thirst for success. And this huge “I want” became the key to his success …

Karlautis worked very hard to build a huge and muscular body to stop his opponents, as the best defender of any team should do.

For a 1.93m tall, 125kg athlete, his speed is truly incredible, as is his maturity, to the point that, at a very young age, he takes on the responsibility beyond his age in an all-star team built for championships.

His $12 million “prove it” contract makes him one of the highest paid Greek athletes in history and makes it clear that he has an open road ahead of him to very high floors where few get to.

Andy Reid, the legendary coach who led Kansas to the title after a 50-year drought, was thinking about it when he called it a “high-octane car”: he wanted to show that there is no limit to what is possible!

“A wonderful and smart child, a wonderful family”

For Michalis Lazaridis, Karlautis’ connection with Panathinaikos came as no surprise. “His whole family, from grandfather to grandfather, was painted by Panathinaikos! He had a huge love for the team, his father took him everywhere, especially in football and basketball,” says his Panathinaikos polo team coach, who was one of the first to be dazzled by his formidable physique, but immediately found out the clue. values ​​that the athlete received from his family.

“He was a special child, it was immediately clear that he could succeed in any sport. He was a giant compared to children of his age. Although he is a goalkeeper, but in games with one goal, we forced him at the end to go 4-5 meters in front of the goal and shoot. He usually scored! Dear and intelligent child, brought up in a wonderful family, with leadership qualities,” recalls Mr. Lazaridis.
And he adds: “The death of my father came as a shock to me. Great man, sports lover, with principles and passion. We maintain a formal relationship with his mother, and I will learn about the progress of the children. It’s not just George. This is also Giannis and Nicholas. Despite the difficulties, the children coped and excelled. And this is a great joy for me … ”

Giorgos Karlavitis’s passion for Panathinaikos was another reason why his name kicked up the dust.
A video with his answer to an intriguing question from an American journalist “AEK Athens or Panathinaikos?” went viral: “Panathinaikos! Always, all day. Gate 13, come on man… The first clothes I wore when I was born were from Panathinaikos. Green and white, man!

His post-reply to Panathinaikos’ congratulatory post had the same passion: “I met you when I was a little child Panata, you took my mind, I grew up, I don’t get better, with you I suffered losses, on the petals of the whole earth. 13 will be everywhere you go to always keep our green flag high… #gate13”!