We all knew that the color he liked was green, and the flower he preferred was clover, although he, a native of Pagratios, carefully concealed his Panathenaic feelings, allowing them to express only once: in the Panathenaic fight with the Red Star, on way to Wembley (1971) not only with an explosion of moment for Camara’s third goal, but, above all, with the historical, unimaginable for the commentator phrase: “Somebody go ahead, Yagich!”, just before unleashing his medicinal Low crossed into the left corner by Konstantinos, who barely made a save.

However, in this Proustian questionnaire, “another diakoyannis” is revealed, known only to his family and friends: a man sensitive “like a mimosa”, a flower that he loved, who loved reading and music, he considered it his big mistake that he did not become a musician, as his mother (her piano was sold during the occupation) loved classical sports and adored Maria Callas. In a 1973 YouTube video, Jean Diacoyannis chats at halftime with his French colleague, and the viewer is looking for a “Greek journalist”, presumably a French speaker.

The hackneyed phrase “no words” here, as in the case of Hadjidakis, Theodorakis, and also with Cruyff, Puskas and Godard, takes on its meaning here in sad news. With him we say goodbye to bright Greece, albeit in black and white, but with the bright colors of his soul, and above all with that unique timbre of his voice, which characterized football matches as a “working class ballet” and taught us to love, with him alone, classical views sports.

Greece, saddened, bows to his memory. Goodbye Zanno…

Giannis Diakoyannis answers Proust’s questionnaire*.

– In Greece, in Nafplio, by the sea. Abroad, next to the sea.

“I haven’t met her yet.

– Human things.

– Robinson Crusoe.

— Maria Callas.

– Chopin and Hadjidakis.

– A responsibility.

– Honesty.

– I leave it to others to find it.

– Music and reading.

– That I didn’t become a musician.

– For health.

– Blue.

– Mimosa.

– Eagle.

– Dionysius Solomos.

— Tennessee Williams.

– Jeanne d’Arc and Bubulina.

– Irresponsibility, populism, impudence.

– Hitler.

– Nobody.

– In education, when they are real.

– Singing.

* In 1999, as part of an interview with G. Diakoyannis for the Epoch newspaper, we asked him to answer the Proust Questionnaire. Due to the length of the interview, the addendum in question, published here exclusively for the Cathimerini, has been omitted from the interviewer’s file in memory.