Giorgos Manousos, the “Flag-Bearer” of Atromitos

Veteran striker Giorgos Manousos continues to shine at Atromitos, with nine goals to his name and already making it his most prolific season in front of goal yet.

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Veteran striker Giorgos Manousos continues to impress for Atromitos, in what can be described as somewhat of a rebuilding season for the Peristeri club. The 32-year-old is one of the most in-form players of the Super League and already has nine goals to his name, after his brace against Asteras Tripolis in a late 2-1 home win last weekend.

The Mytilene-born forward currently sits in second spot in the goal-scoring charts (equal with Karol Swiderski of PAOK), only one goal behind Youssef El-Arabi of Olympiacos. It is his goals that are keeping Atromitos within touching distance of a top-half finish. Despite a slow start to the season that led to the sacking of Yannis Anastasiou, the team have clawed their way back into contention and sit only three points off fourth-placed OFI and one point behind sixth-placed Xanthi.

The ever-reliable forward acted as a perfect foil for the team's focal point Efthimis Koulouris last season, and now this season, he has forged a strong partnership in a twin strike force with Apostolos Vellios. The pair have scored a combined total of 15 out of the 27 goals scored by Atromitos this season. Manousos' experience and never-say-die attitude have been essential to a side going through a rebuilding period after the loss of coach Damir Canadi and several key players, who are no longer at the club.

Having suffered a wretched history in the past with numerous severe injuries, Manousos is making up for lost time. Only he and Dimitris Goutas are the only two members of the Atromitos squad who are yet to miss a match this season. He made the perfect start to 2020 by scoring a double in a man of the match performance, showcasing his experience and justifying why new boss Savvas Pantelidis trusts him ahead of Vellios at times. Remarkably, he has 17 goals to his name in his last 17 top-flight appearances.

The good news for Manousos does not stop there. He has already surpassed his best goal-scoring tally of the season (his previous best was eight goals with Platanias in the 2016/17 season) courtesy of his 90th-minute match-winning penalty last week against Asteras Tripolis. The goal itself sparked wild celebrations and rightfully so, as the player grabbed the corner flag and began to wave it in sheer joy, thus making him the "flag-bearer of Atromitos."

 With Atromitos now firmly back in the play-off hunt, they will be looking to their star man to keep delivering the goals.

by Nick Tsambouniaris

Image Source: onsports.gr

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