Villafanez to obtain Greek citizenship in coming weeks
Villafanez to obtain Greek citizenship in coming weeks
In the next few weeks, Lucas Villafanez will obtain his Greek citizenship and will be eligible to play for the Greek national team.
Lucas Villafanez has openly stated that he would like to follow Carlos Zeca’s footsteps in obtaining Greek citizenship and to play for Greece’s national team. The Panathinaikos man is in the tail end of the naturalization process (started in 2014) as his paperwork is expected to be completed within the next two weeks.
Once Villafanez officially becomes “Greek,” it will be up to Greece coach Michael Skibbe if the 25-year old will earn a call-up to the Ethniki. The German coach, however, has openly expressed his belief in Villafanez’s potential and his call-up to the Greek team should not come as a surprise. The Panathinaikos man can play both as an attacking midfielder, but also as a winger, a position that Greece currently has limited options in.
Villfanez’s official neutralization process will not be ready in time for Greece’s next games, which are scheduled for October 7th and 10th, but if the Ethniki qualifies for the World Cup qualifying playoffs in November, Villafanez will likely be available for a call-up.
Although Villafanez was born and raised in Argentina, his maternal great-grandfather was from Piraeus. The youngster has played for Argentina’s youth national teams and has played in Greece since 2014. For two seasons he played at Panetolikos before signing with his current team, Panathinaikos in 2016.
by Spiridakos Dimitris
Image Source: sdna.gr
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