Young gun Giorgos Liavas shines at Panetolikos
Young gun Giorgos Liavas continues to shine at Panetolikos, as he was recently given the captain’s armband despite being just 18 years old.
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Young gun Giorgos Liavas continues his rapid rise at boyhood club Panetolikos. The 18-year-old has gone from strength to strength and has been forced to mature quickly, given the predicament the club finds itself in this season.
He only made his debut at the start of last season under Traianos Dellas and is known for his versatility - he can operate as a right-back, left-back, or defensive midfielder. He has featured on 11 occasions so far this season and is growing with each performance at a club currently languishing in 13th spot (second last).
Remarkably, the teenager was given the captain’s armband in a recent League match against Aris. The three previous captains this season (Jorge Diaz, Adrian Lucero, and Alexandros Malis) were all missing from the starting eleven. This meant Makis Chavos had to select a fourth member of the squad to be the captain for this match. His decision to choose Liavas represents a massive show of confidence for someone so young - Liavas turns 19 next week and is 13 years younger than some teammates.
The Greek youth international would surely have to be among the youngest ever captains in Greek football, even though no official statistics are kept. Liavas would certainly be the youngest ever person to captain Panetolikos in the top flight.
He also ranks highly among the youngest ever players to represent the club. Petros Michos remains the youngest player to ever play for the Agrinio club. The local boy made his debut for Panetolikos two months before his 17th birthday. He stayed at Panetolikos for the next three seasons and went on to sign for Olympiacos and feature on 51 occasions for the Greek national team.
Michos went on to become the captain of Panetolikos at the tender age of 19 years old, but by then, he already had three seasons under his belt (88 appearances). Liavas has smashed this record as he is still 18 and has only made a mere 29 appearances in the top flight in comparison.
Liavas, Panetolikos’ prized asset, who has been linked with Benfica in the past, should be aiming to follow in the footsteps of Michos, a fellow local player. Should he achieve that, it is safe to say he will have a good career.
