Coming off the back of the heat of the NFF during the September International break, Cyriel Dessers has responded to the critics with his performances in Greece, Soccernet.ng reports.
The 30-year-old forward sealed a €4.63m move to Panathinaikos this summer from Rangers, but didn’t make any appearances for the Greek side before travelling down to Uyo for National Team duties.
After putting the scuffle behind him, Dessers has gone on to score two goals in 176 minutes for the Greens despite barely settling in.
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Cyriel Dessers reacts to life with Panathinaikos
Quizzed about how he’s finding life in Greece, the former Rangers man mentioned it’ll take some getting used to.
“Yeah, I’ve been here for just over a week. I arrived late, because I had to fly from South Africa all the way here, after the Nigerian national team game,” Dessers said in quotes revealed by Sportal.
“It’s good that I’m finally here, because I signed the contract and then I was integrated with my national team for ten days. It’s good that I’m finally here, with my teammates and I’m wearing this beautiful jersey.
“Yes, there were several active days, special days, but it was good that I found myself on the field of Volos for the first time and I am able to get going.”
Despite playing just three games, the former Feyenoord striker revealed he’s faced some tough opponents, highlighting the quality of the Greek Super League.
“Yeah, sure, if you look at the situation it is now. I think it was a good summer, Panathinaikos had some difficult games, but ultimately qualified for the Europa League which was a goal.
“Starting the Championship was not easy, but if I can see the quality of the team after just one week I believe that exists. Many times in football it is not easy to go out on the field and only win with quality.
“No, you probably need a bit more luck or you need to change some things regularly, but I’m sure that with what I’ve seen from the team we’re going to make good games this season.
“It takes a moment, one click and everything will go its way,” the Belgium-born Nigerian concluded.
Having played across several intense derbies in the Netherlands (Feyenoord – Ajax) and in Scotland ( Celtic – Rangers), Dessers admitted it’s an honour to add another to his catalogue having scored in the game between Olympiacos and Panathinaikos.
“I think it’s an honor to play in this derby, after what you mentioned before. In the Netherlands and Scotland they are obviously the biggest games in the season, for the fans but also for the teams.
“It’s one of the most beautiful matches you can play maybe in your entire career.
“We have quality as a team and I think we got a good result on Sunday with good atmosphere.
“It helped the confidence and faith of the team. That’s we’re here, we’re ready and go for the next step,” the former Cremonese forward concluded.
Dessers’ goalscoring plaudits are bringing him closer to achieving his career dream of representing Nigeria in a major tournament, as he’s becoming more of a regular figure in the squad under Eric Chelle.