Anthony Pantazopoulos is having an impressive breakout season with Western Sydney Wanderers, establishing himself as one of the standout centre-backs in the Isuzu UTE A-League. The 21-year-old shares his journey and determination to silence critics with aleagues.com.au.
During his early footballing years, Anthony Pantazopoulos experienced moments that drew tears from him twice.
Though each incident stemmed from different circumstances, both were pivotal in shaping his career path.
Pantazopoulos has risen to prominence as a skilled centre-back in the Isuzu UTE A-League, shining in his season with the soaring Western Sydney Wanderers.
Reflecting on his childhood, Pantazopoulos recalls a moment when a primary school teacher told him at just seven years old that he would never succeed as a footballer. This left him in tears, but it also fueled his ambition as he followed his dreams.
“It definitely brings me a sense of accomplishment,” he remarked to aleagues.com.au.
“I often find that after each significant moment in my career, I reflect on it with clarity.
“I think back to what she told me, and then I look at what I’ve achieved. I have to thank her for that because it has ignited extra passion and determination in me.”
The other emotional moment occurred about seven years later, leaving a young Pantazopoulos astounded.
At just 13 years old, his coach John Karavitis made a bold prediction.
“He told me and my parents that I would one day be a centre-back for Australia,” Pantazopoulos shared.
“I’m not kidding; I cried because at that age, I thought being a centre-back was the worst position. It didn’t seem fun at all.
“The last time I saw him was when we played against Perth, and I had to admit he was right. I’m still puzzled as to how he knew, but he was spot on.”
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Interestingly, Pantazopoulos didn’t always play as a centre-back. In fact, he only shifted to that position four years ago.
Since this transition, Network 10 analyst Andy Harper has compared him to retired Socceroo Sasa Ognenovski.
“As a child, I played as a number ten, and sometimes as a striker, before gradually moving back, feeling as though I was transitioning from a 36-year-old’s career path—going from a number six to centre-back—while I was only 16 transitioning from ten to six and then to centre-back,” he reminisced.
“I always tried to model my play after Wayne Rooney.”
His transition to centre-back happened unexpectedly during a pre-season game with Brunswick City. The team was short on players, and the coach asked Pantazopoulos to fill in.
“I played there, and the feedback was overwhelmingly positive, suggesting I was meant to be a centre-back. And since then, that’s been my primary position, though I’ve played a bit at left-back and right-back; centre-back is definitely where I belong.”
Pantazopoulos hasn’t looked back since that transition.
The Brunswick City alum has progressed from the NPL in Victoria to becoming one of the most promising young defenders in the Isuzu UTE A-League, alongside talents such as Adelaide United’s Panagiotis Kikianis and Western United’s Dylan Leonard.
This success followed one of his career-defining performances for NPLM VIC giants Oakleigh Cannons, where he was instrumental in a stunning upset against Sydney FC in the 2022 Australia Cup quarter-finals.
Pantazopoulos, still a teenager at the time, was key in the Cannons pulling off one of the cup’s most significant surprises.
This standout performance also opened the door for a trial with Newcastle Jets during Arthur Papas’ reign in the Hunter region.
“After that Australia Cup run with Oakleigh, I had a trial at Newcastle for about a month and a half,” Pantazopoulos recalled, noting that his former coach from Brunswick City, Ric Marchioli, was also on Papas’ coaching staff then.
“The situation at the club was challenging, and I really wanted to secure a contract there, but various factors, particularly financial ones, prevented that from happening.”
Although a move to the Jets did not materialise, it provided valuable experience.
“I found it disappointing, but I took away some positives as I trained with them for several weeks and realised I could compete at that level.
“I performed well in training and friendlies. When I joined the Wanderers, I felt more prepared for what it entailed.”
Pantazopoulos made his move to Wanderland in 2023 but has truly flourished this season under the guidance of Alen Stajcic.
As a Young Socceroo, he currently ranks fourth in the league for aerial duels won, while being eighth for clearances and interceptions among defenders this season. He has made a career-high 18 appearances in the A-League and even found the net for the first time professionally.
He is recognised for his remarkable ability to strike the ball.
A former coach praised him as the finest striker of the ball in the A-Leagues. He is often seen taking goal kicks that nearly span the entire length of the pitch, as witnessed in his game against Auckland FC.
This skill has now become a “weapon” for the Wanderers.
“I had a park just a few streets away from where I grew up, known as Brunswick City,” he explained.
“I would be there nearly every day with my dad. By the time I was around 10-11, after our training, I would kick the ball as far as I could from one end of the field to the other.
“Eventually, at Brunswick City, where the pitch is a bit small, I found I could kick the ball from one goal to the other. That was when I realised I had some distance in my kicks, but I didn’t really think about it when I was playing at Oakleigh.”
“Then, when I first joined here, during a game against Melbourne City, Stajcic suggested I give it a go. I surprised myself with a goal kick that managed to beat the entire back four and landed just outside the box. That’s when it turned into this weapon, and we figured we should make the most of it.”
“Nobody at the Wanderers can beat me for distance.”
Pantazopoulos has even amazed his superstar teammate Juan Mata—who he used to watch in the early hours of the morning while the Spaniard played for Manchester United.
“He’s baffled by how I don’t suffer from back pain or muscle soreness. He jokes that I must be getting extra massages through the week,” Pantazopoulos said with a smile.
Compiled by SportArena.com.au.
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