Fran Vélez, from the hospital to score in the Athens derby

Soccer is played with the feet, the head and the heart. Y Fran Velez is the example of it. The Spanish central defender once again had a remarkable game with Panathinaikos: he completed 81% of his passes, won 70% of his duels, recovered 10 balls and scored the only goal for his team in the Athens derby against Manolo's AEK Jimenez. A goal in which, in addition, he shone with skills as a center forward. Fran Vélez had a very complete game, let's go. What few know is that, hours before jumping onto the Apostolos Nikolaidis lawn, He had to go to the hospital to rule out the broken little toe of his left foot.

The tests ruled out the break, but the pain – he can barely put on his boots – forced Vélez to play undercover. A circumstance that did not diminish the performance of a key player in the season that Panathinaikos is completing. The greens did not have a great start to the campaign, but so they have only lost two of their last 15 games in the Greek Super League and next Wednesday they will fight to sneak into the Cup semifinals. And Fran, who can play as a left central, as a right central and even as a winger or midfielder, will continue to be a man of maximum confidence for László Bölöni, who in Greece they accuse of being “too defensive”.

“We are used to defenders only scoring with heads,” Fran Velez said after a match that ended 1-1. The Spanish central added that Panathinaikos “must be more ambitious”, since the tie between the greens and AEK had Aris as the great winner, who remains second with two days remaining for the end of the regular phase in the Greek Super League. After completing the first 26 rounds, the top six finishers will fight each other for the title, which Olympiakos has in hand, and the European places.