Warzycha signs on for another year with PAO
Panathinaikos’s long-serving 38-year-old striker Krzystof Warzycha, who has broken club scoring and appearance records over a 13-year career with the Athens club, has agreed to sign on for another year, it was announced yesterday. Warzycha is expected to sign a one-year contract within the next few days. The extension to the aging Polish player’s contract – who these days comes on as a substitute, but has not lost his phenomenal goal-scoring ability – offers Warzycha a remote chance to break the Greek League’s all-time scoring record of 260 goals. The record is held by the retired Thomas Mavros, who was active between 1971 and 1991 with Panionios, AEK and Panionios, again, for his career finale. Warzycha has scored 235 goals in the Greek League since he joined Panathinaikos in December 1989 from Polish club Ruch Chorzow. If reached, Warzycha’s new record will be the latest in his collection, and probably last. This time last season, the much-loved Polish player, who enjoys rare – by local standards – widespread popularity with supporters of all teams, broke his club’s European appearance record, playing his 56th game in European competition against Schalke 04 in the Champions League. Warzycha also holds all the goal-scoring records at Panathinaikos. He has averaged approximately a goal every two games in the nearly 500 league, cup and European competition matches he has played. Yesterday, Warzycha, true to form, refrained from making any comments about the one-year extension to his contract. «I can’t say anything yet, because the contract hasn’t been signed,» said Warzycha. «But it’s a matter of a few days.»
