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Schwab lets it rip at the title party here

Stefan Schwab and Thomas Murg are champions!

(Bild: zVg)

"There was fire everywhere, it was unbelievable," ex-Rapidler Stefan Schwab croaked into his cell phone on Monday afternoon. "Sorry, but the voice is gone." After the craziest, but also the most legendary night of his soccer career. Like Thomas Murg, the ÖFB international won the Greek championship title with PAOK Saloniki with a 2:1 triumph in the away derby at Aris. Two points ahead of Cican Stankovic's AEK Athens. After that, half the city exploded. The "Krone" has the best videos ...

Last round, PAOK would be through with a win, the fourth championship title in the club's history, the first since 2019. The worst was expected in Thessaloniki. Because Schwab and Co. had to go through hell at city rivals Aris of all teams. And that's how it turned out.

Stefan Schwab

(Bild: zVg)

"Sold out, a cauldron, they wanted to prevent us from becoming champions with all their might. Aris put everything into it, even though they still had the cup final and it was all about preventing us from winning the title," said Schwab, describing the final showdown. In which Schwab marched in midfield to bring the score to 2:1. Murg sat on the bench with an injury. And sprinted off at the final whistle. Towards the center of the pitch. To safety. "There were police and security everywhere - they told us to go to the dressing room as quickly as possible," says Schwab. Handing over the trophy in the arch-rival's stadium was never on the cards anyway, it was far too dangerous.

Here are the best videos from the championship party:

"At 5 o'clock in the morning, still nobody had gone home"
It felt like an eternity before the PAOK bus was able to leave the stadium. "We drove straight to Toumba (PAOK's stadium), where 50,000, 60,000 fans were waiting. It was unbelievable. There were fires everywhere," Schwab recounts with goosebumps from the trophy presentation. It was almost midnight by then. No matter. "The title means everything to the people here, it's the biggest title in history for them," says Schwab. "Because all three Athens clubs tried everything, invested a lot - but we put them in their place."

The double-decker bus then headed towards the landmark, the white tower by the sea. At walking pace, of course. Which the players enjoyed, even lighting Bengals (which is normal in Greece) and starting the chants. "At 5 o'clock in the morning, nobody had gone home yet," laughs Schwab. "Certainly the biggest success of my career." Murg and he had already won the cup with PAOK in 2021. "That was crazy, but not comparable because of coronavirus. Now it's mission completed, the title was still missing from my CV," said the 33-year-old. "All I need now is the Champions League."

(Bild: zVg)

Schwab's contract expires
However, as Greek champions, PAOK will only enter the qualifiers and are not guaranteed qualification. It remains to be seen whether Schwab, who is a fan favorite, will stay with PAOK. His contract expires. An offer will follow. Murg has already extended his contract until 2016. For now, however, Schwab wants to take a vacation and process what he has experienced. He had already experienced what life as a champion hero can be like in Thessaloniki before winning the title. "Everyone honks at you in the street, shouts at you. It's unbelievable," says the man from Salzburg. Since Sunday night, he has probably not been able to move freely in Thessaloniki...