Govou delight at Panathinaikos move

French international winger Sidney Govou expressed his delight at joining Panathinaikos Athens on Monday as he met his new teammates for the first time.

“I had a remarkable welcome from the fans at the airport when I came and I want to thank them. I promise to give my best for the team and to bring only joy to the fans,” said Govou, who has signed a three-year contract with the Greek champions.

The 31-year-old met his teammates who were training for the first time this season, but did not practice as players who have taken part in the World Cup have been granted extra days off, which include Govou’s teammate Djibril Cisse and Brazilian defender Gilberto Silva who were not present and will join the team on July 15.

“During the World Cup I had a long talk with Cisse and he told me that Panathinaikos was a great club. I also found out about the team on my own. The fact that Panathinaikos will play in the Champions League this season also helped me decide to join the club,” Govou said.

Govou will be getting a reported 1.5 million euros from Panathinaikos yearly and 1 million euros as a bonus for signing.

He has played in 49 matches for the French national team scoring 10 goals.

On a club level Govou has played since 1999 with Lyon appearing in 292 matches and scoring 49 goals.