Ioannidis eyes a new best, and Sporting could lend a hand | OneFootball

Fotis Ioannidis has set himself an ambitious target for 2026/27: to surpass the 23 goals he scored in the best season of his career, in 2023/24, for Panathinaikos. The Sporting striker believes he has what it takes to reach that mark or, at the very least, come very close to it.

According to newspaper A Bola, the Greek international is convinced that the quality in Sporting’s squad can help him reach numbers he never managed at his previous clubs. The No. 7 believes he now has teammates capable of finding him more often in prime finishing positions.

Ioannidis started the season well, with two goals and one assist in the first two matches, against Estrela da Amadora and Vitória de Guimarães. A lower back injury then halted his momentum and opened the door for Luis Suárez, who seized the opportunity to reclaim his status as Sporting’s main attacking reference.

The Greek was frustrated at losing his place in the starting line-up, but he did not show any displeasure and responded on the pitch. Against Nacional, he came very close to scoring, hitting the crossbar after an excellent individual move, and against Famalicão he came on to help unlock the match, winning the foul that led to the penalty converted by Suárez.

Having already scored two goals in the league, Ioannidis believes he can reach at least the 20-goal mark and still sees 23 as the benchmark to beat. At 26, he also wants to justify the €22 million Sporting invested to sign him from Panathinaikos and put behind him a 2025/26 season in which he scored only six times in 22 matches.

This article was translated into English by Artificial Intelligence. You can read the original version in 🇵🇹 here.