Hostile atmospheres and the threats of rioting have become the norm for former Norwich City midfielder Lukas Rupp in Greece, but he is enjoying his new challenge at Aris. 

The German joined the Greek top-flight club in January and made eight appearances to help Aris record a fifth-placed finish in the Super League. 

Rupp departed Norwich last summer despite conversations over a fresh deal at Carrow Road and took time to consider his options before opting for a new challenge in Greece after conversations with City duo Dimi Giannoulis and Christos Tzolis. 

There are some familiar names playing alongside Rupp at the Kleanthis Vikelidis Stadium, including ex-Burnley and Watford striker Andre Gray, former Roma winger Juan Iturbe and experienced Czech Republic international midfielder Vladimir Darida.

Rupp was signed by Alan Pardew, only for the experienced ex-Newcastle coach to depart the Greek club by mutual consent in February - a month after his arrival in Thessaloniki. 

The 32-year-old is relishing his time in a new country, even if the fan culture has taken some time to acclimatise to after playing Premier League football last season. 

"In terms of atmosphere and euphoria, Greece's Super League is at least on par with the top European leagues. At first I couldn't believe what was going on here," Rupp told Bild.

"When I was new to Aris, I wanted to know if our game was sold out. The answer was that it doesn't exist here. Even if all the seats in the stadium are occupied, the fans can still get tickets, people are also sitting on the stairs.

"The pyrotechnics in the fan blocks are also crazy. In Germany, there is a stadium announcement immediately if something is on fire. Bottles sometimes fly onto the pitch here away from home, so as a player you always have to deal with that.

"It's dangerous because firecrackers often land on the field every five minutes, it gets super loud next to you. It's just a pity that no away fans are allowed at the moment.

"The likelihood of riots is so high that the police and security forces cannot manage the situation in and around the stadiums. It's a shame for the peaceful fans.

"For me personally, however, it's not a problem if the whole stadium whistles at me. That pushes me more, spurs me on and has always been a driving force for me."

Rupp made 19 appearances for City in their relegation campaign from the Premier League in 2021/22. 

The Pink Un: Lukas Rupp was part of Norwich City's squad that were relegated from the Premier League in the 2021/22 campaign.Lukas Rupp was part of Norwich City's squad that were relegated from the Premier League in the 2021/22 campaign. (Image: Paul Chesterton/Focus Images Ltd)

The German midfielder played 62 times for the Canaries after joining from Hoffenheim in January 2020 and, despite his spell in England ending in disappointment, he has positive memories of his Carrow Road spell. 

"A game or two actually slipped out of our hands, but I still have a lot of good memories," Rupp said about his Norwich experience.

"All of a sudden you're playing against world-class teams like Liverpool, Chelsea and Man City, who have an extremely high pace of play, hardly make any mistakes and punish your every mistake."