In a year that has seen him save a penalty in one of the most intense derbies in world football, make his Europa League debut and become a fans' favourite at a historic Greek club, Luke Steele has still found time to try to convert some new friends into Barnsley supporters.

The goalkeeper left the Reds last July – after making 227 appearances in seven seasons – to join Panathinaikos on a free transfer due to a relegation clause in his contract following the club's demotion to League One.

After breaking into the side in October, he has been a big success in Athens, keeping 18 clean sheets in 36 games including four out of four in the end-of-season play-offs for the Champions League which they won after finishing second in the league.

As one of Panathinaikos' star players and the first Englishman to play for the historic club, who have won their league 20 times and reached the European Cup final in 1971, he says Greek fans expect him to have joined from one of the bigger teams in the UK.

"When people ask me which club I signed from, I see the confusion on their faces when I say 'Barnsley'," Steele, 30, told the Chronicle. "But I am very proud of it and I always big the club up.

"I tell them it's a fantastic club that played at a very good level in the Championship and about the FA Cup run we had when we beat Liverpool and Chelsea (in 2008).  I will keep going until Barnsley is well-known in Greece and there is a Tykes fan club here or maybe a friendly with Panathinaikos. "Barnsley will be part of me forever.

"I have so much time for that club. "It's one of the first results I look for and I watch the highlights on the internet. I still speak to people involved at the club on the phone like Norman Rimmington. It was the club I established myself at. I had an amazing time at Barnsley.

"I remember every game for Barnsley and every player I played with which must have been about 100. My only regret is leaving so quickly and not saying a proper goodbye to everyone but I didn't want the move to drag on."

Steele began pre-season with the Reds last summer and played in the first friendly at Halifax but left before the trip to Italy. Barnsley's team when he departed was comprised mainly of academy products as the club experienced a huge turnover in players following relegation.

"The squad that they had when I left was very, very weak and I honestly thought they might go down to League Two. I am very, very glad that they didn't and they obviously signed quite a lot of players after I left and stayed up quite comfortably in the end. Danny Wilson (Steele's last Oakwell manager who was sacked in February) got even less time than most managers at Barnsley. I don't know much about Lee Johnson (Wilson's replacement) but he seems like a good manager and people speak highly of him. I hope they can bounce back to the Championship as soon as possible."

Former Manchester United, West Brom and Coventry man Steele spoke openly during his time at Oakwell about his ambitions to play for England and believes that is more possible now. Steele, from Peterborough, said: "My dream is the same as it always was – to get in the England squad and play in the Champions League – although that dream did start to fade in the last 18 months at Barnsley.

"I was doubting whether I would make the level that I had always wanted and, after the relegation, it was time to move on and try something new. I made a four-year plan when we were relegated to get myself to the level I always wanted to get to.  The first year has gone really well but I know I need to keep working hard. "I don't know what the future holds but I am very happy at Panathinaikos.

"Tom Heaton (Burnley goalkeeper) has just been called up and he has had a similar career to me with a lot of Championship football, but obviously he played in the Premier League.  

"Everybody seems surprised that I have gone from a League One club to where I am now. But I always thought that a different style of play would suit me. It is a lot more technical than in England and less physical. I am always being passed the ball and expected to pass it back out rather than smash it up the field.  I have always been that kind of 'keeper, I just never got the chance to show it. You couldn't play like that in England because the pitches – especially at Oakwell – are not very good and the strikers are always pressing you."

Panathinaikos' season finished on June 7 and Steele will return this weekend for pre-season training ahead of their Champions' League qualifiers which means his summer break is half as long as it was at Barnsley.

"It's by far the shortest summer I have had but it is worth it," said Steele, who will play alongside former Chelsea man Michael Essien next season.

"That is what you have to do if you want to qualify for the Champions League which has always been one of my dreams. To get there would be another level and it is definitely possible with the team we have.  Anything I do in my career will be partly down to Barnsley giving me an opportunity and I will always be grateful for that."