EXCLUSIVE: Slavia star Zafeiris on opting to play for Greece and turning down Barcelona
"Outside the stadium, I'm a boy like any other. Am I a footballer? That doesn't mean anything at all," says Christos Zafeiris speaking with Flashscore about his early career in Norway, his time in the Czech Republic, his decision to represent Greece and his experience at Barcelona's famed La Masia academy.
Before the season, Zafeiris shed his blonde hair and suddenly started playing out of his skin. It's as if his distinctive hair had tied him down in the spring. He couldn't cope with the injury he picked up at the end of winter and even dropped out of the starting lineup for a few games. No goals, no assists, no interplay. He just couldn't catch his previous form.
More was expected from the midfielder who was selected in the top 100 young footballers in Europe in the spring of 2023. There was even speculation that he might leave Slavia. However, he did not run away from the work he was doing, and that is why he has once again become one of the mainstays at the Prague club this season.
On Wednesday, Jindrich Trpisovsky's side will rely on him once again, this time against Ludogorets in Bulgaria for the start of Slavia's UEFA Europa League campaign.
Are you getting itching feet yet?
"I can't wait, but I also know that the season is not just about Europe. We want to be successful in the league as well, so we have to take every game seriously. It's hard to set up the same way for the duels with Ajax or maybe Karvina, but we have to do it."
It will be the first time playing in the new format. How do you like it?
"It will be a completely new experience for everyone. It's good that we will play more teams, that we will fight until the end and no team can afford to drop anything. But it's just a first impression. It's too early to make an assessment."
You have a number of interesting opponents. Ajax, Frankfurt, Athletic Bilbao and Fenerbahce are teams that have long been among Europe's top teams...
"I'm looking forward to Bilbao in particular. Spain, great team, great atmosphere, beautiful stadium. It will be something!"
What about your trip to Greece? The match at PAOK will have a special meaning for you, right?
"For the first time in my club career, I will play in Greece, so I'm a bit curious to see how it will be. I'm really looking forward to it. It's definitely the second most exciting game of the regular season for me after Bilbao."
You wouldn't want to end with in that one though, would you? Do you have any specific goals in the competition?
"We want to go as far as possible. I think we have shown several times that we can compete with the best European clubs. So I believe we can go really far."
You are strong, especially at home, as you confirmed in the Champions League qualifiers. But in the end, you were knocked out by Lille, does that still hurt?
"It was hard to take. We played a great game in the rematch, we found a way in which we can succeed against anyone. But unfortunately, we didn't make up the two-goal deficit. It would be nice to play in the Champions League, but we have to look ahead. We were close, but it's gone now."
In the qualifiers, you also tried your hand at a defensive role. In the duel against Royal Union, you were put in charge of the dangerous Cameron Puertas and practically didn't let him into the game. How did the unusual role suit you?
"I have to say it was quite a challenge. I'm an offensive player, but when the situation calls for it, I'm happy to play that role. If the coaches assess that I can help the most by personally guarding the main star of the opponent, I will accept that role without any problems. If they want me to do it all season, I'll do it all season." (smiles)
Would you enjoy it?
"I enjoy being on the field. I don't care where. The important thing for me is to be there. That's enough for me to enjoy football."
However, you were absent from the starting XI often in spring. Was that something you found difficult?
"Nobody likes to be on the bench, but that's part of football. I tried to at least take something away from it. I worked hard in training, I talked to the coaches. I wanted to show them that I deserve to be on the pitch."
In the end, you won their trust. However, in the summer there was speculation that you might leave Slavia. Did you solve it?
"Not at all. I don't have the work done. I know that every progress is accompanied by shorter setbacks, the important thing is that they are not long-term. You have to be able to react to every step back, and that's what I'm trying to do at the start of this season. I wanted to prepare for it as best as possible and I think I did quite well."
So far, so good...
"I can't be satisfied with that, though. There are a lot of important games ahead of us in Europe and in the league. I have to work to be able to maintain this level for the rest of the season. Obviously, every game won't be perfect, but I have to try to perform as well as possible."
Have the coaches found the perfect role for you? You seem to be able to link well with Oscar Dorley in the middle of the park.
"I wouldn't say my position or role on the pitch has changed fundamentally. The coaches still want me to do the same things as last year, but I think I'm better at following their instructions. I'm trying to push more in the end, play more in the opponent's sixteen and get chances. I believe I understand exactly what they want me to do."
'I listened to my heart'
Thanks to that, you made your senior national team debut at the beginning of September. Why did you end up choosing Greece over Norway, whom you represented in the youth categories?
"It was a difficult decision, I listened to my heart. When the chance to represent Greece came up I didn't hesitate. I haven't lived there for more than 10 years now, but I've always considered it my home anyway. I have most of my family and friends there..."
How was the first national team camp?
"I have to say it was a very special moment for me and the whole family. It was an incredible experience, I'm so glad I got the chance. Plus, I jumped right into both games and was able to show people in Greece what I can do."
Don't you regret not playing with stars like Erling Haaland or Martin Odegaard in the Norwegian national team?
"To be honest, I didn't think of it that way at all. Obviously, there are a lot of great footballers in the Norwegian national team, but there are also great players in the Greek national team. Maybe they are not that famous, but I have to say that they have a lot of quality. You can feel the determination to get Greece back to the top."
You have something to build on as Greece won the European title 20 years ago...
"The whole meeting was a huge school for me. I've never played in the Greek national team, so it was really interesting for me to see how the players work there. It was great to absorb the atmosphere that prevailed at the meeting."
You left Greece with your parents when you were nine years old. Do you remember how hard it was for you then?
"It was very difficult for the whole family. We had to start a new life in a completely foreign country. We didn't know the language, we didn't know anybody... In the end, football helped us all a lot."
Really? How?
"I quickly made friends thanks to it. I just went out with the ball, met new people and I learned to speak Norwegian quite quickly because of it. My parents in turn made friends at the club I was at. So football played a very important role in making us fit in in Norway."
How difficult was it to get used to Norwegian football? I can imagine that the young Norwegians are quite the rascals...
"That wasn't really the point, I was more referring to the different approach to young footballers. In Greece, talented boys go to big clubs, in Norway, it doesn't work like that. There are no academies where the best of each year play. There are a lot of smaller teams with players of different levels. There is a lot of emphasis on making football fun. So it was a bit difficult to find a team where I could continue to develop football."
In addition, just before you moved to Norway, you had a spell at Barcelona's famous La Masia academy. You went from training with the most talented young footballers in the world to being one of those guys who just play football for fun?
"I didn't take it that way, I mainly wanted to play. Plus, in Norway, I could have fun with football. In Barcelona, it was more stressful for me. I didn't speak a word of Spanish and I remember feeling a bit out of place there. However, I did quite well in the model matches and they wanted to keep me, but in the end, we decided that it wouldn't be the right way to go."
So your first club outside of Greece and Norway became Slavia more than 10 years later. Weren't you aiming higher? Your youth team partner Oscar Bobb is already peeking into Manchester City's first team.
"Not at all. The transfer to Slavia was important for me. In Norway, I played for smaller clubs that were always at the bottom of the table. Suddenly, a team that wins trophies and regularly plays European Cups was interested in me. There wasn't much to think about here."
I guess it's easy to get used to fighting for titles and matches in Europe, isn't it?
"Well, it wasn't easy at all. Every week you go into a game here thinking you have to get three points. There is nothing else but winning. I didn't know that kind of attitude until then. I had to get used to it a little bit, but of course, it's a nice worry."
When you arrived, there was a lot of talk about you being the replacement for Nicolae Stanciu. Did you perceive that?
"To be honest, hardly at all. I knew he had played here and that he was very popular with the fans, but I never wanted to emulate or compare myself to anyone. From the beginning, I wanted to be myself. I wanted to show people what Christos Zafeiris could do. It's nice when people compare you to someone like that, but I don't think it's good to be tied down by that."
Maybe one day when you leave, fans will compare the new signings to you...
"That would be nice, but I'm not thinking about leaving yet. I'm focusing on Slavia and I want to help them to the best results. If there is an offer for a transfer, so be it. I'm not dealing with it right now."
But I suppose you don't take Slavia as the final stop.
"Obviously, I would be happy if I ever get a chance to move on. I would like to make one more step, but it's clear to me that it might not happen. It will depend on me and my performance."
Do you have a club or league you'd like to play in?
"My dream is to try one of the top four European competitions. I'm tempted by the Spanish LaLiga and Bundesliga, of course, I'd also like the opportunity in England or Italy. The main thing would depend on my fit with the team and that they are really seriously interested in me. If such an offer comes, I will be ready."