“Talent is not the only thing,” explains Kostas Tsimikas. “The most important things are these: to work hard, to never give up, and to be capable of accepting all this sadness.
“You know, football is a game with a lot of sadness, limited success. But it’s this limited success that gives you the extra push to go and achieve everything.”
The left-back, who is currently on loan at Roma from Liverpool, is still smiling as he says this. He bounded into the interview a few minutes earlier, a rooftop view overlooking the Acropolis, and excitedly twirls a lightning bolt necklace. He speaks about his dog, a Shar Pei, and with excitement about representing Greece in their upcoming match against Scotland (they would go on to win 3-2).
Tsimikas, at 29, is now a senior player in a Greece squad which may have missed out on World Cup qualification, but is filled with several talented young players. It is on this subject — discussing what lessons he can pass on — that he brings up the sadness of football.
This summer, he felt the need to leave Liverpool in search of more game time. Having signed from Olympiacos in 2020, he spent most of that period behind first-choice Andy Robertson, but took the city to heart, and Anfield, in turn, loved him back. His spell included a Premier League, an FA Cup, and two Carabao Cup wins.
He describes scoring the decisive penalty in their 2022 FA Cup win as the best moment of his career, and has a tattoo of the moment on his upper arm. His Instagram bio reads: “Scouser in Rome”.
“I miss the city,” he says. “I lived there for five years. I love everything in Liverpool. They have a special part of my heart. The people are very kind, some of the kindest I’ve ever met in football. They’d always try to support the team, in good, in bad, they would always do their best to try to help you.
“I want everything for this club, because from day one, I was fully committed there. I was the Greek Scouser and I always will be, I’ll keep it for my whole life.”
His Liverpool contract runs until 2027 and so, in theory, a return after his loan spell is still possible, despite the £40million ($53m) arrival of Milos Kerkez this summer. Is that what he most hopes for?
“You never know,” he replies. “The most important thing for me is to be healthy, to train hard, to play more games. Next year is a different story for me. I want to be successful, I want to win things. Only God knows what will happen in the next year.”
Tsimikas is an expressive speaker, and a tattoo on his left wrist is evident. “Wish you were here.” It is dedicated to his former Liverpool team-mate Diogo Jota, who died in a car crash alongside his brother Andre Silva in July.
Those who have gone through grief know it never fully goes away, but only grows smaller. Just four months later, Tsimikas is still processing Jota’s passing, but given the option, wants to talk about his friend.
“It’s very difficult,” he explains when asked how he was doing. “When I think about Diogo, it’s always painful. He was a special guy, a very good guy, and we spent a lot of time together. I think it’s the same for everyone who plays with him — we miss him a lot.
“But for me, he was a very important person because we came to Liverpool together, and shared a lot of things together. When we had a night out or had team trips, he was always the one there next to me. We had fun together.
“When it gets hard, I try to keep only the positive things. We have to live life, because that’s the most important gift that God gave us. And although it’s painful in this situation, you have to never stop thinking about him, he is always there for us and in our hearts.”
For Tsimikas, much of this processing has taken place at the same time as his adaptation to a new life in Italy. Roma, who haven’t won the Scudetto in 25 years, are fighting Napoli (their opponents tonight), Inter, Milan and Bologna in a congested Serie A title race.
Does he see parallels with Liverpool, two historic clubs who have experienced long recent waits for a domestic title?
“For sure,” he replies. “Both are the strongest team of the town, because they each have Everton and Lazio. But the spirit is also similar between them, and that was the most important thing that made me want to go there. Both teams fight for the title. The fans are crazy, but in both of them, within the team, everyone wants to succeed.
“Everybody lives and breathes for this club, everybody wants the team to succeed, and being there at this time was best for me and my career.”
Another appeal was the chance to work under Gian Piero Gasperini, who led Atalanta to the Europa League title in 2024 before making the move to the Eternal City. Having gone from Jurgen Klopp, to Arne Slot, to Gasperini, Tsimikas has worked under three of Europe’s top managers in successive seasons — though he is faced with another battle for the starting left-back jersey, with Angelino.
“I think Gasperini is more direct,” he says. “Slot was more detailed about the game plan, whereas Gasperini is a lot more physical as well. At the moment, for me, it’s about getting used to the playing style, and it’s a little tougher for me. But I have to try to give my best every time the coach gives me the opportunity to play. The team comes first, and I want to be a big part of that, hopefully celebrating at the end of the season with a trophy.”
And if there is one trait Tsimikas takes pride in, it is the ability to learn from every situation and environment.
“I remember going to Denmark (to play for Esbjerg),” he says. “I was just a kid. Everything was dark because I went at Christmas time. It was the first time I left Greece. And it made me more physical, it made me into a man.
“After that, I had one year in Holland (at Willem II), where I learned my technical abilities, how to build up with the Dutch mentality, and breathed the Dutch mentality, the way they think about football. And afterwards, I had those two in combination with my time at Olympiacos, a big club with big ambition.
“So if I didn’t have those small steps in Holland and Denmark, I don’t think I would have been capable of playing at Olympiacos, to do what I did, and then to play in Liverpool, one of the biggest clubs, and for me, it was the most important.
“It was there that I realised I was a good player. You have to always learn, to take in the positive things, and to never, never give up.”